Subsidized health care for low income families is working in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts they have found that their new law, one which offers subsidized health care insurance programs to lower income residents, is working exactly as they planned.

The law was created to reduce the amount of people who were showing up at hospital emergency rooms for routine care that could be provided easier through family physicians and non-emergency care.

When making the law they thought that it made sense to offer health care to these people, which frees up hospitals for more emergency-based care and provides better care to those who were using emergency rooms as their main health care.

A report by the Massachusetts Hospital Association shows that the plan is working. Over the last three years, there has been a 28 percent increase in enrollment in these subsidized programs, there has also been a 28 percent decline in non-emergency type visits to hospital emergency rooms.

Over 300,000 people have been given health care in Massachusetts, with 600,000 people being the number they are shooting for.

With this law working so well, let’s hope that other states will consider giving low income families subsidized health care, which not only frees up hospitals, but provides everyone with the specialized care they need and deserve.







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More Money for Social Security, May Not Be Enough

The social security system in our country is sorely underfunded and understaffed. There are many backlogs and Americans with mental and physical impairments wait for inhumane amounts of time to get the money they need to live and support their families.

In light of this problem, President Bush and Congress have given the Social Security Administration an extra $148 million to help in 2008. The proposal for 2009 is nearly $600 million extra.

This would seem to take care of the long waits, but many feel this is not enough. They say it is not simply money that needs to be addressed, but a shortage of law judges, increased cases every year and a lack of support staff. It is not just an underfunding of money for those with disabilities, which is a problem, but it is also an issue with the system and not having the resources or people to shorten the long waits.

The agency expects claims to rise 40% due to the baby boomer generation and many are saying that giving millions isn’t enough to make a real change; we need billions.

The average wait time to get a disability hearing decision is around 16 months. Many people, over 300,000 have to wait over a year, while 63,000 or so have been waiting for over 1,000 days – around 3 years.

While the extra money will help, it might not be enough to make a real change in the system.






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China's elderly population is skyrocketing

China is known for its low-cost labor, but that may change according to a report by the China National Committee on Aging. According to the report, the population is growing at an alarming rate, with the elderly population growing even quicker. Right now, there is an estimated six workers to every one retiree.

The report states that by 2030 and 2050, there will only be two workers for every retiree, something that could definitely affect economic growth. Currently China’s population is near 1.3 billion, with 149 people over the age of 60. The report estimates that, by 2050, the number of people in China over 60 will rise to 437 million. This means that there will be fewer people of working age and a huge pressure on those people to support the climbing elderly population (echoes of the U.S. Social Security system).

While there have been economic reforms over the past thirty years, these reforms have merely turned China into the world’s cheapest labor. The pressure from these reforms has also caused the communist welfare system to disintegrate, a lack of social safety nets, and an increase in state-owned company layoffs.

The report predicts that this huge shift in the elderly population will be seen and felt as early as 2030.






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Should Fibromyalgia Sufferers Excercise?

The simple answer to this question is yes and no. What do I mean by yes or no? Fibromyalgia sufferers need specific stretching and exercise routines provided by trained medical professionals who are familiar with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is often miss understood by family, friends and even by some physicians. Thankfully, the view of fibromyalgia is shifting from a psychosomatic disorder to a dysfunction of the central nervous system and physiological systems that affect the central nervous system.

Currently, most medical professionals recommend that pain, depression, or overlapping diseases or disorders be treated prior to pursuing an exercise program. Exercise may be recommended, however the exercise routine must be tailored to suit the needs and limitations of an individual with fibromyalgia so that the individual does not suffer further damage or impairment.






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Disability Attorney Oregon, Portland

Donald Dartt is an attorney specializing in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). He has been practicing for over 15 years with a focus solely on Social Security issues. His website, www.donalddartt.com, offers information on his practice in Portland, Oregon, as well as various information on Social Security Disability and SSI.

The website only has a few pages and has a very simple and clean design that makes it easy to find everything you are looking for. For instance, his address, phone number and email are prominently displayed on every page, sans the homepage. His navigation is simple and direct.

There is a page dedicated to obtaining benefits, as well as page that discusses proving disability. The site also has a FAQ section that answers questions about fees, benefits, claims and deadlines, while providing a direct link to the Social Security Administration for questions that may not be answered on his website.







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