Obamacare Progress

By Joe Klein        
April 29, 2013

A few weeks ago, I gave the President a tough time about the slow and messy implementation of his health care plan. But there’s been some progress in recent weeks — and I’m happy to pass it on.

One of the things that concerned me was the 21-page application form that was required for people to join a health care exchange — which, if you’re unfamiliar with the jargon, is an online health-insurance superstore (think Orbitz or Hotels.com) where individuals will have the collective market power of large corporations like, say, Time Warner.

Tomorrow morning the Administration will announce a spiffy, new three-page application for individuals (which we’ll attach here when it becomes public).* There will be a seven-page application for families (11 including the appendix), but even that one will be far better designed than the initial effort. “We did a lot of work testing words, to come up with simpler language,” an Administration official told me, “and we did time tests. Our average was seven minutes to fill out the paper version and even less if you do it online.”

(MORE: The Cost of ObamaCare’s Coverage Provisions)

This compares favorably with applications for private insurance plans, which average about 17 pages (and can go as high as 35). “We’re hoping to move as many people as possible to the e-mail application form,” a second Administration official told me. “We received a lot of [negative] feedback from insurers and individuals like you when we published the first application forms, and we’re trying to be responsive to those concerns.”

My primary concerns remain the implementation of the online superstores. I remain concerned that employees of small businesses won’t have a choice of health plans in the first year. I’m also concerned that the state exchanges run by the federal government — over the opposition of Republican governors — won’t offer as many choices as a true market should.

There are more than a few other concerns and ways the system might be improved that I’ve written about in the past. The good news about the streamlined application, though, is that it shows the Administration is alert and flexible and responsive — and, if we’re lucky, may turn out to be innovative in enacting a system that will bring health care to those who haven’t had it before, and lower costs to the self-employed masses who’ve had to go out and buy insurance on their own.

*The application form will be even simpler for higher-income individuals and families that aren’t eligible for a health-insurance subsidy but want to shop at the exchange in search of less expensive coverage.

MORE: Obamacare and GOP Governors – Is This a Tipping Point?

Read more: http://swampland.time.com/2013/04/29/obamacare-progress/#ixzz2RzvXvmvR

Risa, Jun enter list of 'probable winners' - Pulse

MANILA, Philippines -- Two Team PNoy senatorial candidates, Risa Hontiveros and Ramon Magsaysay Jr., made it to the list of 16 "probable winners" if elections were held from April 20 to 22.

That's according to the latest pre-election survey of Pulse Asia.

Hontiveros was previously ranked 16th to 18th while Magsaysay was ranked 13th to 18th.

The nationwide survey had 1,800 respondents with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent.

ANC Dateline Philippines, April 30, 2013

DND drops plan to buy used ships, to buy new instead By Alexis Romero (philstar.com) | Updated April 29, 2013 - 6:21pm

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of National Defense (DND) is discarding its earlier plan to acquire used ships and is now planning to buy two brand-new frigates to boost the Navy’s security capabilities.

DND Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said acquiring second-hand ships would be more costly in the long run as these would require repairs and upgrades.

“We realized that it will be expensive in the long run if we are going to buy second hand (ships). As much as possible, if we have budget, we will buy new ones,” he said in a press briefing on Monday.

Manalo said they would spend about P18 billion for the two brand new ships. The government previously allotted P12 billion to buy two used frigates.

Manalo said they are waiting for the Navy to submit a decision package, which contains the technical specifications they need.

He said the two brand new ships would be acquired through public bidding. The procurement process may be completed within the second quarter.

Manalo claimed that companies from South Korea, Spain and Singapore have expressed interest to join the bidding.

The government originally sought to acquire the vessels through government-to-government transactions.

Officials, however, are now eyeing a public bidding reportedly due to the interest of several suppliers to provide equipment to the military.

A government-to-government transaction is usually faster than a public bidding but the DND is optimistic that the acquisition would not be delayed.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin previously said a public bidding would ensure transparency and would allow them to compare the ships being offered by potential suppliers.

The DND is fast-tracking the military’s upgrade program amid the recent aggressive actions of China in the West Philippine Sea, the subject of a long-standing territorial row in the region.

Officials, however, claimed that the acquisition of new military assets is not directed against any country.

To beef up its territorial defense capabilities, the Navy acquired two warships from the United States namely the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, which arrived in 2011 and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, which is expected to be in the country by July

The government spent more than P1 billion to acquire the two ships. - with B. Beltran

Don’t use minors in propaganda BY JUDY F. PARTLOW

Special investigator Jess Cañete of the Commission on Human Rights in Negros Oriental yesterday warned political candidates not to exploit minors in campaigning for the May 13 polls.

This was after a 14-year-old parking attendant said that he and his companion were paid P50 each last week to distribute a two-page document at the Dumaguete Public Market.

The boy said that on April 21, two men asked him and his companion to distribute three plastic bags of folded sheets of paper.

He said it took them half a day to do it and they went to the Marian Priests Center at the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral compound later for the feeding activity conducted by the Franciscan sisters of the Diocese of Dumaguete. A volunteer saw the bundles of paper and called the attention of Sr. Maria, who told the boys to stop distributing them.

The document attacked incumbent Gov. Roel Degamo for his alleged sexual abuses of women, three of whom were named. The second page was a copy of a case filed against the governor for acts of lasciviousness when he was still a councilor of Siaton, Negros Oriental.

The case, raised by Degamo’s political opponents last year, was reported to have been dismissed already.

Cañete appealed to bets to stop using black propaganda to discredit their opponents and called the distribution of the document as a desperate act of a candidate.

Cañete said that, if there is enough identification and evidence against the perpetrators, he will make sure that they will be prosecuted.

He also said that exploiting minors for such practice is a violation of Republic Act 7610, or the Anti-Child Abuse Act.*JFP

Ensure giveaways are lead free, environmental group urged By Chito A. Chavez Published: April 30, 2013

Politicians and other concerned groups planning to give free school supplies were urged by an environment organization based in Quezon City to ensure that their donations are free from hazardous chemicals. 

Aileen Lucero Acting National Coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition suggested that local government units (LGU), non-government organizations (NGO) and private companies secure a formal certification that their donations like school bags to the city’s poor sector are free from lead which experts found to cause brain damage. 

 “We appeal to generous givers from the public and private sectors to offer bags that have undergone lead safety tests to ensure that their gifts would not expose the recipients to lead,” Lucero said. 

“The LGUs and other bag donors can demand a certification from their suppliers that their bags passed the limit for total lead content as analyzed by qualified government-accredited laboratories prior to procuring and giving away the items,” she added. 

By requiring the suppliers to issue the certification, Lucero said that this will ensure that the school supplies are safe and will not contribute to the schoolchildren’s exposure to lead and other dangerous chemicals. 

“As there are other chemicals aside from lead that may adversely affect children’s health, we also suggest that the bags be tested for other priority substances such as phthalates, which are commonly used as plasticizers in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic,” she added.  

Phthalates are known endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Lucero’s appeal came in the aftermath of her group’s recent investigation that detected lead up to 5,752 parts per million (ppm) in 23 out of 25 kiddie backpacks, way above the 90 ppm limit in US for lead in paint and surface coatings.

Using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, EcoWaste researchers discovered excessive amounts of lead on the painted portions of some plastic backpacks, particularly on the designs, logos and the main materials of which the bags are made of.

The group said lead exposure can retard the development of a child’s developing central nervous system and permanently damage the brain even at low levels of exposure. 

Lucero said that the effects of chemical absorption are not immediately detected stressing that there are no obvious symptoms until the blood lead level is very high.

Health studies have shown that childhood lead exposure can result to a broad range of serious developmental and behavioral problems, including reading and learning disabilities, inattentiveness, hyperactivity and irritability, lower IQ and poor school performance.

Lead can enter a human body mainly through the inhalation or ingestion of lead particles or dust from chipping or flaking paints in homes, playgrounds and other facilities and other lead-containing products such as toys and other children’s articles.

In his letter to the EcoWaste Coalition in 2011, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that “clinical toxicologists have indicated that there are no safe levels for lead exposure among children.”

“This fact make banning of substances containing lead an imperative,” Ona said. 

PHL suspends importation of live shrimps from Asian neighbors April 30, 2013 1:09pm

The Philippines has stopped the importation of live shrimps to prevent the spread of Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS)—now prevalent in neighboring countries—among local species, the the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said Tuesday.

BFAR Director Asis Perez said EMS is prevalent Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and Indonesia. “We are dealing with a disease unknown to us, all the more that measures must be undertaken,” he said.

An EMS infected shrimp usually dies within the first 30 days of its life, according to the bureau.

It also banned the entry of crabs and lobsters which can carry and transmit the disease. The bureau said it is also monitoring the spread of EMS in Singapore, Myanmar, Brunei and Cambodia.

“The Philippines remains EMS-free as of the moment and BFAR is exhausting all efforts to remain so,” Perez noted. While the the cause of EMS is still unknown, BFAR said infected samples exhibit slow growth, corkscrew swimming and pale coloration. 

With the suspension, BFAR has ordered Fish Health Officers, Quarantine Officers and the Law Enforcement Quick Response Team to monitor, control and implement surveillance protocols at airports and seaports in the country.

Perez noted the situation opens up opportunities for the Philippines to revive its shrimp export industry, saying the bureau is now consulting growers to establish long-term solutions to the problems now facing the industry.

Last month, Agriculture Secretary Processo Alcala said his department is preparing the shrimp industry to again eye the export market. Diseases caused by overcrowding spelled the near-demise of the industry several years ago.

Unsanitary practices in tiger shrimp farms forced many hatcheries to close down starting 1996.

Now the Agriculture Department is studying the potential of mangrove areas in Panay, Leyte, Negros, and Mindoro as strategic production sites, said Alcala.

Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) data showed tiger prawn output reached 48,196 metric tons (MT) in 2012 from 47,494 MT in 2011 and from 48,161 MT in 2010.

Production was valued at P1.89 billion in 2012 from P1.85 billion in 2011 and from P1.82 billion in 2010. — VS, GMA News

Over 13-K motorcycle-related injuries in the last qtr of 2012 –DOH Published: April 30, 2013

A total of 13,883 injury cases of motorcycle accidents for the last quarter of 2012 were reported by the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday.

According to the DOH, the data came from 86 participating government and private hospitals.

It was also disclosed that nine out of 10 dead-on-arrival (DOA) motorcycle riders were not wearing helmet at the time of accident, in the DOH’s Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS)

“To reduce or avoid injuries, the DOH recommends the promotion of ‘safety first' mindset and attitude,” Health Secretary Enrique Ona said in a statement.

Ona noted that road safety is both a personal commitment and a shared responsibility of all road users. Everyone should do their share for an injury-free society.

More than half (59.8 percent) of the total reported injury cases occurred among the 20 to 59 years age group. Injuries among children aged 0 to 19 accounted for 34.7 percent of the total reported cases.

Among those injured, male to female ratio is almost 25:10. The DOH, however, noted that a 30:10 male to female ratio was observed at the 15 to 44 years age group. On the other hand, the 65 years old and above group had a 9:10 male to female ratio.

Central Luzon registered the highest (19.3 percent) reported injury occurrences, followed by the National Capital Region (14.8 percent), Cordillera Administrative Region (12.6 percent), Davao Region (11.7 percent), Cagayan Valley Region (10 percent), Northern Mindanao (6.6 percent), and Western Visayas (6.5 percent).

Majority (71.7 percent) of the total injury cases were unintentional or accidental, about 26.3 percent were intentional (due to violence), and 0.6 percent were self-inflicted injury cases.

For the last quarter of 2012, there were more injury cases reported on the month of October (39.2 percent), followed by November (39 percent), and December (21.1 percent).

The number one cause of reported injuries were transport/vehicular crash (32.1 percent), followed by assault/mauling (23 percent), fall (16.9 percent), and contact with sharp objects (13.2 percent).

Other reported causes of injuries were bites/stings (9.1 percent), burns (1.5 percent), gunshots (1.1 percent), chemicals (0.3 percent), and hanging and drowning at 0.1 percent each.

Most of the reported injuries occurred on the road (41.1 percent), home (26.3 percent), workplace (four percent), and school (2.2 percent).

Almost all (99.5 percent) injury cases reached the hospital alive. Majority (85.4 percent) were discharged after being treated at the emergency room or out-patient department, while only about 9.6 percent were admitted for further treatment. (PNA)