ASCOG Advocate: March 29, 2013

National Road marker for the
Great National Pike

On this date, in 1806, the construction of the Great National Pike was authorized, making it the first United States federal highway. 

What was the pike better known as?

Oklahoma House Bill 1552, a Medicaid reform bill, lies dormant since it was not heard by committee after it was pulled by the Senate author.

Senate Bill 237, exempting facilities under the Department of Veterans Affairs from the state provider fee, was passed by committee, now on to the full House.

Senate Bill 235, a measure placing authority over Veterans Centers under the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, is scheduled to be heard by a House committee.

Senate Bill 755, a bill pertaining to treatment advocates for persons receiving mental health or substance abuse treatment, and Senate Bill 970 pertaining to legislative updates on the Task Force on the Effects of Alzheimer's Disease,  are scheduled to be heard by the House Public Health Committee.

Senate Bill 587, protecting the rights of nursing home residents to use cameras to record their care, SB 592, creating an informal dispute resolution panel for assisted living centers, SB 900, requiring certain investigations in hospice centers, and SB 915, prohibiting discrimination in treatment, have been scheduled for the House Long Term Care and Senior Services Committee.  

A plan to build a voluntary army of caregivers made it on the whitehouse.gov website.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug treatment for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

Millions of dollars are at stake as Washington, D.C. is renegotiating with Medicaid HMO providers.

With anticipated savings of just one percent in the first year, California's Medicare-Medicaid dual eligible patients are beginning to transition to a new managed care program.

Using gift certificates to entice people to give their Medicaid information, Janie Vittini allegedly defrauded Florida Medicaid of over $3 million.

Tennessee chooses to reject Medicaid expansion when too many conditions are put on the state's plan to pay private insurance companies.

Patients are encouraged to blog about their illnesses.

"This American Life" gets disabilities wrong.

For most people, the days of "you work and then you retire" are over.