Out of that quiet fight in early spring, the advocates — staff at a disability rights legal group, a state lawmaker and a few others — discovered something disturbing: There were many cases in Oregon of health care being rationed to people with disabilities. At the same moment, across the United States, disability groups and even a civil rights office of the U.S. government were raising a similar warning: that behind closed doors, people with

Despite Trump administration efforts to erect a protective shield around nursing homes, coronavirus cases are surging within facilities in states hard hit by the latest onslaught of COVID-19. READ MORE: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nursing-home-covid-19-cases-rise-four-fold-in-surge-states/

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, did you lose your group health insurance through your job or your spouse’s job and you’re age 65 or older?  If so, you, or someone you know in the same situation, will want to enroll in Medicare coverage right away as you most likely qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (www.medicare.gov). https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAOIC/bulletins/2842f82

Secretary Cheryl Strange is hosting Town Hall Meetings for our service providers. Vendors, partners and stakeholders are being invited statewide. She wants to know what DSHS is doing well, what the agency can do better, and what is important to our partners as we work together to transform lives.   Go to the link below for dates, times and locations: https://waseniorlobby.org/wp-content/uploads/18-0532-town-hall-flyer-orange-top-youre-invited.pdf

As consumers face rapidly rising drug costs, states across the country are moving to block “gag clauses” that prohibit pharmacists from telling customers that they could save money by paying cash for prescription drugs rather than using their health insurance. Many pharmacists have expressed frustration about such provisions in their contracts with the powerful companies that manage drug benefits for insurers and employers. The clauses force

Changes are coming to your Medicare card. By April 2019, your card will be replaced with one that no longer shows your Social Security number. Instead, your card will have a new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) that will be used for billing and for checking your eligibility and claim status.   https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/05/new-medicare-cards-are-way

The Washington Health Benefit Exchange today announced the nine lead organizations chosen to oversee in-person assistance provided to Washington residents during the upcoming open enrollment period scheduled to begin on Nov. 1. “Given the uncertainty currently surrounding healthcare, the support and communication these organizations provide is especially essential,” said Pam MacEwan, CEO of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. “Their outreach

  Earlier this month when insurers submitted their 2018 coverage plans to the Insurance Commissioner’s office, none offered to cover Klickitat and Grays Harbor counties for individual health care plans. Johnson, R-Yakima, said he’s been working with Rep. Eileen Cody, D-West Seattle, chair of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee, and stateInsurance Commissioner Mike Kriedler to address the potential lack of coverage in Klickitat