Ashley shook and Alanna Flood 11 hours ago SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Congressman Richard Neal was at the Springfield VA clinic on Friday to highlight passage of the PACT Act. Veterans Affairs Announces Expedited Process for PACT Act Veterans Cancer Claims The PACT Act, signed into law by President Biden in August 2022, is intended to help veterans cope with the health complications they are struggling with from exposure to toxins, such as Agent Orange and chemical pits. Neal told 22News: This is groundbreaking legislation. not only will he be dealing…
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CMS withdraws vaccination requirements for healthcare workers | JD Supra
Nearly two years after issuing its final interim rule requiring COVID-19 vaccination for certain health care workers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has issued a final rule addressing several regulations regarding vaccination, i COVID-19 testing and education requirements in healthcare settings. In summary, the rule eliminates the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for staff of certain categories of health care providers participating in Medicare and ends the COVID-19 vaccination testing requirement for staff in long-term care facilities (“LTC”). In addition, the rule finalizes previously interim provisions regarding COVID-19 immunization…
Read MoreThe future of health insurance: SMEs at risk from rising costs
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMBs) across all sectors and geographies have demonstrated their agility and adaptability in the face of the largest pandemic in living history, pivoting on business models and delivery methods to keep them afloat in the face to the growing public restrictions. Three years after adjusting to a significant business disruption, many markets around the world are seeing increases in corporate health insurance prices, a trend that appears to be more prevalent for SMBs. Medical costs on the rise Healthcare costs are rising in most regions. Over…
Read MoreExpanding Provider BCBSTX Network Improves Access to Behavioral Health Care
By Victoria Bailey 08 June 2023 – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) is improving access to behavioral health care for members with an expanded provider network and additional telehealth offerings. After Payer expanded its provider network in January, BCBSTX members can now access nearly 4,000 networked behavioral health providers through the Headway organization. Improved access to behavioral health professionals comes as the nation grapples with a mental health crisis. According to a Gallup poll, one-third of Americans have been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime. Dig deeper…
Read MoreThe White House wants Native American health care funds signed into law
On the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, which straddles the border between North and South Dakota, people line up at 6 a.m. in the freezing winter, hoping to get one of only four dentist appointments. “If you don’t catch those four, you’re out, you don’t understand,” Standing Rock Sioux Tribe chairwoman Janet Alkire, who described the scene at an April hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on India and Island Affairs . And the lack of adequate medical care goes far beyond dental care, he told lawmakers. “Our babies can’t…
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