health and human services

Applying for Obama Health Care Plan Not Easy

Posted on 03/13/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthBy Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar of The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Applying for benefits under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul could be as daunting as doing your taxes. The government’s draft application runs 15 pages for a three-person family. An outline of the online version has 21 steps, some with additional questions. Seven months before the Oct. 1 start of enrollment season for millions of uninsured Americans, the idea that getting health insurance could be as easy as shopping online …

New Report Shows the Savings in the Closing Doughtnut Hole

Posted on 02/8/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

Personal HealthGood news everyone! There’s a new report that shows lots of people saving good cash on prescription drugs because of the Affordable Care Act. The Health and Human Services department reports that seniors have saved around $5.7 billion since January of 2011. This is largely due to the closing of the doughnut hole. While everyone who qualifies saves money, it really benefited those with chronic conditions. HHS has projected that savings per Medicare beneficiary will be about $5,000 through the …

Getting to the Heart of Stroke Prevention

Posted on 05/25/2012 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

Personal HealthThe following is a guest post by Janet Wright, MD, FACC, Executive Director of Million Hearts™, a national initiative of the Department of Health and Human Services. Most of us are familiar with what happens when someone has a heart attack—we see it in movies, on TV shows, and unfortunately sometimes it happens to our loved ones, colleagues, or neighbors. But what about a stroke? If you’re not as familiar with what happens when someone has a stroke, you’re not …

Prevent a Heart Attack or Stroke by Controlling Your Blood Pressure

Posted on 05/1/2012 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

Personal HealthThe following is a guest post by Janet Wright, MD, FACC, Executive Direction of Million Hearts™, a national initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As a practicing cardiologist for almost 25 years, I often met men and women for the first time when they suffered a serious and life-threatening event—a heart attack or stroke. I enjoyed being part of a team that used its skills to minimize damage and offer hope for a healthier future, and …