St. Cloud Personal Injury Lawyer - Medicaid

State And Consumers Will Be Protected Under New False Claims Act

Mike Bryant — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:34:00 GMT

Passed the last week of the session and going into law in August, is the False Claims Act (FCA). The FCA imposes civil penalties for persons who make false or fraudulent claims for payments of services to the state or its political subdivisions. "It's the recovery of stolen taxpayer dollars," said Sen. Ron Latz, who championed the bill, along with fellow St. Louis Park DFLer Rep. Steve Simon. "If other states' experiences are comparable, we could be looking at tens of millions of dollars."

The Attorney General is granted the power to enforce the the act which also provides conditions under which a private plaintiff (whistleblowers) may bring actions to enforce provisions. Expenses and fees may be awarded along with the whistleblowers sharing in recoveries under the new law. The FCA provides additional protection as employers are forbidden from discriminating against employees who cooperate with investigations.

Nationally and in other states, claims have recovered large sums of money for the government and also straightened out numerous examples of fraud upon the government. Hopefully the act won't be needed very often, but if it is, the new law gives the state another weapon against fraud.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Electronic Medical Records Does it Make Sense?

Mike Bryant — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:25:00 GMT

In our practice we are dealing with medical records all the time. Often, it's their procurement which makes up a large part of the costs in a client's case, so we watch the legislative issues that come up with reducing those costs. One help might be if the records all become electronic. If that happened, we would be able to quickly get them on a disk or emailed. This should reduce the cost in time and paper needed to retrieve them.

But, with some systems electronic and others still being by paper, we are seeing the problems that arise. It is not easy for everyone to read the records and they aren't on paper. There in nothing like the frustration that arises when you have a meeting with a doctor and they can't get into the records because they didn't bring a laptop or the system is down. At that point you miss the paper pile. There is also the concern that arises when information like peoples personal records are transferred as part of an email attachment.

Many are also looking at the governments past failures and questioning if the money to change is worth it. The FBI spent $170 million in four years trying to modernize its paper-based case system. They abandoned the idea in 2005. The Federal Aviation Administration spent $1 billion in a failed attempt to get paper out of their the air traffic control system. Is it going to work better with medical records? Can we afford even taking the risk?

The New England Journal of Medicine, found that 4 percent of physicians had extensive, fully functional electronic records systems, while 13 percent had more basic systems. That is a very small part of the overall system. The stimulus bill specifies that $17 billion is to be spent in Medicare and Medicaid incentives for doctors and hospitals to begin keeping electronic records by 2011. In 2015, financial penalties will start being imposed.

Will the money be there to make this work? Many people have concerns, although a better system of providing information as a part of our health care needs to be looked at closely.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Health Insurance Lost? - Looking At Options

Mike Bryant — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:14:00 GMT

Every day we read about more jobs being lost across the country. Recent stories suggest that many of these jobs may be gone forever as the economy "re-corrects". For the person out of work, the issue is the lose of income, trying to find something else, and often the loss benefits that go with the layoff. For the majority of American's who receive their family's health insurance from their job, these loses can be a nightmare.

National News compiled a helpful list of tips for those who have lost their health insurance:

1. Use COBRA if You Are Laid Off - If you get laid off from your job and need health insurance you can Use COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation). COBRA is available for 18 months after loosing your employer health coverage. COBRA allows you to keep the health plan that your employer used to provide as long as that plan still exists. If your employer is still in business and offering some health insurance to current employees you can usually qualify. COBRA will be more expensive than the premiums deducted from your paycheck but this is sometimes necessary if you are unable to get health care elsewhere. COBRA is often cheaper than private and individual health insurance plans.

2. Continue Preventative Measures - Without health insurance it is now more important than ever to live a natural and healthy lifestyle. Use preventative measures such as regulating weight, exercising, eating healthy, lowering your cholesterol (http://www.naturalnews.com/025715.html), and reducing stress from your life. When possible you can resume other preventative measures such as regular checkups and diabetes & cancer screenings.

3. Ask Your Doctor for Help - Ask your doctor about reduced fees or treatment and drug options for those with lower income or no health insurance. Your doctor may also be able to recommend a health care discount card that they accept.

4. Decrease Stress - Stress has a terrible effect on your body and your health. Make sure to get enough sleep, exercise regularly, eat natural and healthy foods, and actively use relaxation techniques such as yoga or breathing exercises.

5. Not Smoking - By not smoking you increase your chances of being approved for another health insurance plan including private and individual health insurance plans. Non-smokers receive much lower health insurance premiums and have less risk of overall health problems.

6. Apply for Medicaid - Almost every state has a local Medicaid office and toll-free numbers. Visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services web site for information on how to apply: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/home/medicai.... Each state is different but Medicaid allows low-income and eligible people to qualify to have their medical bills paid directly. Some still require co-payments.

7. Apply for Medicare - Medicare is available only for those 65 years of age or older who meet special criteria. You can contact your local Social Security office or the main office at 1-800-772-1213. You are allowed to apply 3 months before reaching 65.

8. Alternative Natural Treatments - Alternative Medicine is currently used by thirty eight percent of adults in the United States. http://www.naturalnews.com/News_000... Acupuncture and herbal remedies are often cheaper than expensive prescriptions or medical treatments and can provide similar results.

9. Get Health Insurance through Spouse or Partner - Your spouse or partner may have a health insurance plan where you can qualify as a dependent. Although the cost can be high this typically results in fewer coverage rejections than applying for private or independent health insurance coverage.

10. Take a Lower Paying Job For Better Health Insurance - Consider taking a lower paying job for better health benefits. How important is your health? What is money without your health? It may mean taking a large pay cut, extra searching for a job with good health benefits, or asking more questions during a job interview. There are some employers out there that pay very little but offer a good health insurance plan. Make sure to ask about waiting periods and how coverage begins.

Federally, other options are being looked at for the many displaced workers. Extending the time for coverage and national health care are two of the many options being looked at. These tough times require all options to be considered.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant