Department of Health also urges pediatricians to devise new office protocols to keep patients and parents safe from coronavirus, reduce fear factor
By Lilo H. Stainton, NJspotlight
With a dramatic decline in childhood vaccine rates during the coronavirus pandemic, New Jersey officials urged parents to ensure their kids are properly immunized to protect them from measles, mumps and other infectious diseases.
Gift is a ‘thank you’ for Rep Chris Smith’s work to protect Hong Kong’s freedom and democracy
Four thousand masks were donated to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold by Amanda and Johnny Ho, and Andrew Duncan
CentraState Medical Center in Freehold received a donation of 4,000 high-quality surgical masks on Friday, enhancing the safety of medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients.
The gift is from Amanda and Johnny Ho of Freehold and Andrew Duncan of New York City, Hong Kong Human Rights advocates who made the donation as a thank you to Congressman Chris Smith for his ongoing efforts in supporting freedom in Hong Kong from the oppressive Chinese government.
As I listened to the Town Hall where Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders proclaimed his dream of Medicare for All, I realized that he was speaking in vague generalities that were void of realism. Medical care would be “free at the point of service with no co-pays.” Would there be any brakes on the over-utilization of services? He had no answer. He thus needs to understand that the demand for medical services is limitless when other people are paying the bill.
A pipe dream is an allusion to the dreams experienced by smokers of opium pipes. The suggestion that “Medicare for all” would save money is surely an example of a pipe dream promoted by politicians seeking votes.
Federal officials are warning doctors nationwide about a new fungal infection that is potentially fatal – and resistance to most antibiotics. Two of the seven cases reported so far involved New Jersey patients who were treated at the same unidentified New Jersey hospital, said the health care alert issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — New Jersey residents will only be able to choose between two companies this year in the federal health insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment for 2017 begins on Tuesday and lasts through January. New Jersey residents can choose between plans from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey or… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — A state Assembly committee Monday approved legislation that would prevent consumers from getting surprise out-of-network medical bills that can saddle them with huge bills. The measure would require hospitals and doctors to disclose whether they are part of a person’s insurance network before treatment occurs. The bill was praised by consumer advocates and picked… Read the rest of this entry »
Recently the Asbury Park Press published a story based on a widely criticized and discredited State Comptroller’s 2012 report examining the state of health benefits for public workers of municipalities, county governments and school districts. The report, which was panned by most benefit and insurance professional at the time as being actuarially and statistically invalid, also failed to accurately reflect the process local governments must use when selecting benefits for its employees. The report made for good headlines, but it didn’t make for good policy.
The takeaway of the report was that local entities in New Jersey — counties, townships, boroughs, school districts — could simply join the state health benefit plan and save the state $100 million dollars. But that wasn’t correct then and it isn’t correct now. The report overlooked the fact that benefits are collectively bargained for and can’t simply be changed on whim or all at once. It also made the false assumption that just by merging all the groups across the state, their claims history, which is how insurance policies are priced, would miraculously get better and generate savings. Finally, the report largely blamed local benefit brokers and consultants for the high cost of health care for public plans even though the cost of brokerage services is about 2% to 3% of the total cost of healthcare. The state plan is a solution for many public employers as are other private plan options. The key is to examine all of the options and align the entity with the best solution for their circumstances.
The report was largely discredited and dismissed at the time of its issuance by industry experts for being naïve and non-factual. But because it includes an eye-popping alleged savings number, the nearly 4 years old report is regularly dusted off and re-circulated by political operatives and media types looking to re-create a controversy that never existed.
Alix Antoine, 36, an Asbury Park Police Officer, was arrested on Monday and charged with second degree Official Misconduct, Conspiracy to Commit Official Misconduct, Insurance Fraud and third degree Tampering with Public Records. Antoine’s sister, Patricia Louis, a/k/a Patricia Antoine, 43, of Clifton, was charged with one count each of second degree Conspiracy to Commit Official Misconduct and Insurance Fraud.
According to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni, Antoine filed documents in connection with his employment as a police officer enabling Patricia to obtain medical benefits she was not entitled to receive.
Zoom in and move the map to see facilities in areas where a number are close together or search by municipality. More than half of New Jersey’s hospitals aced the safety report card issued twice a year by a healthcare watchdog organization, but that doesn’t mean patients are completely safe from preventable errors. Earlier this week,… Read the rest of this entry »
Ebola virus. In the wake of a Texas nurse contracting Ebola from a patient, New Jersey hospitals are ramping up drills and training to better prepare their staffs to prevent any spread of the virus in the state. Healthcare workers have expressed concerns about what they should be doing to protect themselves and their patients, and… Read the rest of this entry »
