Rao bulletin 15 January 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles
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- Right of First Refusal ► Military Facility’s Option to Treat
- ******************************** Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) ► What to Look For
- ******************************** TRICARE Retired Reserve Update 06 ► Cost of Premiums Issue
- ******************************** TRICARE Pharmacy Policy Update 18 ► Electronic Prescribing
- ******************************** Certificate of Creditable Coverage Update 01 ► No Longer Required
- Price Increases Update 01 ► TWC Turbo Tax TWC
- ******************************** Household Everyday Items Cost ► 5 Over $500 per Gallon
- 1. Eye drops — $3,336 per gallon.
- 2. Makeup — $704 per gallon.
- 3. Printer ink — $1,664 per gallon (or more!).
- 4. “Safe” sunscreen — $608 per gallon.
- 5. Insulin — at least $36,903 per gallon.
- ******************************** Freebies ► What Used to be But Now Isn’t
- 3. Extras at restaurants
- 6. Returning a rental car
| Consumer Reports also recommends skipping zinc during cold season. Here’s why:
No symptom relief. CR said tests have shown that people who take zinc regularly a day or two before their cold begins may shorten their cold by a day. Unfortunately, “taking zinc had no effect whatsoever on the severity of the [cold] symptoms,” CR said. Icky side effects. Zinc not only leaves a gross taste in your mouth, it can also cause nausea. The cold symptoms may be easier to tolerate than the side effects of taking zinc. Toxic. Too much zinc can cause nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and other issues. Medication interaction. Zinc reacts with several medications. Check with your doctor before taking it. It can cause health issues. “Getting too much zinc may increase the risk for prostate cancer, lead to copper deficiency and neurological problems, and reduce levels of HDL (good) cholesterol,” CR said. Smelling issues. CR said you should avoid using zinc in nasal preparations because it can cause you to lose your sense of smell, sometimes permanently. [Source: MoneyTalksNews | Krystal Steinmetz | Dec. 30, 2014 ++] ******************************** Right of First Refusal ► Military Facility’s Option to Treat Military hospitals and clinics have what is known as the “right of first refusal” (ROFR). When a TRICARE Prime beneficiary seeks specialty care or treatment, the military hospital or clinic must first be considered if the services are available there. This means if the military hospital or clinic has the capability to provide specialty care, it may choose to treat you rather than refer you to a civilian provider. ROFR applies to TRICARE Prime beneficiaries who seek specialty care outside the military hospital or clinic. ROFR is cost-effective for both the beneficiary and the TRICARE program. By using military hospitals or clinics, there is no added cost of involving civilian providers, and the beneficiary avoids a copayment. Here is how requested specialty care/treatment is handled: Humana Military sends referral requests for specialty care to the military hospital or clinic point of contact. If no response is received, Humana Military processes the referral request as if the military hospital or clinic declined to see the patient. If a military hospital or clinic chooses to treat the beneficiary, they may contact the beneficiary to schedule an appointment. Humana Military will also notify the beneficiary of the military hospital or clinic’s acceptance and provide instructions for scheduling an appointment. For questions call Humana Military at 1-800-444-5445 or visit http://www.humana-military.com [Source: TRICARE Health Matters - South Issue 1: 2015 ++] ********************************_Seasonal_Affective_Disorder_(SAD)_►_What_to_Look_For'>******************************** Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) ► What to Look For Watch for Signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs during the same season each year and is believed to be related to changes in the amount of natural sunlight during the different seasons. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, SAD is characterized by the onset of depression in the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight, with depression lifting in spring and summer. Although SAD can affect people anywhere, it is more common the farther north you live. Classic symptoms of SAD include oversleeping, daytime fatigue, weight gain and craving carbohydrates. Additionally, many people experience signs of depression such as lethargy, lack of interest in normal activities, decreased socialization, decreased sexual interest, hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. It can be difficult to diagnose SAD because its symptoms are similar to other types of depression. To be diagnosed with SAD, the following pattern of experiences should be observed for at least the past two years: Depression beginning during a specific season every year. Depression ending during a specific season every year. No episodes of depression during seasons in which you experience a normal mood. Many more seasons of depression than seasons without depression over the lifetime of your illness Treatment for SAD may include light therapy, medication and psychotherapy. Light therapy is the main therapy for SAD and consists of sitting in front of a specialized light box exposing you to bright light, which simulates outdoor light. Of the three different types of treatments, light therapy starts working the fastest and causes the fewest side effects. You can also increase the amount of light you get during the winter months by opening the blinds in your home, going for walks on sunny days or sitting near bright windows at home or work. Although there is no cure for SAD, it can be treated and managed. If you believe you are experiencing symptoms of SAD, make an appointment to see your health care provider. For additional info on SAD refer to: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template= http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/ [Source: TRICARE Health Matters (North): 2015—Issue 1 ++] ******************************** TRICARE Retired Reserve Update 06 ► Cost of Premiums Issue The Defense Department put the finishing touches on the four-year-old program that provides health care coverage to retired reservists, just before the 2015 premium rates took effect on 1 JAN. Defense published its final rule on TRICARE Retired Reserve on 31 DEC, though the program has been available to eligible reservists and their family members since late 2010 after Congress created the health insurance option in the fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. The final rule, which takes effect on 30 JAN, was mostly a formality, but it did address an issue that has concerned some since the plan took effect: the cost of premiums. Of the 92 comments submitted on the rule, 76 commenters complained that the premium rates were too high. “We recognize that the premiums were much higher than many expected,” the Defense Department wrote in the final rule. “In fulfillment of law, TRR premiums represent the full cost of delivering the benefit without the Department of Defense absorbing any of the cost. In other words, the department cannot cover or share any of the cost of the premiums by law; TRR members pay full-cost premiums.” 
The 2015 monthly premiums are $390.89 for self-only coverage and $961.35 for family coverage. That’s about the same as the 2014 monthly rates, which were $390.99 and $956.65, respectively. The annual rates have fluctuated since TRICARE Retired Reserve took effect. For example, the 2012 monthly premiums were $419.72 for members-only and $1,024.43 for family coverage. “We endeavored to be very open and transparent with the detailed information that we provided in the late preamble of the interim final rule about the establishment of the TRR premiums,” the final rule stated. “Nonetheless, we would be glad to participate in a congressionally-directed request or a request under proper and applicable authority as appropriate to study the actuarial approach used to establish the TRR premium rates.” TRICARE Retired Reserve allows members of the retired reserve eligible for non-regular retirement and younger than 60 years of age, as well as certain family members and survivors, to buy health insurance equivalent to TRICARE Standard and Extra, unless they are eligible for a health benefits plan under Chapter 89 of Title 5 in the U.S. Code. That would include the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Refer to http://www.tricare.mil/Costs/HealthPlanCosts/TRR.aspx for additional information on TRR costs and types of care [Source: GovExec.com | Kellie Lunney | Jan. 05, 2015 ++] ********************************_Household_Everyday_Items_Cost_►_5_Over_$500_per_Gallon'>********************************_Certificate_of_Creditable_Coverage_Update_01_►_No_Longer_Required'>********************************_TRICARE_Pharmacy_Policy_Update_18_►_Electronic_Prescribing'>******************************** TRICARE Pharmacy Policy Update 18 ► Electronic Prescribing The Military Health System has deployed electronic prescribing in military pharmacies across its system of clinics and hospitals in the United States (and in Guam and Puerto Rico). This capability will allow civilian providers to send prescriptions electronically to military pharmacies, reducing the need for handwritten prescriptions. “E-prescribing is a great new service at military pharmacies,” said Dr. George Jones, chief of the Defense Health Agency Pharmacy Operation Division. “E-prescribing makes military pharmacies a more attractive and convenient option for doctors and patients, and it aligns the Military Health System with current best pharmacy practices.” E-prescribing is a safe and efficient option already adopted by most civilian pharmacies and providers. It can help reduce prescription errors and has the potential to decrease wait times at military pharmacies. When a prescription comes into a pharmacy electronically, it allows the pharmacist to resolve issues before the patient arrives. Beneficiaries can ask their doctor to look for their local military pharmacies in the e-prescribing database/networks. Military hospitals and clinics will not be able to accept electronic prescriptions for controlled substances. Beneficiaries will still need a hand written prescription for these medications. To learn more about TRICARE’s pharmacy benefits, visit the TRICARE website http://www.tricare.mil/pharmacy. [Source: TRICARE Communications | Jan. 08, 2015 ++] ******************************** Certificate of Creditable Coverage Update 01 ► No Longer Required TRICARE will no longer send beneficiaries certificates of creditable coverage when they lose TRICARE eligibility. These certificates are no longer needed when beneficiaries transition off TRICARE. Beneficiaries will instead receive notice that their TRICARE coverage is ending. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed by Congress in 2011 changes the law so that insurers cannot deny you coverage based on preexisting conditions. Before this law went into effect, when you switched health plans, you had to prove to your new plan that you had coverage before joining them; otherwise they might not cover you for prior illnesses or injuries you had. With this change in the law, you don’t need a certificate to prove you had coverage. TRICARE beneficiaries can lose their coverage for several reasons. Some of the most common include separating from active duty, aging out or choosing to stop paying for a premium based TRICARE plan. When beneficiaries receive notice that their coverage is ending, it will include relevant information about other TRICARE options like the Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) and ways for beneficiaries to explore their options on the state ACA health exchanges. All TRICARE health plans exceed the ACA requirement that health coverage must offer a level of minimal essential coverage. If you are looking for other health insurance, you're encouraged to explore your options through the Market Place at http://www.healthcare.gov. The current open season runs from November 15 through February 15, 2015. Beneficiaries eligible to purchase TRICARE premium based plans (TRICARE Retired Reserve, TRICARE Reserve Select, TRICARE Young Adult, and the Continuing Health Care Plan Benefit) who choose not to purchase this coverage, may qualify for premium assistance or state Medicaid based on income, family size, and state of residence. They should go to http://www.healthcare.gov or contact their state marketplace for assistance. [Source: TRICARE Communications | Jan. 12, 2014 ++] * Finances * 
Price Increases Update 01 ► TWC & Turbo Tax TWC – Time Warner Cable is increasing its monthly modem lease fee from $5.99 to $8, a 34 percent increase. It’s also adding a $2.75 fee for its sports channels, regardless of whether you watch them, and increasing its monthly charge for local channels by 50 cents, to $2.75. According to the Orange County Register, TWC said higher programming costs are to blame for the boost in its channel fees. “Broadcast and sports programming costs are by far the biggest drivers of higher TV prices,” said spokesman Dennis Johnson. “Our fees paid to local broadcast channels have soared 60 percent the past two years alone and the cost of cable sports networks has increased 91 percent since 2008.” TWC recently upgraded its customers’ Internet modems for free. Columnist David Lazarus of the Los Angeles Times writes: In October, the company notified Internet customers that because it was adding more zip to its Los Angeles broadband network, it would provide customers with faster modems. The company said new average speeds, depending on your service level, would be three to six times faster — at no added cost. That was then. Those faster modems are now a third more expensive. Lazarus said TWC’s hefty modem charge will cost nearly $100 a year. Or you could simply purchase your own high-speed modem for a one-time fee of about $130. That sounds like a better alternative. TWC’s Johnson defended the heftier modem fee. Lazarus wrote: “Johnson said the fatter modem fee ‘reflects our investment in new modems that support these faster speeds and better Internet experience,’ which basically means that even though the company didn’t charge people for the upgrade at the time, it’s charging them now.” The new fees won’t impact customers who have locked into promotional package pricing. “The company said around 75 percent of its customers who have TV plans with sports programming will not be affected by sports surcharges because they are in promotional pricing,” the Orange County Register said. Meanwhile, you will soon be able to get ESPN without a cable subscription, and HBO has also announced a stand-alone streaming service that’s expected to launch before the season premiere of “Game of Thrones.” o-o-O-o-o- Turbo Tax – Millions of Americans turn to TurboTax to help them prepare their taxes. But a change in this year’s desktop version of its best-selling TurboTax Deluxe has angered many users. ConsumerWorld.org founder Edgar Dworsky said this year’s TurboTax Deluxe edition, which runs about $50, no longer includes the questions necessary to fill in Schedule C, D and E, which deal with self-employment, investments and rental income. If you want the forms, you’re forced to upgrade to other versions of TurboTax at a cost of $30 to $40. Dworsky said: What a clever ploy. Yank out key parts of the program that people have used for years, and then charge them more money to get back the missing pieces. Imagine the reaction of perhaps millions of regular TurboTax users who may learn partway through doing their taxes that they have to pay an upgrade fee just to get the same functionality they’ve always enjoyed. They are not going to be happy. Dworsky is right. Many TurboTax customers are irate. Check out some of their comments on Amazon where 486 of the 598 reviewers give the program a dismal one-star rating. One particularly vocal customer, who calls himself “M in SC,” titled his one-star Amazon review of TurboTax Deluxe, “I hate being gouged, and I hate weasel word explanations even more.” He said he has been a satisfied TurboTax customer since the 1990s, but he would give the 2014 edition of TurboTax Deluxe zero stars if it were possible (http://www.amazon.com/TurboTax-Deluxe-State-Software-Refund/dp/B00NG7JVSQ/ref=cm_rdp_product?amp;tag=montalnew-20&tag=viglink21182-20). [Source: MoneyTalksNews | Krystal Steinmetz | Jan. 08, 2015 ++] ******************************** Household Everyday Items Cost ► 5 Over $500 per Gallon We balk at the price of orange juice as it nears $6.50 a gallon, and no doubt grumbled about the price of gas when it hit almost $4 a gallon, but those prices may seem like a bargain when compared with these everyday items, all of which cost more than $500 a gallon.. Anything that costs more than $3.91 per ounce adds up to $500 a gallon. And you’d be surprised at what you’re using that costs that much. (Note: For this list prices on Amazon as of Oct. 23 were used unless noted otherwise.) 1. Eye drops — $3,336 per gallon. Dry eyes? Allergies? If you suffer from either, then, like me, you probably keep a bottle of eye drops handy at all times. Those tiny vials of liquid comfort aren’t cheap. For example, a bottle of Systane, the brand I carry because my eye doctor recommended it, runs $26.06 per ounce. 2. Makeup — $704 per gallon. Most women will tell you that keeping up appearances can be expensive. Whether it’s higher prices for basics like shaving cream or shampoo designed for women, or pricier services like hair color, manicures or waxing, the costs of a beauty regimen add up. One example: liquid foundation. Even a relatively inexpensive brand, such as CoverGirl Clean, runs $5.50 an ounce. 3. Printer ink — $1,664 per gallon (or more!). Comparing the per-ounce price of printer ink is nearly impossible because package labels don’t state the volume of ink contained within each cartridge. But Consumer Reports has researched it and, according to this infographic, they pegged it at $13 to $75 per ounce. Even more disconcerting, their research has found that significant amounts of ink may be used for printer maintenance chores. 4. “Safe” sunscreen — $608 per gallon. You can buy sunscreen inexpensively if you go for generic brands or big bottles, but if you want to buy sunscreen that meets the Environmental Working Group’s standards for “safe sunscreen,” it’s going to cost you quite a bit more. For example, the sunscreen I purchased after reviewing that list, TruKid, runs $4.75 per ounce. I love it, but I live in Florida and at that price it is tempting to use a bargain brand. 5. Insulin — at least $36,903 per gallon. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29.1 million Americans have diabetes and about 6 million use insulin, either alone or with oral medication. Dr. David Belk, a practicing physician and founder of TrueCostOfHealthcare.org, looked at the average prices all pharmacies paid in the U.S. the week of Oct. 8 and found that for the most commonly prescribed insulins, prices ranged from $9.75 to $9.80 per milliliter to $21.51 per milliliter. With insurance, of course, your co-pay may be lower, but many patients still struggle to pay the cost of this lifesaving medication. While you may not be buying a gallon of these items at one time, the cost can add up. And whether you are a small-business owner who relies on your home office printer to get work done, or a diabetic who needs insulin to stay healthy, you may find these purchases essential. If you charge them to a credit card and can’t pay them off in full, you’ll pay even more when you add in the cost of debt. You may even affect your credit scores, since credit card balances that total more than 20 to 25 percent of your available credit can affect your credit scores. [Source: MoneyTalksNews | Gerri Detweiler | Nov. 25, 2014 ++] ******************************** Freebies ► What Used to be But Now Isn’t If you feel as though you’re being nickel-and-dimed by businesses nowadays, that’s probably because you are. Of course, the pricing varies from region to region. Here are a few you might remember: 1. Hotel amenities - You’d think if you go to a hotel advertising a pool and Wi-Fi, those items would be included in the room rate. But apparently not. According to Travel+Leisure, hotels started tacking on resort fees in the late 1990s to cover the cost of everything from “complimentary” newspapers to maintaining the on-site gym. It doesn’t matter if you don’t swim, don’t have a computer or don’t care about current events. Many hotels assess resort fees no matter what. At some properties, the number of additional fees tacked onto the room rate has gotten a bit crazy, as the article at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/hotels-still-packing-on-hidden-resort-fees shows. 2. Drink refills - You used to be able to go into any restaurant, virtually anywhere, and get free refills on drinks such as soda pop and coffee. However, reports have started surfacing that free refills are being phased out in some areas. One man was even slapped with a $525 fine for helping himself to a free refill. (Subsequent reports indicate that fine was later revoked.) 3. Extras at restaurants - You used to get a free handful of dipping sauces when you asked for extras at McDonald’s. Nowadays, if I want more than two, you need to fork over some extra cash. McDonald’s isn’t alone. The pizza place no longer gives free extra cheese, and at a burger joint recently that charged a $1.25 fee to share a meal with a friend. CNN’s Eatocracy at http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/08/08/8-restaurant-surcharges-that-dont-make-sense-and-8-that-do/ has a list of eight other restaurant surcharges you probably never had to pay in the past. 4. Water - Water is still free in many places, but some apparently prefer to pay through the nose for the bottled variety even though it may be the same as what comes from the tap. And our willingness to pay for bottles seems to have led some restaurants to decide that water will no longer be a freebie for diners. 5. Airplane-everything - In the olden days, you would buy a plane ticket, check your bags and maybe enjoy some free in-flight entertainment via a movie projected on a wall. The attendants would give you peanuts, a drink and maybe even a meal if you were on board long enough. Today, you buy a plane ticket and then find yourself shelling out money for everything from your checked bag to your boarding pass to an in-flight blanket. A 2013 study (http://www.ideaworkscompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Press-Release-89-Ancillary-Revenue-Top-10.pdf) found that airline ancillary revenue (read: mostly fees) has increased 1,200 percent since 2007. 6. Returning a rental car - An article on U.S. News & World Report notes that rental car companies have also found ways to tack on extra charges to the base price of their vehicles. (http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2013/06/21/5-lesser-known-facts-about-renting-a-car) Most egregious seems to be the early-return fee. Hertz says its $11 fee is “to compensate them in part for their inability to rent your vehicle during the time reserved for your use.” 7. TV - Like water, you can still get TV for free. Unfortunately, we seem to have hit the point where paying for our on-screen entertainment seems to be a given for many Americans. If you are fed up with paying check out the article at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/you-can-stop-paying-for-cable-tv-now. 8. Air - Once upon a time, every gas station in my town had a free air pump. Today, you need a dollar. On the positive side, at least some station’s pumps take credit cards, so you no longer have to hunt for quarters in the change jar. FreeAirPump.com (http://www.freeairpump.com) maintains a user-generated directory of free pumps. The site also says California and Connecticut drivers are entitled by state law to free air at service stations (free in California with a purchase of gas). 9. Checking accounts - Not long ago, every bank and credit union offered free checking. Then the CARD Act came along. It limited bank profits from credit cards, and government regulations ended the banks’ practice of automatically enrolling customers in so-called overdraft protection, another moneymaker for financial institutions. As a result free checking accounts dried up. You can still find them, but you may need to jump through some hoops first. (Note: Most military orientated credit unions still offer them). 10. ATM service - Hard to believe that a 1998 Bankrate article said that KeyBank actually paid its customers 25 cents for using an ATM rather than dealing with their tellers ATM fees hit a record high this year, clocking in at an average of $4.35 per out-of-network transaction. (www.bankrate.com/brm/news/chk/19981027.asp). 11. Bill payment - There’s nothing quite like being charged a fee for the privilege of paying a bill. And yet, that’s exactly what some companies do now. It seems as though, in the past, they were just happy to get your money, without making you pay more in order to hand it over. You mostly run into these convenience fees if you try to pay on the phone, but they occasionally crop up online as well. At least it’s still free to send a check in the mail if you don’t consider the cost of the stamp and envelop. 12. National parks - Entrance fees didn’t become a fixture at more than 100 sites administered by the National Park Service until the 1980s. Now, in most parks there is an entrance fee or pass requirement to visit them with the exception of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. National parks are also free to those that are under 16, disabled, visit on one of the National Park entrance fee days listed below, or are on active duty or an active duty family member, To minimize your cost check out http://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm. To locate a park go to http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm. January 19, 2015 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) February 14 – 16, 2015 (Presidents’ Day weekend) April 18 – 19, 2015 (National Park Week’s opening weekend) August 25, 2015 (National Park Service’s 99th birthday) September 26, 2015 (National Public Lands Day) November 11, 2015 (Veterans Day) Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> 2015 2015 -> Police Militarization 2015 -> 2015 ihbb championships: hs history Bowl Round 4 – Prelims First Quarter 2015 -> Wrtp/big step · 3841 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, wi 53208 2015 -> Rao bulletin 1 December 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles 2015 -> Darton College 2015 -> Training Workshop on Planning and Implementation of Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) in Bihar Date : 6th 2015 -> Rao bulletin 15 June 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles 2015 -> Rao bulletin 1 September 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles 2015 -> Rao bulletin 1 August 2015 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles 2015 -> Science, and transportation united states senate Download 6.84 Mb. Share with your friends:
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