Parent to Parent of NYS New York's Family to Family Health Care Information and Education Center Fostering Family Leadership and Family-Professional Partnerships NYS Affiliate Organization of Family Voices Links Digest- Volume 136 September 2013 As part of the Family to Family Health Care Information and Education Center, Parent to Parent of NYS has established the Links Digest to provide links relevant to the issues of health care. Below is the most recent listing of website links which we have found valuable and hope they will be of benefit to others. Editor’s Note: The insurance marketplaces available through the Affordable Care Act will start enrolling participants on October 1st for coverage effective January 1, 2014. The Links Digest will include additional links on health reform implementation in New York State through the end of the year. Health Reform Implementation To learn more about health insurance options available through the New York State of Health Marketplace, visit the official website at: http://healthbenefitexchange.ny.gov/ Customer service for NYS’ Marketplace is available Monday through Friday from 8 am until 5 pm at 1-855-355-5777. If you would like in-person enrollment assistance, use this map to locate In-Person Assistors (IPAs)/Navigators by county and/or borough: http://www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/IPANavigatorMap It is important to be sure you are visiting the official state exchange/marketplace website. Also, be on the lookout for fraudulent e-mail solicitations regarding “Obamacare” and/or the Affordable Care Act—we have seen them in our inboxes. Learn how to ensure you are visiting the official state website here: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2013/September/12/lookalike-exchangewebsites.aspx © Parent to Parent of NYS September 2013 1 The Affordable Care Act provides subsidies to make coverage affordable for individuals earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level (about $46,000 for an individual). This video explains that in order to determine eligibility for the subsidies, it will be necessary to apply for coverage via the Marketplace: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Multimedia/2013/September/091113-shoppingforcoverage.aspx?utm_source=medicaidtop&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09 1213 Medicaid Redesign in NYS New York State has received approval for the Fully Integrated Duals Advantage program (FIDA), which will coordinate coverage and care for those enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. Under New York's demonstration, all participating health plans will be Medicaid managed long-term-care plans that are modified to include Medicare services under a capitated payment model: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130827/NEWS/308279967#ixzz2dJ9M GNlA Editor’s Note: Under a capitation model, the long-term-care plan would receive a fixed per member, per month payment for providing all care for eligible enrollees. A recent Wall Street Journal article regarding the impact of Medicaid Redesign efforts in curbing medical costs in New York State: http://online.wsj.com/article/AP674d96e69cee4be8aadc7fa6ef8e82cb.html • Families as Partners—Families of children with special health care needs will partner in decision-making at all levels and will be satisfied with the services they receive Deciding whether to discuss a child’s disability with them can be a difficult decision for parents. Even if the decision to talk about a diagnosis has been made, it can be difficult to know exactly how to proceed. The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community offers this guide to disclosure for families parenting a child with Autism or Aspergers Syndrome: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/?pageId=362#sthash.XKs6kRJC.dpuf • Adequate Insurance and Financing—Families of children with special health care needs will have adequate private and/or public insurance to pay for the services they need Frontline’s program Dr. Solomon’s Dilemma looks at the balance between care and cost that physicians are being asked to maintain. The following program resource, How Does Your Doctor Get Paid? The Controversy Over Capitation, looks at capitation payment models and potential impacts on health care: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/doctor/care/capitation.html © Parent to Parent of NYS September 2013 2 • Medical Home—Children with special health care needs will receive coordinated, ongoing, comprehensive care within a medical home A patient with twelve years of chronic illness under her belt shares six tips to prevent feeling intimidated when communicating with physicians: http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/08/6-tips-prevent-intimidated-doctorsoffice.html • Early, Continuous Screening—Children will be screened early and continuously for special health care needs September is Newborn Screening Awareness month. Learn more about Newborn Screening in this archived webinar from The Global Genes project: http://globalgenes.org/rare-webinar-series-newborn-screening/ • Community-Based Services—Service systems must be organized so families can use them easily and are satisfied Learn more about the federal requirements regarding transportation and whether or not your school district is in compliance in this article from Friendship Circle Blog: http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2013/09/23/6-questions-answers-abouttransporting-students-with-special-needs/ • Transition to Adulthood—Youth with special health care needs will receive the services necessary to make transitions to all aspects of adult life, including adult health care, work, and independence Tips for teens on how to take more responsibility for their health: http://childrenshospitalblog.org/teens-time-to-take-more-responsibility-for-yourhealth/?utm_content=sf16624981&utm_medium=spredfast&utm_source=facebook &utm_campaign=Social+admin&sf16624981=1 Additionally, we offer the following: Fathers – from Jim Swart, Fathers Network Coordinator Even the toughest of men melt when faced with a child’s disability. This dad has made it his mission to care for his daughter: http://www.today.com/moms/daddys-girl-ex-wrestler-devotes-his-life-caringdisabled-daughter-6C10975704 Other Links The Centers for Disease Control, in cooperation with Family Voices and the American Academy of Pediatrics, surveyed parents and physicians and found that flu vaccination rates were low for children with intellectual disability (52%) and epilepsy (59%). This is an important finding because children with neurologic and neurodevelopmental conditions are at greater risk for poor outcomes related to © Parent to Parent of NYS September 2013 3 infection from influenza viruses. The full CDC report Influenza Vaccination Practices of Physicians and Caregivers of Children with Neurologic and Neurodevelopmental Conditions — United States, 2011–12 Influenza Season is available here: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6236a3.htm?s_cid=mm6236a3 _w Google Glass seeks to transform surgery: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2404031/Doctors-Ohio-StateUniversity-use-Google-Glass-live-stream-surgery.html ● Have you found valuable links that you would like to share? Please send them to Michele Juda at mjuda@ptopnys.org ● If you would like to speak to someone regarding your child with special health care needs, contact Lara Turney at 1-800-305-8817 (Upstate NY) or Annette Raia at 1-800-866-1068 (Downstate NY) ● Would you like to speak to Jim Swart, Regional Coordinator supporting our Fathers’ Network? Call 1-800-305-8817 or email jswart@ptopnys.org √ our website at www.ptopnys.org √ www.facebook.com/ParentToParentNYS Janice Fitzgerald, Executive Director, Parent to Parent of NYS P.O. Box 1296, Tupper Lake, NY 12986 © Parent to Parent of NYS September 2013 4