ObamaCare Roundup Curated by Jane M Orient, MD
Even if you like your ObamaCare plan, you probably won’t be able to keep it, because of the unfathomable structure of the metallic bands, explains Robert Grayboyes of the Mercatus Center of George Washington University in a brief video: http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2014/09/23/why-you-wont-even-be-able-keep-your-obamacare-plan-if-you-it
But if we can’t live with it, we can’t live without it either—or that’s the plan. Repeal would disrupt coverage for millions, who are dependent on the subsidies. We should’ve learned something from heroin dealers. http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2014/09/23/why-you-wont-even-be-able-keep-your-obamacare-plan-if-you-it
And to make sure we see it their way, HHS has given WebMD $14 million to tout the “benefits” of ObamaCare. http://freebeacon.com/issues/webmd-has-received-13-9m-to-promote-obamacare/
ObamaCare relies heavily on claims about how the electronic health record will make care more efficient and better. And the government wants everybody to use it. The insecurity of EHRs is well known: HIPAA offers no real protection, just opportunities to incur crushing fines. Virtually no one is completely compliant. http://www.forbes.com/sites/danmunro/2014/09/28/is-anyone-really-hipaa-compliant-in-healthcare/print/.
The accuracy of EHRs is so problematic that they cannot be relied on in court. http://www.fierceemr.com/story/ehrs-too-inauthentic-be-relied-court/2014-09-23
“Although EHRs appear to be accurate and complete, due to their ‘unusual’ nature they are rife with errors and alterations,” according an article in the Ava Maria Law Review, a publication of the Naples-Florida-based Ava Maria School of Law. “As a result, they are not reliable business records management systems and don’t meet the requirements of the Federal Rules of Evidence.”
Worse, the EHR’s disruption of normal work flow can have disastrous medical consequences, as in the Dallas Ebola case. http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20141003/NEWS/310039978/-procedural-flaw-in-ehr-system-cited-in-texas-ebola-case#. “The documentation of the travel history was located in the nursing workflow portion of the EHR, and was designed to provide a high reliability nursing process to allow for the administration of influenza vaccine under a physician-delegated standing order.”
As current systems are overburdened and disrupted, massive consolidation is occurring. UnitedHealth Group Inc said it agreed to buy MedSynergies, which manages physician practices, adding about 9,300 doctors to the hospital and health system services that its Optum technology-based business currently serves. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/30/medsynergies-ma-unitedheal-grp-idUSL2N0RV0PK20140930
In Other News:
The Swiss reject a seismic shift to government health insurance. http://news.yahoo.com/public-versus-private-swiss-mull-health-system-shift-073917245.html
Twila Brase discusses emergency government powers that could be invoked in Ebola epidemic. http://healthenews.cchfreedom.org/newsletter.php/168
Iowa Medical Society passes resolution opposing Maintenance of Certification.
PRS 14-02 Opposing MOC Adopted by Iowa Medical Society Policy Forum
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subpoenaed documents from the Treasury Department and IRS pertaining to rules governing federal ACA Exchanges. These could have a significant impact on pending litigation in Pruitt v. Burwell, Halbig v. Burwell, King v. Burwell, and Indiana v. IRS– four lawsuits that could have a huge impact on ObamaCare, writes Michael Cannon. http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2014/09/29/the-halbig-subpoena/print/
Social media
US gov forces all citizens to have their data set up for hacking, theft & loss of personal property. #Obamacare http://t.co/MtuRqwhHHE
— IP4PI (@IP4PI) September 28, 2014
US NURSES: We're Not Prepared To Handle Ebola Patients http://t.co/l5cSBx59C5 via @bi_contributors
— pam (@pamnsc) October 4, 2014
