Vitamin D, ACA Registration, & How Many Uninsured?
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Vitamin D - How Important Is It?
New research reveals that vitamin D may play a more significant role in overall health than previously understood. A comprehensive review of 99 randomized, controlled trials involving over 17,000 participants worldwide offers new insights into the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation.
Key findings suggest that taking an average of 3,320 IU of vitamin D daily may lead to improvements in several health markers:
reduced blood pressure
lower overall cholesterol
decreased hemoglobin A1C (a type 2 diabetes indicator)
improved fasting blood glucose and insulin levels
Dr. Simin Liu, the study's lead author, notes: “We found that vitamin D supplementation provided the greatest benefit to non-Westerners, people with lower levels of circulating vitamin D in their blood, individuals with a BMI under 30, and people ages 50 and older.”
This finding is particularly relevant for older adults, as vitamin D levels tend to decrease with age. The research indicates that those with initially lower vitamin D levels may benefit most from supplementation.
However, it's crucial to interpret these results cautiously. Dr. Jayne Morgan, a cardiologist not involved in the study, explains: “While there are a plethora of studies demonstrating a link between taking vitamin D and a lower risk of heart disease, there is still a lack of a direct cause and effect.”
The study emphasizes the need for a personalized approach to vitamin D supplementation. Factors such as ethnicity, age, body weight, and current vitamin D levels all influence whether there is a potential benefits.
Before considering vitamin D supplements, talk with a doctor or healthcare professional. They can determine whether supplementation is appropriate and recommend the correct dosage.
If you are taking medicine to control your A1C - DO NOT STOP. Make sure you talk to your doctor.
For more details on this research click here.
ACA Enrollment Time
In most states, the Affordable Care Act’s annual open enrollment season for health plans begins Nov. 1 and lasts through Jan. 15. (KFF)
In most states, consumers must enroll by Dec. 15 to get coverage that begins Jan. 1. Heads up in Idaho, where open enrollment starts earlier — Oct. 15 — but also ends sooner, closing on Dec. 15. In California, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia, residents can enroll through Jan. 31.
Current enrollees who do not update their information or select an alternative will be automatically reenrolled in their current plan or, if that plan is no longer available, into a plan with similar coverage.
While some health plans offer small-dollar gift cards or other incentives to encourage participation in wellness efforts, they would not offer cash cards worth thousands of dollars a month to help with groceries, gas, or rent. Even so, social media and online sites are rife with such promises.
Such ads are among the avenues allegedly used by unscrupulous brokers who enroll or switch plans without the express permission of consumers, according to a lawsuit filed in Florida.
Also, be cautious about the websites you use to search for coverage.
Type “Obamacare” or “cheap health insurance” into a search engine and often what pops up first are sponsored private sector websites unaffiliated with the official state or federal government marketplaces for ACA coverage.
While they may try to look official, they are not. Many such sites offer various options, including non-ACA coverage with limited benefits, a “secret shopper” study found in 2023. Such non-ACA coverage would not qualify for federal subsidies to help consumers pay premiums.
The fine print on some websites says that consumers who provide personal information automatically consent to be contacted by sales agents via phone calls, emails, text messages, or automated systems with prerecorded messages.
When exploring plans, always start with the official federal marketplace’s website, healthcare.gov.
Even if you don’t live in one of the 29 states served by the federal marketplace, its website provides the link to your official enrollment site when you select your state, or the District of Columbia, from a drop-down list. The federal and state marketplaces also have call centers and other ways to get enrollment assistance. The “find local help” link on healthcare.gov, for example, gives consumers a choice of finding assisters or sales agents near them.
WARNING: Regulators are seeing an increase in complaints from consumers about offers of health coverage requiring consumers to join a limited liability corporation, or otherwise attest they are working for a specific company. Indeed, at least two states — Maryland and Maine — have issued warnings, saying that instead of comprehensive ACA coverage, these are often non-ACA products, amounting to a hodgepodge of discount cards or limited-indemnity plans. This type of plan pays a flat-dollar amount — say, $50 for a doctor visit or $1,000 for a hospital stay — and is meant to buttress more comprehensive coverage, not replace it.
“Unlike major medical plans, some of these self-funded plans only cover preventive services such as a yearly check-up or annual health screening,” the warning from the Maine Bureau of Insurance says.
Some other changes this open season:
People often referred to as “Dreamers” because they qualified for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — a federal program offering some protection to those brought to the country as children without proper immigration documentation — can now enroll in ACA coverage and are eligible for subsidies.
Short-term plans, which are technically not ACA coverage and not subject to its benefit rules and preexisting benefit protections, can be issued for, at most, only four months of coverage, based on a Biden administration action that took effect with plans starting Sept. 1. It walks back a Trump administration rule that loosened requirements to allow insurers to offer coverage that ranged up to 364 days, and allowed insurers the option of renewing the policies for up to two additional years. Existing plans and those issued before Sept. 1 don’t fall under the new rules. But consumers who relied on the longer periods need to check their plans’ details and consider enrolling in an ACA plan instead to avoid a situation in which their short-term plan expires early or midyear, potentially leaving them unable to get coverage elsewhere for the remainder of the year.
The Sign-Up Process Might Take Longer, Too
New rules are in place if you switch coverage to help thwart fraud. If you are working with a new agent — one who wasn’t already listed on your ACA plan — you will likely need to get on a three-way call with the federal marketplace to confirm that you are, indeed, authorizing that agent to make changes to your policy for the coming year. Plan on this taking additional time. No one knows how busy the call lines will get during open enrollment.
Consumers need to weigh not only the monthly premium cost, but also variations in deductibles and copayments for such things as doctor visits, hospitalization, and drugs. nother consideration when choosing a plan is to check whether its network includes the doctors and hospitals you typically see, as well as whether its formulary covers your prescription medications, and how much it charges for them.
Check the KFF article for a full list of warnings. Good luck.
PS If we had Universal Healthcare……
Uninsured Rate Projected to Rise
By Congressional Budget Office estimates, the share of people without health insurance reached an all-time low of 7.2 percent in 2023. That is 25 million of us. The rate in 2034 is projected to be 8.9 percent—higher than it was during the 2021–2023 period but lower than the rate of 10.0 percent in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic. CBO attributes much of the increase over the next 10 years to the end of Medicaid’s continuous eligibility provisions in 2023 and 2024 and the expiration of enhanced marketplace subsidies after 2025. The largest increase in the uninsured population between 2024 and 2034 will be among adults who are 19 to 44 years old. (Congressional Budget Office)
You already know how to fix this. Yup. Universal Healthcare.
Remind your favorite elected official.
ACTION
Here is a link, https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials, to contact our members of Congress and Senators to let them know that while the uninsured rate is 7.2% that is still 25 million and it is Projected to rise to 8.9% in 10 years. Universal healthcare is better coverage for less money.
Or use RESISTBOT via [Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER] or by texting SIGN PGRMMW to 50409 on your cell phone to send this message.
“I am your constituent and I want you to that there are 25 million of us without health insurance and tens of millions with so-called junk catastrophic high deductible plans. The CBO ust estimated we are at 7.2% uninsured and heading to 8.9%. Here is a link to their analysis, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60383.
We are wasting hundreds of billions of dollars every year. More than $400 billion according to the CBO.
I want you to readd up on universal healthcare. Here is a link to the text of HR 3421. It is long (about 100 pages). But it is a very comprehensive plan that would cover all of us for a lot less than we spend now. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3421/text
PS the Kaiser family foundation just reported that an employer sponsored health plan for a family is now $25K/year. I hope you don’t feel good about that. Pass Universal Healthcare. It is a sure way to show your constituents you actually care about them.”
RESOURCES
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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