Shutdown alarms health officials amid MERS, flu threat
Similar plans by other insurers, including Aetna, Coventry One and Innovation Health, range from $1,100 a month to $1,500, well above what the insurers charge for plans without the rider. Gallery How Marylanders can buy health insurance as of Oct. 1 Lena H. Sun The state has its own marketplace and has teamed up with the Baltimore Ravens to get information out. How to buy insurance after Oct.
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Their website offers a question checklist, as well as a tutorial about basic terms, such as “co-pay” or “deductible.” “While you can gather information for a lot of other platforms, when you have a disease like MS, you have to do a little more homework,” she said. For example, people with MS may need frequent MRI scans, or access to durable medical equipment, so Weisser said it’s important to make sure those items are covered in new plans. “We’re not navigators, so we would not direct people to pick any particular policy, but what are the particulars and what other resources are available?” Weisser said. “I think we have some excitement and feedback that people are really excited about this.” However, many people have called with questions not having to do with the Affordable Care Act, and when they were told about the new exchanges, they told counselors they didn’t know they existed, she said.
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Got a health concern? Insurance advocates can help
In a Wednesday conference call with state health officials from across the country, CDC Director Tom Frieden assured states that the agency would be available to assist in emergency situations, but acknowledged that its response might be slower because of the shutdown. “We have been told that that if we needed support for a large-scale event, it would require pulling staff back in, and that the response time could be delayed,” said Wendy Braund, Wyoming’s state health officer. “That is a very real concern to us.” CDC IN THE STATES States rely on the CDC to step in when outbreaks cross state lines and for technical support and lab testing when unusual situations arise. The federal agency also helps fund and staff a range of programs, embedding its own experts in state health agencies to help with a range of programs from immunizations to AIDS prevention. Many of these people have been furloughed. Also, certain public health functions rely heavily on federal grants, which will become more critical if the shutdown continues. Hawaii State Epidemiologist Sarah Park was handling multiple investigations when she learned that her work may be interrupted because her division gets 90 percent of its money from the federal government.
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