Health and Human Services

Good physical and mental health are keys to successful living.  The Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce supports:
  • Legislation which maintains or increases the availability of effective, cost efficient health and human services.
  • Health care reform which promotes preventative care, collaboration and partnering to maximize health care dollars.
  • Welfare reform which promotes individual and family self-sufficiency, including job training and counseling.
  • The research and development of programs designed to promote access to health care and the well being of our citizens.
  • Continuing promotion of Norfolk as the health care center of Northeast Nebraska.

 

 

News

Sep 4, 2010 Patients' choices may narrow as insurers adjust standards for doctors, hospitals (Chicago Tribune) While insurance companies say quality is what gets the name of a doctor or hospital on its preferred choices list, cost is also a major factor. Illinois Blue Cross has two HMOs, HMO Illinois and BlueAdvantage, and is considering a third health plan with a smaller network. Kenneth Anderson is...    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Employers shifting health-care costs to workers, survey shows (Washington Post) ...employers have been shifting health care costs to workers, according to a study released Thursday.The premiums that employees pay for employer-sponsored family coverage rose an average of 13.7 percent this year, while the amount that employers contribute fell by 0.9 percent, the survey...    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Subsidies encourage employers to keep health plans for early retirees (The Dallas Morning News) The company will tap the $5 billion program to reduce health benefit costs for retirees and their dependents, a spokesman said.    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Wonkbook: White House considers payroll tax holiday; House libs against Social Security cuts; 25% were unemployed during recession (Washington Post) Whatever else the fiscal commission does, it seems likely to come out with some package of reforms for the stories social insurance program. But Republicans aren't very interested in raising payroll taxes, and House liberals have now announced their unified opposition to anything that includes...    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Public Hospitals Look to Overhaul Affiliations With Medical Schools (New York Times) Goldman said that the new relationship would be more like the ones with private hospitals, like St. Luke’s-Roosevelt in Manhattan, where Columbia also now sends doctors for training.The restructuring, Mr.    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Editorial: Shifting the Health Cost Burden (New York Times) The latest annual survey of employer health benefits contains good news for the employers but bad news for their workers. The long-term solution — a goal of the new health care reforms — is to restrain rising health care costs. Workers have little clout to demand cheaper or better coverage.    more...  
Sep 3, 2010 Health insurance is taking a bigger bite from workers' wallets (The Kansas City Star) Total single coverage cost $5,049, up 5 percent. Since 2005, workers' contributions to premiums have jumped 47 percent -- about $1,300 -- while overall premiums rose 27 percent.    more...  
Sep 2, 2010 Health Costs Passed On to Workers (New York Times) REED ABELSONScore one for the nation’s employers. It included a chart detailing the changes over the last five years.Kaiser Family FoundationEmployees are not only paying higher premiums but also higher deductibles. Among the early benefits: tax credits for those small employers buying coverage...    more...  
Sep 2, 2010 Target to launch clinics in Chicago, south Florida (Chicago Tribune) Target has 21 clinics in Minnesota and seven in Maryland stores. In the last two years, the dominant players in retail health clinic expansion, CVS and Walgreens, have slowed their growth. CVS would not disclose the actual number of visits.    more...  
Sep 2, 2010 State pursues health-exchange grant (Omaha World Herald) ...health care law is in dispute.He said he believed Nebraskans would pay for medical and educational needs of residents, even if that required a tax increase.Higgins and board members Patricia Timm and Kandy Imes said they would favor a broader resolution expressing the board's concern about...    more...  
Sep 1, 2010 Having it both ways on health care (Omaha World Herald) ...the costs of maintaining health insurance for early retirees.A case of playing both sides of the health care issue?Sure, but state leaders offered no apologies for that Tuesday.Gov. Dave Heineman said he remains opposed to the federal health care law and believes an overwhelming majority of...    more...  
Aug 31, 2010 Why health care is different (Washington Post) First, if you don't get good health care, you might die.    more...  
Aug 30, 2010 White House Touts Medicare Rebates (New York Times) Herger said on the video. “You told the president and Speaker Pelosi at town hall meetings, public rallies and at the ballot box. They rammed their government takeover of health care through anyway.    more...  
Aug 30, 2010 Sudden layoff can destroy retirement plans:: (The Dallas Morning News) Montanaro said. "If you're younger, you'll want to seek out a private health insurance policy or seek some form of employment that provides health care coverage."You also may be able to hop on your spouse's employer health insurance coverage.Shomer maintained his employer health coverage through...    more...  
Aug 30, 2010 Texas school districts revisiting medication policies face unclear guidelines (The Dallas Morning News) Students must get a doctor's order if they want the drugs left for the year.    more...  
Aug 29, 2010 Insurance perks go further in Sarpy (Omaha World Herald) Douglas and Hall Counties require elected officials and employees to pay a portion of their insurance premiums. Lancaster pays full premiums for elected officials and most employees.    more...  
Aug 29, 2010 KCK school get tough on immunizations; parents line up shots for children (The Kansas City Star) The state sets the standard, but it's up to the school districts to enforce the policy. Enforcement varies across the state, she said, but many Johnson County districts and others have long used the same standard that Kansas City, Kan., started practicing this year. A team of medical students...    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 Health Care tops lobbyist spending in Richmond (Washington Post) But plenty of the usual suspects appear on this year's list.Utility Dominion Resources, which has an advocacy group that runs like a a well-oiled machine, paid $193,668. That included a Nov. 15 foray that took five legislators and chiefs of staff of Lt.    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 9 Dallas-area employers unite to collect data on health benefits (The Dallas Morning News) Texas Health Strategy Project to help the partners create better health benefit packages for their workforces. They'll do this by collecting more detailed employee health data, reorganizing how they manage benefits and purchasing only the most needed health options to keep workers healthy and...    more...  
Aug 26, 2010 Exclusive (The Dallas Morning News) Texas employers have formed a partnership to help each other get a grip on rising health care costs. The employers are Archon Group, Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) , the cities of McKinney and Mesquite, Energy Future Holdings, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Haggar Clothing, Interstate...    more...