Many folks still have questions about medical homes, so we thought we would try to answer some of your questions today. Q. How does having a medical home benefit the patient? Having a medical home means that you have a healthcare team to take care of you, headed by your primary care physician, who will coordinate your care and ensure good communication among your team members. The concept of “Care” appears to have evolved to “caring for the whole person,” so medical needs will certainly be addressed, but the patient’s social and family situation, mental health, and spiritual and emotional […]
Category: Healthcare Reform
The ACA and Safety Net Resources
We hope you and your families enjoyed safe, happy and healthy holidays! Now that we are in the New Year, we have much to look forward to regarding healthcare in the U.S. As we’ve discussed in our previous three posts, we are moving towards insuring more people than ever before! That is good news, but there is much to be done. The ACA is not a perfect law, but it is our best opportunity to date to ensure that more Americans receive health insurance coverage. Where We Are Now At present, there are approximately 50 million uninsured people in the […]
What Does the Health Law Mean for Me?
Many of our NeedyMeds users have asked us to help them figure out what healthcare reform, or Obamacare, will mean for them and for their families or clients. This is understandable because the law is complex, with both state and federal governments playing a role in implementation. Some of the more common questions include these: I am uninsured right now. The new law says I have to buy insurance. What happens if I can’t afford it? What will happen if I don’t buy it? Can I keep the health insurance I already get from my work? Can I get health […]
Affordable Care Act – Here to Stay
The outcome of the November Presidential election also decided the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Ron Pollack, Executive Director, Families USA says: “The election has settled key issues about the directions our nation’s healthcare will take: It means Obamacare will be implemented, the Medicaid safety net will be strengthened, and Medicare’s guaranteed benefits will not be undermined. As a result, people across America will gain peace of mind knowing that high-quality, affordable healthcare will be there for themselves and their loved ones,”(Healthcare Finance News). This means that implementation will go forward. This is good news for all Americans, […]
What Is Healthcare Reform? And Why Is There So Much Controversy About It These Days?
Welcome to the NeedyMeds Blog! We are pleased to bring you our inaugural post, and we look forward to presenting you with timely, provocative pieces on healthcare reform, patient advocacy, medication and healthcare access, and other health-related news. Our goals are to educate, enlighten, and elucidate; together, we will try to make sense of the myriad and ongoing healthcare-related changes in the U.S. today My name is Julie Kautz Mills and I am Director of Outreach at NeedyMeds. My academic background is in bioethics, education and psychology, and I spent 16 years working in healthcare administration in the Boston area. […]