Category: Healthcare

Risch, Harrison testify at Sleep Apnea hearing

May 12, 2016 National Legislative Director John Risch and Local 759 (Newark, N.J.) Secretary and Treasurer Craig Harrison testified at a public hearing today before the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) about Obstructive Slee [...]

Tags Craig Harrison, FMCSA, FRA, John Risch, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea

FRA, FMCSA to host listening sessions on Obstructive Sleep Apnea

May 3, 2016 The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will host three public listening sessions to solicit information on the prevalence of moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among individuals occupying safety sens [...]

Tags FMCSA, FRA, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, OSA, Sleep Apnea

Effective April 1: New administrator for STD & new provider for LTD

March 31, 2016 Benefits, Premiums stay the same! On Friday, April 1, 2016, a new insurance administrator for Short Term Disability (STD) and a new insurance provider for Long Term Disability (LTD) will be in place for all Bus and Rail members. Effective on and after April 1, 2016 STD for B [...]

Obama delays tax on high-cost group health plans

December 22, 2015 The Portland Business Journal reported that President Obama has signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 into law. This officially delays the 40 percent excise tax on group health plans. Unions and other organizations that provide strong benefit packages for members w [...]

Tags Consolidated Appropriations Act, healthcare reform

Medicare Part B premium costs for 2016

December 2, 2015 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the 2016 Part B premium and deductible costs for 2016. Railroad Medicare processes claims for Part B services. The 2016 monthly premiums will remain unchanged for approximately 70 percent of Medicare benefic [...]

Tags CMS, Medicare, Medicare Part B, Palmetto GBA

Medicare Part B premiums for 2016

November 19, 2015 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced that the standard monthly Part B premium will be $121.80 in 2016. However, most Medicare beneficiaries will not see an increase in their monthly Part B premiums because of a “hold harmless” provision in the law. U [...]

Tags Medicare, Medicare Part B, Railroad Retirement Board, RRB, SSA

FMCSA, FRA begin work on sleep apnea rulemaking

October 21, 2015 WASHINGTON – If left untreated, sleep apnea poses serious risks to anyone who sits behind the wheel of a commercial motor vehicle or climbs into the cab of a locomotive. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rece [...]

Tags FMCSA, FRA, Sleep Apnea, U.S. DOT

Palmetto GBA: when a doctor’s notes are not readable

October 15, 2015 We all know the joke: if you have poor penmanship, you should become a doctor. Unfortunately, poor penmanship on patient notes and records can lead to claim denials, because if Medicare can’t read what the doctor wrote, we can’t know if the services were reasonable and neces [...]

Tags Medicare, Medicare Summary Notice, Palmetto GBA

Save with health flexible spending account

September 24, 2015 A health flexible spending account (FSA) is a benefit plan that lets you save by putting pre-tax money aside in a special account to help pay for certain medical costs and other health services. This means you can save on what you pay in your annual income taxes. Learn more a [...]

Tags FSA, Health Flexible Spending Account, open enrollment, Your Track to Health

Working safely with Diabetes

August 25, 2015 Diabetes has been called an epidemic in America. A 2014 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 29.1 million people in the United States – almost 10 percent of the population – have the disorder. Of those, 8.1 million are undiagnosed. The sev [...]

Tags Diabetes, worker safety