department of health and human services

Xavier J. Peg

Watch Out For Department Of Health And Human Services Impostors On The Phone

Health care and the government are in the news lately, but they shouldn’t be on your phone. If someone calls you up and asks for personal information, don’t give it to them, even if the caller ID says “HHS Tips” or “Federal Government,” or the call appears to be coming from the 202 area code in Washington, DC. The people making these calls are impersonating the government. [More]

(Ben Schumin)

6 Things You Should Know About The New Federal Dietary Guidelines

In a bid to reduce obesity, prevent chronic diseases, and encourage healthy eating patterns, federal regulators issued new five-year Dietary Guidelines on Thursday. From cutting down on sugar, to saying red meat wasn’t so bad for your diet, the updated guidelines are chock-full of things you should and shouldn’t do in order to live a healthy lifestyle.  [More]

(rayovolks)

Federal Government Could Extend Open Insurance Enrollment To April 15

2014 tax returns are the first ones that American taxpayers are filing since the health insurance subsidies, mandate, and penalties of the Affordable Care Act have come into effect. Included in our tax returns this year will be a penalty of 1% of income for people who don’t have health insurance that provides a minimum level of coverage. That penalty is taking some people by surprise. [More]

(kevindean)

Health Dept. Report: Medicare Is Wasting Millions Of Dollars Paying Too Much For Penis Pumps

When you hear about government waste, perhaps you have some vague idea of money being spent on things it shouldn’t be, like a new ping pong set for the Capitol game room or free novelty shot glasses at the White House (both are fictional examples, I think). But it’s not that Medicare is spending money on the wrong thing in this case — it’s that it might be paying close to double what it should. For penis pumps. [More]

(Good Morning America)

The Cover Model Of Healthcare.gov Rollout Speaks Out

Imagine having millions of people, everyone from frustrated citizens to prominent comedians, making jokes about your appearance and speculating about your life story based on one photo. That’s what life has been like for Adriana, a woman who sat to have her picture taken for a stock photo and ended up as the face of a government fiasco. [More]

Consumers Union: Public Needs Full Access To Database Of Problem Doctors

Consumers Union: Public Needs Full Access To Database Of Problem Doctors

In September, the Department of Health and Human Services removed the Public Use Data File of the online National Practitioners Data Bank after receiving a complaint from a doctor whose history of malpractice claims was published in a newspaper article. Public access was recently restored, but with a whole host of limitations that our cohorts at Consumers Union think need to be removed. [More]