Saturday, December 29, 2007

Health Care Headache

Affordable Medical Care is a really big issue in this country. According to the latest 2006 Census Bureau figures, 15% of America does not have Health Insurance. 11% of America's children do not have health insurance. These numbers are on the rise. While they may seem like small percentages, even those with health insurance are finding that rates are rising far in excess of inflation. According to a recent Kaiser Family Fund and Health Research Survey health insurance premiums have risen at double-digit rates since 2000, and have increased by 73% in the last five years, and health care spending reached 16% of GDP, the highest level in our nation’s history. According to a December 2nd, 2007 press release, the CDC summarizes the findings of "Health, United States, 2007" by stating that nearly one in five Americans say they can’t afford needed health care.

In Nevada alone, 451,000 people are without some form of Medical Insurance (about 18% of the population) This, you will note, is higher than the average State's unisured rate, in fact 35 states do a better job of getting affordable health insurance to their citizens. According to the Health Insurance Resource Center which sites a United Health Foundation Survey, Nevada:
  • Is only the 38th healthiest state to live in

  • Has the worst childhood immunization program in the country.

  • Ranks 45th in the nation for quality of prenatal care.

  • Is 17th in the nation for infant mortality.
  • Has the highest meth use of people 12 and older.

From time to time people inquire about free or low cost Medical Clinics in the area. There are a few, and the Southern Nevada Health District has an excellent list of them including contact information found here. Be sure to bookmark this site! These treament facilities specifically exist for the unisured or the underinsured, and there are a number of services available including Children's Services, Dental Drug Treatment, Family Planning General Medical Care, Health Education, HIV/AIDS Homeless ServicesHospitals, Immunizations, Medical Equipment, Medicare Services Mental Health, Pediatric Services, Rape Counseling, Referral Services, Senior Services, Sexually Transmitted Disease Treatment, Social Services Transportation Assistance, and Women's Health.

Many states also have programs for children. A complete list can be found on the Health and Human Services Insure Kids Now Website. Nevada's State Program for Children is called Nevada Check Up. Visit this site or call 1 (877) 543-7669 to find out eligibility requirements.

For the Injured Nevada Worker there is the Governor's Office for Consumer Health Assistance Bureau for Hospital Patients that is established to provide a single point of contact for consumers and injured workers to assist them in understanding their rights and resonsibilities under Nevada law and health care plans, including industrial insurance policies.

For those looking for affordable prescriptions, RXHELP4NV.org which is a program that connects qualified, low-income people with discount prescription drugs, direct from the pharmaceutical manufacturer.

Last, but not least, if you are unsure where to turn, you can always use the Nevada Help Line a free referral service for all Nevada residents. Access it by dialing 211.

Please feel free to add anything I've missed.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Behind Bars


Inmate Locator

Did you know the Federal Bureau of Prisons has an inmate locator? Visit The Bureau of Prison's Inmate Locator to find a searchable database of Federal Inmates. Additionally, you can also view population statistics, locate prisons, get visiting and mailing information right from the same website found at The Bureau of Prison's Website.

For a list of searchable State and Local inmate databases visit USA.gov. Many states now have a database that you can search by name to find out information about inmates, offenses, sentences, etc. Nevada has a seachable database as well. Visit the Nevada Department of Corrections to get access.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Nevada Caucus Info

The Caucus begins January 19th 9am -- Locations Depend upon your Party Affiliation

Republicans

1. All registrated Republicans will be getting something in the mail 1st week of January that gives them the location.
2. Sometime later this week 12/16/07 an online sign up will be available for Register Republicans at: http://www.nvgopcaucus.com/ Registrants can type in their address and get the location.
3. Or they can call the Republican Party HQ at (702) 258-9182 and get the location if they are registered Republicans.

Democrats


If you are a registered Democrat and wondering where you are supposed to> go for the caucus on January 19 you can find it at www.nvdemscaucus.com> just click on "Find Your Caucus Location" button on the left hand side> and follow the directions. Or they can call the Democratic Party HQ at (702) 737-8683 and get the location if they are registered Democrats.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Finding the Dead


Department of Veteran's Affairs

A cool Government database that let's you search for burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker. Search by cemetery, veteran name, birth date, or death date. Find veteran's burial place including contact info of cemetery, map of plot if available, veteran information including wars fought, birth and death date, rank and military branch. Click here to search.

Find a Grave is another site to visit for finding the interred. While not a government site it allows the user to search for both famous and non-famous persons buried throughout the United States. If you are trying to locate a cemetery use Epodunk's Cemetery Seach , another non-government site that allows you to pinpoint cemeteries within any given vicinity. Or if you are really lucky, you might even be able to view a picture of the actual marker using Genealogy.com's Virtual Cemetery Search.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Updated Colorado River Interim Draft Guidelines


The Draft Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead have been updated again and are posted on the United States Bureau of Reclamation's website found here.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Free Postal Pickup Service


Did you know? Your local postal carrier can pick up an unlimited number of packages from your home at no cost to you. Just make sure you properly seal the packages and have the correct postage affixed. You can schedule a pick-up for tomorrow or a date up to 3 months in the future.Visit United States Post Office Carrier Pickup to schedule your pickup.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Holiday Shopping Online


Here are some tips from the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center's Internet Crime Complaint Center The Center accepts complaints crossing the spectrum of cyber crime matters, including online fraud in its many forms such as Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) matters, Computer Intrusions (hacking), Economic Espionage (Theft of Trade Secrets), Online Extortion, International Money Laundering, Identity Theft, and a growing list of other Internet facilitated crimes.

Online Shopping Tips


  • Ensure a site is secure and reputable before providing your credit card number online.

  • Don't trust a site just because it claims to be secure.

  • If purchasing merchandise, ensure it is from a reputable source.

  • Promptly reconcile credit card statements to avoid unauthorized charges.

  • Do your research to ensure legitimacy of the individual or company.

  • Beware of providing credit card information when requested through unsolicited emails.

  • Beware of individuals using the DHL or UPS logo in any email communication.

  • Be suspicious when payment is requested by money transfer before the goods will be delivered.

  • Remember that DHL and UPS do not generally get involved in directly collecting payment from customers.

  • Fees associated with DHL or UPS transactions are only for shipping costs and never for other costs associated with online transactions.

  • Contact DHL or UPS to confirm the authenticity of email communications received.

  • If you are using an online auction, contact the seller with any questions you have and review the seller's feedback.

  • Ensure you understand refund, return, and warranty policies.

  • Determine the shipping charges before you buy.

  • Be wary if the seller only accepts wire transfers or cash.

  • If an escrow service is used, ensure it is legitimate.

  • Consider insuring your item.

  • Be cautious of unsolicited offers.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Federal Toll Free Phone Numbers


Visit the National Contact Center that lists 1-800's for Federal Agencies and many Government Hotlines where one can get some great info (such as the meat and poultry hotline which always busy this time of year) Check it out! It it beats digging around on a website for the number. Brought to you by the Federal Citizen Information Center.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Nursing Home Compare


Here's a neat tool from The United States Department of Health and Human Services -- it's called Medicare's Nursing Home Compare

The primary purpose of this tool is to provide detailed information about the past performance of every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country.

What Can You Use it For?

1. Find out What's Where -- Locate Nursing Homes by Name, City, State, County, Zip, or Proximity
2. Contact information -- Get Contact info for Every Nursing Home in your search.
3. Detailed Information -- Like number of certified beds, ownership info, and much more.
4. Compare Homes Side by Side -- Find out who has safety and fire deficiencies (A finding as a result of the annual health inspection or a complaint inspection, that a nursing home did not meet a federal or state health statute or regulation based upon observation of the nursing home’s performance, practices or conditions in the facility.)
5. Quantity of Care -- CNA and Nursing Staff hours per patient per day.

Protect Your Vehicle -- Prevent Vehicle Theft


What area of the United States has the highest rate of vehicle theft per capita? Why the Las Vegas area of course. It recently moved up to #1 National Insurance Crime Bureau's stolen vehicle hot spot top ten list, despite the fact that auto theft rates in the nation are on the decline. Every month LV Metro still handles around 1400 cases of vehicle theft. In fact, Clark County had 22,441 vehicles stolen in 2006. That's one vehicle theft for every 80 people in the County. Naturally auto insurance rates in Nevada are among the highest in the nation for this very reason. Auto theft just doesn't affect the immediate victims, it affects all Nevada residents. Auto theft rates in Las Vegas add between $200 and $400 a year to our insurance rates, according to the Nevada Insurance Council. Thegood news is, is that 80% of the vehicles stolen are recovered accordingto Metro police -- the majority being used for joy rides and for temporary transportation. Organized car theft rings only represent about a quarterof the thefts. Vehicle theft in Nevada is considered a B Felony and is punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison. With this sort of penalty, why would Las Vegas have such a high rate ofthis sort of crime? There appear to be a number of factors.

1. Many parking lots and parking garages.
2. Lack of police manpower -- Not enough officers to handle this sort of crime and conduct sting
operations.
3. Hot climate -- Owners leave windows cracked and give thieves access.
4. Lack of Education -- Vehicle owners must be educated about protecting personal property.To date little has been done.

So, what can you do to protect yourself if you can't afford a locator system like Onstar or LoJack, a sophisticated alarm system, own a personal garage, or a large angry dog?

1. Buy a Steering Wheel Lock -- Use the steering wheel lock at night when thieves are most likely to be active or when your car is left unattended in lonely parking lots.
2. Understand Your Insurance Coverage -- Talk to your auto insurance agent. Ask them about your deductable in the event your car is stolen. What will you be responsible for paying in the event your car is stolen and returned damaged or with your personal property missing? Also find out if your insurance company covers car rental fees in the event you are without transportation while your car is being recovered and repaired. Ask for a discount on your insurance if you have an anti theft device.
3. Clean Out Your Car -- Make sure your car is free from any clothing, music, books, and boxes that are in plain view. Thieves often break into cars to get at your stuff. Make sure that there is nothing left in your car that you wouldn't want to lose.
4. Heed Tips and Advice -- Metro Police has a page dedicated to vehicle theft. Look it over.http://www.lvmpd.com/crime/autotheft.html
5. Partner with the Police -- Register Your Vehicle for the "Watch Your Car Program" with Henderson PD and LV METRO --http://www.lvmpd.com/pdfs/watchyourcar.pdfBring your vehicle, proof of ownership (title, registration) and a list ofauthorized drivers to complete the registration to a local police station. (calling ahead is a good idea) When you register for the “Watch Your Car” program, you are allow law enforcement officials to stop your vehicle between the hours of 1:00 A.M.and 5:00 A.M. and when your vehicle is in close proximity to any border,no matter when the hours may be. In these instances, police action willinclude the necessary precautions generally taken to protect officers when approaching a potentially stolen vehicle.
6. Write Your State Representative -- If you are victim, let your representatives know. Ask them to keep you in mind the next time legislation comes up relating to vehicle theft and Nevada. To find out who your representatives are visit: http://www.co.clark.nv.us/ELECTION/lookup.asp