Organ transplant medication costs are very expensive, in the thousands of dollars per month. I have had a heart transplant and the costs of the medications in copay on medicare is around 1/3 of my SSDI check. Yet, the rules are such that I cannot receive "extra help" for medication costs. The rules are income limit only, without regard to actual copay costs. Also, cannot receive any forms of assistance due to the same rules. Many times I have had to choose which meds to take and how much food I can eat, just to stay alive. This is wrong. Transplant costs are astronomical, yet once transplanted, there is not a system in place to insure patients receive the life saving anti rejection meds.

A babies life should not begin with detox. This petition should be supported because these babies born with this syndrome have neither asked nor had the option to refuse the substances in which they are born addicted to resulting in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Not only does this epidemic cost the tax payers $28,592 per baby, due to the extensive treatment required to wean the baby off, but it also removes the baby from the mother at the time that the baby needs their mother most. This is punishing the innocent baby due to no fault of their own. According to recent studies conducted at New Hanover Regional Medical Center, the number of newborns treated or monitored for drug withdrawl shot up 119% in three years, from 31 in 2009 to 68 in 2012. This is just one city in North Carolina and this epidemic is constantly growing. According to an article by The Journal Of American Medical Association, in 2009, they found that 13,359 newborns were born with NAS. These numbers just reflect those babies born addicted to opiates. Just imagine how much higher the numbers will jump when Heroine, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana are added to the equation. This Bill/Law will finally give the babies a voice and take the punishment off of them and place it where it belongs......on the mother's.

This year, 2014, there are 13 San Antonio Fire Fighters battling Cancer, and all 13 have been denied Line of Duty Benefits which are mandated by State Law. Studies prove that Fire Fighters, because of the hazards they face on the job daily, are more likely to develop Cancer than the general population. The research says that exposure to toxic fumes and the extreme heat from fires causes Cancer among Fire Fighters. In fact, the studies say that Fire Fighters are 1.3 times more likely to develop Brain Cancer than the general population; 1.5 times more likely to get Blood Cancer; and over 2 times more likely to contract Testicular Cancer. When it comes to healthcare, State Law says that our brave Fire Fighters should be covered through Line of Duty Benefits or Workers Compensation. Unfortunately, our City Manager has denied coverage for all 13 Fire Fighters that are suffering from Cancer this year. However, in a recent news article, she said that Fire Fighters are covered 100%. That simply is NOT TRUE. This year, 13 Fire Fighters are battling Cancer have been denied Line of Duty Benefits, despite the State law. Last year, we lost 3 San Antonio Fire Fighters to Cancer…AND ALL THREE WERE DENIED WORKERS COMPENSATION. Most of you know someone who has had Cancer and you know the emotional and financial toll that it can have on a person and his or her family. Copays and medical services cost thousands and thousands of dollars and would devastate just about any family. That is what 13 Fire Fighters and their families in San Antonio are facing today. Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to save our citizens from fires, medical and other emergencies. They do not like to be called heroes, but to many citizens whose lives they save they are. Please ask the City Manager to follow the State law and to keep her word. Fire Fighters have a job that is highly physical and that puts their lives at risk, not only from becoming a victim of the fire, but from the exposure to toxic fumes, burning chemicals and other Cancer-causing agents that they breathe and that penetrate their skin. How do you think the families and friends of the 13 San Antonio Firefighters battling Cancer this year feel about this issue? What about the families and friends of the Firefighters we lost last year? It is unacceptable. We must stand together and ask the City Manager to follow the State law and keep her word to cover Fire Fighters 100% on healthcare. You can help by signing the petition. And when you see a Fire Fighter, please thank them for their service to our community. Yes, they voluntarily become Fire Fighters to protect our citizens, just like the young men and women who serve our country in the military volunteer and risk their lives to protect us. PLEASE SUPPORT FIREFIGHTERS FIGHTING CANCER! To learn more and read the studies, go to www.SAFFCancer.org. Thank you for your Support.

Providing healthcare to 1.5 million poor people, mainly women and children, in Texas, thereby saving lives and, in the long run, to save money through preventive healthcare.

Millions of people all over the nation are making decisions between food and medicine, can't get regular health care for preventable illnesses, are losing access to rural health care facilities because they have had to close their doors, and are dying because of these reasons and more. All because 23 states choose not to expand Medicaid. Everyone is worth being cared for, and we all need to stand up and bring awareness to this issue.

Since 2006, required (Chiropractic) CE hours have doubled, yet permitted Online (home study) CE hours have not increased - despite continued improvement in the quality of online education and many other states (and professions) often allowing most if not all, CEs to be completed through this medium. Allowing at LEAST 50% of TN Chiropractic CEs to be undertaken this way would help TN Chiropractors stay current in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

I am a nurse with 35 years experience. I work at Christus St. Vincent hospital. I am a member of District 1199NM National Health Care Union of Hospital and Heath Care Employees. Parts of the hospital are chronically understaffed. This is a health and safety issue for both the patients and the staff. As part of contract negotiations 1199NM has asked for a guaranteed minimum level of staffing. The hospital administration is refusing to negotiate this. This is possible to do. California currently has a law mandating staffing levels. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded “staffing of RNs below target levels was associated with increased mortality.” The Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania had the same finding.

I am the parent of a child with uncontrollable seizures. Every drug the FDA has approved, has been ineffective in controlling or stopping this severe form of Epilepsy. CBD oil ( Medicinal Marijuana ) has been proven to slow and even stop seizures. Many medical uses are showing great responses for sufferers, including M. S. and Parkinson's disease. Please help us.

A close family member has been dealing with mental health issues on a regular and escalating basis over the past several years. There are millions of Americans suffering from and affected by mental health issues. Offering proactive, sustained, and focused healthcare options to people suffering from mental health issues before they become harmful to themselves or others should be a top reform priority for lawmakers.

Blue Shield's purchase of a multi-million dollar executive skybox in an NFL stadium is only the recent example of healthcare insurers cheating California patients and taxpayers out of millions of taxpayer dollars. As a result of its non-profit status, Blue Shield is avoiding California's corporate income tax. This generous tax-break, on top of millions of dollars from rising premium rates, contributes to massive surpluses for non-profit insurers. Blue Shield, for example, built a reserve that is $3.68 billion – or 1667% – more than what’s required by state law. On top of that, we’ve seen the healthcare industry spiral out of control for years, with immense increases in premium rates, and with no one in California with power to stop them. That is why voters put Proposition 45 on the November ballot -- to help curb out of control premium increases by requiring healthcare companies to get approval for rate hikes. And if passed, Prop 45 will give the California insurance regulators the power to block excessive rate increases, like the ones that helped funded Blue Shield’s 49er skybox. But before November, only the Attorney General has the authority to hold insurers accountable and protect patient care. That is why it is on us to urge Attorney General Harris to take action immediately.

Fibromylagia is real

The Managed Care organizations are violating the rules and regulations under Mycare Ohio.