BALCONY New York » Health Care

NYS Health Foundation Releases Positive Report on Health Reform

kevin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:35:21 +0000

"Health Reform Works: How the Affordable Care Act Is Already Making a Difference for New Yorkers"

By creating new options for health coverage and building on existing sources of public and private health coverage, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will give many people an opportunity to access affordable and comprehensive coverage. Important provisions of the health reform law have already taken effect, benefiting millions of New Yorkers as a result.

Montefiore Nurses Win New Contract, January Strike Averted

kevin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:28:22 +0000

2,300 Bronx nurses make gains on staffing, wages, affordable health care BRONX, Dec. 30, 2011 - The New York State Nurses Association has successfully negotiated a new, four-year contract with Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. The 2,300 professional registered nurses who work in the hospital made important advances in safer patient staffing, affordable health care, and fair wages, comparable to their colleagues at other New York City unionized hospitals. The nurses had given the hospital a strike notice for Jan. 10, 2012, because of their staffing concerns.

Flushing Hospital Threatens to Terminate Nurses’ Health and Pension Plans

kevin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:20:14 +0000

RNs to protest with informational picketing on Jan. 5

FLUSHING – Upset that management plans to stop payments to their health and pension plans, registered nurses at Flushing Hospital Medical Center are planning a protest for next week. The RNs are currently negotiating a new contract with management and are seeking to improve their working conditions. But hospital CEO Robert Levin has refused to sign interim agreements that continue the benefit plans.

NYSNA, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Reach Agreement-Strike Notice Withdrawn Pending Ratification

kevin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:53:35 +0000

MANHATTAN – The New York State Nurses Association, which represents the 1,300 registered professional nurses at St.Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan, has reached a tentative agreement with hospital management.

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Nurses to Strike on January 3, 2012

kevin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:50:11 +0000

St. Luke's-Roosevelt Nurses to Strike on January 3, 2012 Fighting for Affordable Health Care and Fair Pay

MANHATTAN - Early Thursday morning, the registered nurses of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan filed notice with hospital representatives that they will strike at 7.30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.

Key Lawmakers Urge Cuomo To Include Health Exchanges In Budget Proposal

kevin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:48:08 +0000

By Laura Nahmias

Several key lawmakers hope Gov. Andrew Cuomo will re-start the process of creating health insurance exchanges in New York next month by including the stalled plan in his budget proposal.

Nurses at Mt. Sinai and Montefiore vote to strike

kevin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 05:57:17 +0000

Vote sets the stage for a possible strike by 7,000 NYC nurses

MANHATTAN & BRONX, Dec. 9, 2011 – Registered nurses at Montefiore Medical Center and Mt. Sinai Medical Center have voted to authorize a strike if hospital management does not settle contracts that provide the best possible patient care, affordable health care for nurses and their families, and decent wages. The nurses at Montefiore and Mt. Sinai now join their colleagues at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, who voted last month to authorize a strike.

Retirees Sue State over Health Insurance Increases

kevin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:00:13 +0000

The Retired Public Employees association group representing about 40,000 retired public employees today Thursday filed suit against Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s increased health insurance for the state workforce — which also applies to retirees.

Insurance Premium Transparency is Good; Next Stop: Provider Transparency

kevin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 19:27:43 +0000

MVP Health Care CEO Dave Oliker shares his thoughts on a wide range of topics related to health care and health reform on his blog. Dave's posts reflect his unique perspective based on his more than 30 years of experience in the health care industry.

Here's his latest post:

Determining health insurance premiums every year is a complicated business. A health plan has to look at what services its covered population used this year, see how close it came to predicting that correctly, try to determine how the population will change, then project how much that population will use next year, and how much that is likely to cost.

Seeking a Cure for Troubled Hospitals in Brooklyn

kevin — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:25:57 +0000

by Nina Bernstein

When the pain in his groin was too great to bear, Ralph Hutchins, who works as a mover, headed to the crowded emergency room at the nearest hospital one recent Tuesday, his life at risk. Tanya Boynton, a mother of four who works 12-hour shifts, hobbled into another emergency room from a homeless shelter, afraid illness would end her job.

St. Luke’s-Roosevelt nurses take strike vote this week

kevin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:28:08 +0000

Manhattan, Nov. 1, 2011 -- Registered nurses at Manhattan's St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital will vote from Tuesday, Nov. 1 - Friday, Nov. 4 to decide if they will strike the hospital in the coming months.

AFL-CIO Pledges Campaign to Stop Cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security

kevin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:57:34 +0000

By John Reichard, CQ HealthBeat Editor

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told reporters Monday that “we will run the campaign necessary” to defeat any Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security reductions proposed by joint deficit reduction panel. But he stopped short of saying the labor group won’t endorse members of Congress who vote for such cuts.

The Future of the 340B Drug Pricing Program: Challenges and Opportunities

kevin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:38:28 +0000

by Jeffrey R. Lewis
former President of PS2 Health Care and now
serves as the Chief Operating Officer of EHIMRx

Executive Summary

Since 1992, numerous “safety-net” health care providers have enjoyed the opportunity, guaranteed under federal law, to purchase outpatient pharmaceuticals at a significant discount from a manufacturer’s market price. This program, usually referred to in shorthand as ‘‘the Section 340B program” or “340B,” referring to the statutory provision under which it is established,1 has grown significantly over the years, not withstanding resistance from some quarters of the pharmaceutical industry. The availability of 340B drugs, in many cases, makes the difference between a safety-net provider being able to offer an effective pharmaceutical program to its patients (with the attendant benefits of monitoring compliance with drug regimens and avoiding potentially harmful drug interactions) and its patients having no access at all to affordable drugs. However, decreasing reimbursement, market forces, and the changes and uncertainties in federal health care reform and the federal administration of the program will present challenges, and likely opportunities, for providers participating in the 340B program.

Read the entire paper: 340B Drug Pricing

AARP: New Yorkers want a health exchange

kevin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:54:36 +0000

Too bad it doesn’t look like they’ll get one anytime soon.

A poll commissioned by AARP found 69 percent of older New Yorkers surveyed — that’s people between 50 and 64 — want the Senate to set up a health insurance exchange when it returns to the Capitol … sometime. The exchange is necessitated by the 2010 health care overhaul pushed by President Barack Obama; state lawmakers negotiated a bill in June, at the end of session, but the Republican-controlled Senate pulled it from the floor calendar at the last minute, citing concerns from Sen. Greg Ball, R-Putnam County.

Nurses Association Honors Members at 2011 State Nurses’ Convention

kevin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:27:45 +0000

NIAGARA FALLS, NY, September 26, 2011 -- On September 24, at its annual convention in Niagara Falls, the New York State Nurses Association honored members who have made outstanding contributions to caring for the public and the advancement of the nursing profession.

Nurses at Brooklyn Hospital Approve Contract

kevin — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:37:01 +0000

Agreement avoids possibility of nurses’ strike

Brooklyn, September 14, 2011 – The resolve of the 500 registered nurses at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in demanding a fair contract has paid off. The nurses Tuesday ratified an agreement with hospital management that acknowledges the hospital’s distressed financial situation, but also provides nurses with the ability to support their families and maintain their quality of life.

Nurses at Brooklyn Hospital Plan to Strike Sept. 19

kevin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:29:56 +0000

Nurses issues 10-day strike notice to hospital Tuesday

Brooklyn, September 7, 2011 – Following another unproductive day at the negotiation table, the New York State Nurses Association, which represents the 500 registered nurses at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, Tuesday issued the required ten-day notice of a strike and announced plans to strike Sept. 19.

Nurses at Brooklyn Hospital Overwhelmingly Vote to Strike

kevin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:12:40 +0000

Nurses demand a contract that recognizes the value of their work

Brooklyn, September 6, 2011 – Nurses always consider striking a last resort, but in response to management contract proposals that would degrade the nurses’ quality of life, the registered nurses of the Brooklyn Hospital Center voted September 1 and 2 to authorize a strike. Members of the 500-person bargaining unit turned out overwhelmingly to let management know they would not accept an unfair and unreasonable contract that cuts their pension, health benefits and take-home pay.

kevin — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:12:23 +0000

A Summary Analysis of HHS’ 244-Page Exchange Rule Proposal

kevin — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:38:32 +0000

The Department of Health and Human Services released a 244-page proposed rule for the establishment of exchanges and the qualification of health plans to participate in these exchanges. The regulations can be found here. Below are some highlights of the major issues covered.

Click this link for the full report: PLANS

Daughter of Teen Mother Counsels Peers against Teen Pregnancies.

kevin — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 14:30:25 +0000

by Katie Nelson

In a world where teens behaving badly are rewarded with reality-star status, Patsy Garcia of Washington Heights is a welcome reality check.

She is the product of a teen pregnancy and, at 17, Garcia is the same age her mom was when she got pregnant. But instead of echoing her mother's choices, Garcia works to get the word out about teen pregnancy prevention and safe sex.

Nurses Association Vows to Fight Back Against Cuts to Healthcare Benefits – Union will seek to remedy cuts with gains at the bargaining table

kevin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:08:30 +0000

New York City - The employer trustees of the NYSNA Benefits Fund have prevailed in their efforts to decimate the health insurance coverage offered by the fund, a move that the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) sees as part of the coordinated attack on unions and the middle class. The Nurses Association will now take its fight to preserve quality healthcare benefits for registered nurses to the bargaining table.

MagnaCare Releases Landmark White Paper on Chronic Care Management

kevin — Tue, 31 May 2011 20:51:07 +0000

NEW YORK, N.Y. – May 19, 2011 - MagnaCare, a health plan services company with national reach, announces the release of a White Paper significant to the health care industry and reform efforts nationwide: "The New Face of Chronic Care Management" explores the new paradigm of chronic care management in which coordinated specialty care helps to prevent minor health problems from becoming catastrophic and costly health issues.

Testimony by Sherry L. Tomasky, American Cancer Society Health Insurance Exchange Forum

kevin — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:04:11 +0000

Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the establishment of a Health Insurance Exchange in New York. Our comments today focus on the specific elements of a Health Insurance Exchange that have implications for cancer patients, their families, and consumers at large. The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based organization dedicated to fighting cancer by providing direct patient services, advocacy, cancer education, and research funding. We are also a founding member of Health Care For All New York, a statewide coalition of over 110 organizations working toward affordable comprehensive healthcare for all. To put our comments in context, it is important to understand the burden of cancer in our society. One in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed in their lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that 103,340 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in New York this year. 34,540 New Yorkers will die from cancer in 2011, making it the second leading cause of death in New York. Research suggests that approximately 10% of cancer patients are uninsured at the time of diagnosis. More troubling, about one-third of cancer survivors report a loss of health insurance at some point in time since their diagnosis.

BALCONY & ADVOCATES SUPPORT CREATION OF NEW YORK HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE

kevin — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:14:05 +0000

Advocates and BALCONY to Albany Leaders: What’s the Hold Up on the Health Insurance Exchange Law? New York Must Act Now to Secure Millions in Federal Funding and Offer Affordable Coverage to Uninsured

Albany, NY - On Wednesday, BALCONY joined 85 organizations, including member organizations of Health Care for All New York and other health care and consumer rights groups, released an open letter to Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver urging them to quickly enact legislation establishing New York’s Health Insurance Exchange, as required under the federal Affordable Care Act passed in March of 2010. If New York fails to pass legislation authorizing the creation of the exchange by the end of the current legislative session (June 20th), the state may lose millions in federal grant money available to assist with implementation. The new health insurance market place will be open to over a million of New York’s uninsured, as well as tens of thousands of small businesses, offering them more affordable health insurance.

“Our BALCONY members owners of small businesses , labor unions and advocacy groups have long been in favor of providing health insurance and care to their employees and members,, stated BALCONY Director Lou Gordon.. ”In BALCONY survey more than 80% of small business owners in New York State indicated that they would offer health insurance to their employees if they could . New York’s small businesses need to help their workers stay healthy and the insurance exchanges will provide cost conscious health insurance policies.”