Health Care Blog

Confronting High Blood Pressure Through Public-Private Partnerships

Posted by Acacia Bamberg Salatti on June 21, 2012 at 6:15 PM EDT

Acacia Bamberg Salatti addresses a group of faith, community, health, and business leaders at AMEC Manage BP launch.

Heart disease and stroke are the first and fourth leading causes of death in the United States, respecitvely. Responsible for 1 of every 3 deaths in the country, heart disease is an even greater risk in the African American community. Although African American adults are 40% more likely to have high blood pressure, they are 10% less likely than their non-Hispanic white counterparts to have their blood pressure under control.

To help reduce this health disparity, Manage BP with AMEChealth.org is the African American Episcopal Church (AMEC) Health Commission’s groundbreaking hypertension prevention initiative. Designed to leverage technology to reduce hypertension rates and to improve health outcomes, the program utilizes the church’s web-based platform—www.amechealth.org—to deliver health education messages, disseminate health information, collect patient-generated data, and provide peer support.

The Manage BP with AMEChealth.org campaign will initially involve 10 AME churches in the New York City metropolitan area and will reach more than 20,000 congregants. The launch is just the beginning of a larger program, which will expand to include 4,000 AME churches across the nation.

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Abby-Care: Health Coverage for Young Adults Under 26

Posted by Dori Salcido on June 21, 2012 at 4:54 PM EDT

Ed. Note: This was originally published on Healthcare.gov

Born with a rare congenital disease, Abby Schanfield, a 20-year-old student at the University of Minnesota, tells us of many reasons why she cares so passionately about the Affordable Care Act, the new health care law. One particular reason she shared with us is the law’s requirement that young adults be allowed to remain on their parents’ health plan until they turn 26. That one provision assures her that she’ll continue to get the care she needs, and that assurance relieves her of stress that could worsen her condition.

“That was one of the most important things in the law and one of the most powerful things for me in my life,” Abby says.

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Annie-Care: Providing Preventive Services to Patients in Community Health Centers

Posted by Dori Salcido on June 21, 2012 at 3:47 PM EDT

Ed. Note: This was originally published on Healthcare.gov

Annie Neasman, a nurse and chief executive of the Jessie Trice Community Health Center in Miami, FL., recently shared with us her thoughts as she walks the hallways of the community health center and sees the people who are cared for there. Jessie Trice serves more than 30,000 people, who made more than 120,000 visits to the center last year. From pre-natal care to primary care for adults to special services for the elderly, the Jessie Trice Center provides care regardless of a person’s ability to pay.

Annie is proud of the health center’s efforts in keeping the residents of the community well. She says the Affordable Care Act, the health care reform law, has made it possible for so many more of them to get the preventive care they need to maintain their health and avoid worsening conditions.

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Virginia-Care: Keeping Health Insurance Costs Down for a Small Businesses

Posted by Dori Salcido on June 21, 2012 at 10:30 AM EDT

Ed. Note: This was originally published on Healthcare.gov

Virginia Donohue and her husband started Pet Camp in 1997 with a love of their dogs and little else. Located in San Francisco, California, they provided group play, open spaces, and a pool. Cats had disco lights to play with, aquariums to watch and wide window sills for perches. When the business became sustainable in 2000, Virginia says, it was time to provide health insurance to their employees.

“To me it’s a moral issue. People need to have health care and how we get it is through work,” she says. “I have been one of the employers out there saying, ‘Look, offering health care is important.’”

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TracyCare: Focusing on Care for a Sick Child, Not Worrying About Insurance

Posted by Dori Salcido on June 21, 2012 at 7:40 AM EDT

Ed. Note: This was originally published on Healthcare.gov

Tracy Wirtanen-DeBenedet’s story began four years ago when her 9-year-old son Sami was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow throughout the nervous system, including the brain. There is no cure for the disorder, but the tumors generally can be managed with surgery, chemotherapy and constant attention to head off severely debilitating or life-threatening complications. Sami didn’t grow for a year because of complications.

“He’s a kid, he’s just a normal kid, happy-go-lucky child, but he’s a kid that gets MRIs every three to six months,” she says, sharing her family’s story.

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Peace of Mind in Knowing Sick Child Won’t be Denied Health Coverage

Posted by Dori Salcido on June 20, 2012 at 2:26 PM EDT

Ed. Note: This was originally published on Healthcare.gov

As Alycia Steinberg of Towson, MD, tells us, when a child is seriously ill, a parent shouldn’t have to worry that an insurer would deny coverage due to the child’s pre-existing condition.

That is why she’s grateful that the Affordable Care Act protects her daughter Avey’s health insurance coverage because it bars insurance companies from denying coverage to children based on pre-existing conditions. “To have a child with cancer, there is so much to worry about, but the Affordable Care Act means that I don’t have to worry that Avey will be denied treatment because of her pre-existing condition,” Alycia says.

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