Carla Houston

When a family member suffers from substance use disorder (SUD), the impacts are widespread. Whether it’s a parent suffering from opioid addiction, or a teenager, the impact can ripple throughout the family, both emotionally and physically. The voice of the family is seldom sufficiently acknowledged when experts address the opioid epidemic, according to Dr. Dennis Daley, UPMC Health Plan’s Senior Clinical Director in the Substance Use Services Behavioral Health Integration Division and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. As such, UPMC created a four-pronged approach to looping the family into efforts to combat the opioid epidemic: Advocating on behalf of members, patients, families, and children; disseminating information, such as articles, blog posts, recovery guides, and videos; educating members, families, providers, and the community; and facilitating screening, evaluation, education, programs, and services. An estimated 170,000...

The Affordable Care Act has made significant progress in the health care industry over the past decade. But more can be done to build upon the ACA’s successes in the next ten years and beyond. Surprise Medical Billing 1 in 5 Americans will receive a surprise medical bill from a doctor they didn’t – or couldn’t – know was out of their health care coverage network. Legislators and industry leaders must tackle this issue head-on to ensure patients do not incur financial penalties for receiving out-of-network care through no fault of their own. Concerns over receiving a surprise bill from a doctor or hospital should not prevent individuals from seeking needed treatment. Increasing Competition to Reduce Drug Prices Drug prices continue to skyrocket for both insurers and patients. It is crucial to introduce more competition to the market in order to lower costs and ensure savings can be felt by patients. Expanding Adoption of Health Care...

Experiencing a health emergency like an injury from a fall, or even a heart attack, typically occurs unexpectedly. While these and many other acute conditions only last for a short period of time, the road to recovery may require additional assistance like in-home care. The good news is that Medicare can provide home health care (HHC) services to help you recover. Home health care is meant to provide health services and equipment to individuals while they are homebound. Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover custodial care, or long-term care, often required for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, cancer, and many other conditions. There are programs available that provide long-term care and assist with the cost. 1. To qualify for home health care, you must meet the following criteria: Be considered “homebound,” based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) criteria, Require skilled ca...

What is Life Insurance? Some Major Statistic about Life Insurance Industry The United State of America will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Life Insurance globally. 2020 Life Insurance Trends in Europe Check Some Key Providers in the Life Insurance x What are the key global trends in the life insurance industry in 2020? What do you insurers and policy holders need to know about the disruption that is about to happen in the insurance field? How about challenges ahead? The insurance industry is a major component of the world economy. Most importantly is the effect it has on the United States of America’s economy by virtue of the amount of premiums it collects, the scale of its investment and, more fundamentally, the social and economic role it plays by covering personal and business risks. A key part of the insurance industry is the life insurance which is ve...