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Chronic stress tied to greater death risk from cancer An analysis of US health and nutrition survey data from 1988 to 2019 found individuals who suffer from chronic stress had a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer. The study, published in the journal Population Health, showed risk of cancer death was 2.4 times greater among people with high levels of....

Useful Information about Covid

US announces COVID-19 PHE declaration extension HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced on Thursday the extension of the COVID-19 public health emergency in the US for another 90 days. The CDC says hundreds of Americans continue to die of the disease each day, and President Joe Biden is seeking $22.4 billion in additional funding from Congress to....

It may not be a cold or allergy...

Repeat COVID-19 cases nearly double as BA.5 spreads A new analysis from gene sequencing firm Helix found that 6.4% of US COVID-19 cases have been reinfections this month as the Omicron BA.5 variant spreads, up from 3.6% as Omicron BA.2 was spreading in May. However, the average time between infections for the same person has increased to about nine m...

Updates on 2023 Healthcare Enrollment from HHS

HHS Announces New Policy to Make Coverage More Accessible and Affordable for Millions of Americans in 2023 | CMS New measures will help consumers compare health insurance plan choices

10M uninsured could qualify for ACA assistance Kaiser Family Foundation research found that 10 million people who are currently uninsured could be eligible for tax credits to help with purchasing a plan through an Affordable Care Act exchange, and an additional 7 million could be eligible for the Children's Health Insurance Program or Medicaid.....

Insurers must submit drug price data under new rule The Biden administration released an interim final rule related to the No Surprises Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act that requires individual and group health insurance plans to submit data on prescription drug spending to the federal government. The deadline for submission is Dec. 27, an...

Long COVID symptoms may have causes other than SARS-CoV-2 The data underscore the importance of weighing all possible causes, including COVID-19.

Study: Medicare spends millions on cancer treatments without clinical benefit Medicare spent nearly $600 million over a three-year period for cancer care involving four Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs later found to provide no clinical benefit for certain forms of the disease.

Latest on Employee Health Plans

CMS allows employer plan vaccination status discounts The CMS has released new guidance allowing employer group health plans to offer premium discounts to employees who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, while prohibiting coverage denials for unvaccinated workers. However, the notice states that premium reductions should not exceed 30% of the total...

This would be a great addition to Medicare!

Schumer Backs Sanders Plan to Expand Medicare to Cover Dental, Vision & Hearing The lack of dental, vision and hearing coverage in Medicare is a "gaping hole" that is a "serious problem, Schumer said.

Good news...

CMS raises reimbursement for COVID-19 antibody treatment The CMS announced that it will raise Medicare reimbursement for administration of monoclonal antibody COVID-19 therapies from $310 to $450 for most health care settings. The national payment rate will rise to $750 if the treatment is administered in the patient's home.

A Special Enrollment Period for Health Insurance!!!

Biden Administration To Reopen Obamacare Enrollment, Start Undoing Trump Sabotage Shoring up the Affordable Care Act was always on Biden's agenda, but officials say the coronavirus pandemic has made it even more urgent.