Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Reform Bill

Posted on June 29, 2012 Updated on July 24, 2012

Supreme Court upholds health care reform bill At 10 a.m. today, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in its entirety (with the exception that the federal government’s power to terminate states’ Medicaid funds is narrowly read). The Court could have struck down all or part of the bill as unconstitutional, but instead, upheld each of four distinct legal challenges. What does the court’s decision mean to rural America? Whether you support of oppose the health care bill, it is important to know that many provisions were included in the bill that benefit both the rural provider and patient. During the health reform debate, NRHA’s message was clear: Improve rural America’s access to health care providers by resolving the workforce shortage crisis in rural areas, and eliminate long-standing payment inequities for rural providers. NRHA fought for and won key rural workforce and payment improvements in the bill.  Each of these decisions will remain intact in light of today’s decision.  However, complete funding for several of the provisions will likely continue to remain challenging. (Many programs “authorized” in the ACA, must actually be funded through a separate act of Congress.) For a complete list of the positive rural provisions in the ACA, click here. The Supreme Court reviewed four separate legal issues based upon the four previous federal appellate court challenges. The four issues on which the court granted review and subsequently upheld today are: • Whether the Anti-Injunction Act prevents challenges to the Affordable Care Act at this time (that is, is there legal “standing” to challenge a tax that hasn’t gone into effect yet); • The constitutionality of the individual mandate, requiring most Americans to purchase health insurance by 2014; • Whether the individual mandate is severable if it is found to be unconstitutional, or whether the entire Act would have to fail; and • Whether the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of the Medicaid program is constitutional. The issues of the constitutionality and severability of the individual mandate attracted the most attention in the federal courts and among the public. Though three of the four federal appellate decisions upheld the mandate, many legal scholars are still surprised at today’s decision. Implementation of health reform is already underway, especially through the regulatory process. Today’s decision will mean that rural providers must continue to be vigilant as preparations continue for the major provisions to go into effect in 2014. Expect continued push-back from Congress to repeal all or part of the bill, as well as efforts to de-fund key provisions. Learn more during NRHA’s webinar today, get involved and stay tuned to NRHA online NRHA will discuss further details of the Supreme Court ruling’s impact on rural America during a webinar from noon to 1 p.m. EST today (Thursday). Reserve your seat here. And plan to attend the Rural Quality and Clinical Conference July 18-20 in Seattle, the March for Rural Hospitals July 30-31 in D.C. and the Rural Health Clinic and Critical Access Hospital Conferences in Kansas City Sept. 25-28 for in-depth analysis on how the health law will impact you and expert advice. Stay tuned to NRHA’s blog and Facebook for further developments. NRHA needs you. Join NRHA online today in the fight for access to quality health care or turn in this application by July 18 to save 20 percent. It’s likely to be your least expensive membership fee, and it certainly creates the biggest impact.

Health Reform Update

Posted on June 29, 2012

Recipe For Volunteering

Posted on June 26, 2012 Updated on June 26, 2012

Recipe For Volunteering

By Naznin Dhanani

2 cups of listening

1 teaspoon of trust

1 1/2 cups of kindness

1 teaspoon of honesty

2 cups of happiness

1 cup of responsibility

1 cup of patience & laughter

1 tablespoon of communication

1 tablespoon of compromise

1 dash of commitment

2 teaspoons of give and take

2 dashes of forgiveness

2 tablespoons of appreciation of each other

3/4 cup of tolerance

Method:

Combine listening, trust and kindness.  mix well. Add communication, honesty and compromise.  Blend. Cream happiness, commitment and responsibility until light and fluffy.  Sift together patience, give and take laughter.  Fold together gently.  Add dashes of forgiveness, to taste.  Top with appreciation and tolerance.

Results:

Remembering the essence of volunteering.

~reprinted from Hospice of Hilo’s newsletter April, 2010

July is UV Safety Month

Posted on June 22, 2012 Updated on June 22, 2012

July is just around the corner, and now is the perfect time to spread the word about sun, fun and UV safety to your family and to your community.  For myself, as a kid, summer meant being the first ones on the beach and the last ones to leave.  Back in the day, we hardly used any kind of protection from the sun, and expected to be going to bed that night with sunburns, but it was always worth it, for a few precious hours of perfect freedom in the ocean.  Now, with the rise of skin cancer rates rising in young adults,  I look back on those days and think, “If I only knew then, what I know now!” I sometimes look out the window on a cloudless blue day, and imagine packing a picnic lunch to spend a day at the beach , to recapture those carefree days, relaxing on the sand and soaking up some rays.  Fortunately, the “responsible” adult  in me, also causes me to take a step back and think:  “safety first.”

The sun emits 3 types of UV rays:  UVA, UVB and UVC rays.

UVA rays make up the majority of our sun exposure and are responsible for causing premature skin aging and wrinkling (bad for us, great for the anti-aging cosmetics industry!) and also contribute to skin cancer.

UVB rays are the cause of many skin cancers.  They also cause sunburns, cataracts and damage our immune system.

Last, but certainly not least, UVC rays are the most dangerous, but fortunately, these rays are blocked by the ozone layer and do not reach earth.

Not all sun exposure is dangerous, however.  In fact, some sun is actually necessary.  The sun is our primary source of Vitamin D, which helps us absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones.  Here are a few ways to protect yourself and your keiki from the sun’s rays:

• Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.  Reapply every 2 hours when working or playing outdoors.

• Wear sunglasses with UV protection.  Look for sunglasses that block 100% of UV rays.

• Avoid sun exposure during the hours when the sun’s rays are the strongest- between 10a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Use extra caution near water, snow and sand.  Water, snow and sand reflect the damaging rays of the sun, which can increase your chance of sunburn.

• Do not burn.  Sunburns significantly increase one’s lifetime risk of developing skin cancer, especially for children.

• Seek shade.

• Cover up by wearing a hat and clothes that are tightly woven, loose fitting and full-length.

Have a safe and fun summer!