While Medicare’s Annual Election Period ends on December 7th, the individual & family health plan Open Enrollment continues through January 31, 2023. If you want coverage to be effective on January 1st, you will need to apply by December 15th.

Covered California is the only place where it is possible to get a premium subsidy and Enhanced Silver benefits with income qualification.

If you currently have an individual plan through Covered California or directly from an insurance company, you can change plans. Unless a plan change is requested your current plan will be renewed on January 1, 2023.

A timely article featured in the UCI newsletter provides some much-needed information about RSV, a virus that is not new, but now creating a health emergency for small children.

Health experts had predicted an early start to a severe flu season and a rise in COVID-19 cases as new variants emerge. But a recent surge of respiratory syncytial virus — or RSV — now swamping pediatric units and children’s hospitals across the country caught many people by surprise.

Children's Health of Orange County (CHOC) reported a dramatic increase in patient volume in the inpatient wards and emergency room, primarily in children with RSV, which spreads through droplets and respiratory secretions. By Oct. 31, CHOC’s two pediatric hospitals were so overwhelmed that the Orange County Health Care Agency declared a health emergency.

RSV, which usually results in mild, cold-like symptoms and lasts for a week or two, can be serious in children under age 2, even deadly for infants whose small airways can be easily overwhelmed by the infection.

“RSV can require hospitalization in children especially those under 12 months of age, pre-term babies and those whose immune systems are compromised,” says UCI Health pediatrician Dr. Coleen K. Cunningham, chair of the UCI School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief and senior vice president for CHOC.

“It also can be serious in older adults, especially those with chronic heart or lung disease or weakened immune systems,” added Cunningham.  <Read more>

Source: STAT, by Casey Ross

Under new federal rules , health care organizations must give patients unfettered access to their full health records in digital format. No more long delays. No more fax machines. No more exorbitant charges for printed pages.

The new federal rules — passed under the 21st Century Cures Act — are designed to shift the balance of power to ensure that patients can not only get their data, but also choose who else to share it with. It is the jumping-off point for a patient-mediated data economy that lets consumers in health care benefit from the fluidity they’ve had for decades in banking: they can move their information easily and electronically, and link their accounts to new services and software applications. Even with the rules now in place, health data experts said change will not be fast or easy.

For months, patients have been able to obtain a minimum data set specified under federal law, and applications such as Apple Health Records have already dramatically expanded access.  But the new rules throw open the floodgates to a much wider swath of information, including medical images, doctors’ notes, genetic data and other details normally kept under lock and key.

A growing number of data companies are popping up to help them in that quest, seeking to act as fiduciaries for consumers who want access to their records, but don’t have the time or technical savvy to wade through the bureaucracy.

The new environment is a radical departure from the status quo. For decades, it’s been all but impossible for patients to quickly and easily access their records.

Too many patients are unaware of the volume of information recorded about them or its value in an environment with new opportunities to participate in clinical studies and digital health services, without leaving their communities, or even their homes. Many also may be unaware of the security risks and how to separate reputable data users from swindlers.

In 2023, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 introduces a provision similar to the 2021-2022 Senior Savings Model with insulin provided at a $35 co-pay throughout all phases of your Medicare Part D plan coverage (up to the 2023 Catastrophic Coverage phase where you will pay only 5% of the retail price - the Catastrophic Coverage phase will be eliminated in 2024).

However, unlike the Senior Saving Model, the new Inflation Reduction Act will expand the insulin $35 co-pay to all Medicare Part D plans and all Part D forms of insulin covered by the plan - and beginning July 1, 2023, insulin furnished through Medicare Part B durable medical equipment (DME) will also have a monthly co-pay of no more than $35.  Then, starting in 2026, the government can begin negotiating drug prices, so the co-pay for insulin may be less than $35 depending on the negotiated price

The new CMS model does not require all Medicare drug plans to offer this “supplemental coverage” of insulin --- 

and, as noted in more detail below, a Medicare drug plan that includes this fixed $35 (or-less) insulin coverage does not need to offer the coverage for all types or brands of insulin.

<Read more>

During this busy Christmas season our email and internet have a heightened exposure to fraud. Phishing attacks aim to steal or damage sensitive data by deceiving people into revealing personal information like passwords and credit card numbers. 

Different types of phishing attacks

Phishing attacks come from scammers disguised as trustworthy sources and can facilitate access to all types of sensitive data. As technologies evolve, so do cyberattacks. Learn about the most pervasive types of phishing.

Email phishing

The most common form of phishing, this type of attack uses tactics like phony hyperlinks to lure email recipients into sharing their personal information. Attackers often masquerade as a large account provider like Microsoft or Google, or even a coworker.

Malware phishing

Another prevalent phishing approach, this type of attack involves planting malware disguised as a trustworthy attachment (such as a resume or bank statement) in an email. In some cases, opening a malware attachment can paralyze entire IT systems.

Spear phishing

Where most phishing attacks cast a wide net, spear phishing targets specific individuals by exploiting information gathered through research into their jobs and social lives. These attacks are highly customized, making them particularly effective at bypassing basic cybersecurity.  <Read More>