medicaid
Latest
Lyft lets you request rides directly from your healthcare provider
Lyft is introducing a healthcare pass that lets health plan provides and social services organizations cover rides for eligible patients.
Comcast expands its low-cost internet to another three million households
Since 2011, Comcast's Internet Essentials program has connected more than eight million low-income individuals from two million households to the internet. Today, the company announced that it's bringing low-cost internet to an additional three million low-income households. In addition to high-speed internet at $9.95 per month, plus tax, users will be eligible for free digital literacy training and the option to purchase a computer for less than $150.
Lyft offers non-emergency rides to Medicaid patients in Arizona
Lyft will offer rides to more people in need of them for health reasons, as it's signed up to become a Medicaid provider in Arizona. Non-emergency medical transportation rides will be covered for eligible patients. Lyft is also working on expanding the program to Medicare services in other states.
Amazon extends discounted Prime memberships to Medicaid recipients
Amazon announced today that recipients of Medicaid can now get reduced monthly Prime memberships. Individuals with a valid Medicaid card will be able to sign up for $6 per month, less than half of the standard $13 per month rate. The program is an extension of the Prime membership discount program Amazon makes available to those who receive government assistance and have a valid Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. It launched that program last June. The discounted Prime membership comes with all of the perks of a standard one including free, two-day shipping, Prime Video, Prime Music and Prime Now.
Florida phishing attack exposes data for 30,000 Medicaid recipients
Large-scale medical hacks are horrible in themselves, but sometimes it's the ease of the hacks that's scary -- and Florida knows this first-hand. The state's Agency for Health Care Administration has warned that a phishing attack compromised data for as many as 30,000 Medicaid recipients. One of its staffers fell for a "malicious phishing email" on November 15th, giving hackers access not only to identifying info like names, addresses and Medicaid ID numbers, but also diagnoses and medical conditions. A would-be fraudster would theoretically have almost everything they could want.
Proloquo2Go: Assistive communication for the iPhone and iPod touch
Proloquo2Go [iTunes Link] is not your usual iPhone/iPod touch app. It turns the mobile device into a full augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. According to the AAC Institute, an estimated 2.5 million Americans are speech disabled to the extent that they experience significant difficulty being understood by other people. Reasons vary, but are often the result of congenital illness or ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). 75% of people using AAC devices have ALS. One alternative is learning how to use sign language, but that requires both adequate sensory motor ability of the user and a knowledge of sign language expected in the listener. It's a solution that helps some, but not all. When signing is not available or appropriate, using an AAC device may well be. AAC devices use combinations of symbols, words, sounds and technology to allow people without functional vocal abilities to communicate. The cost of such devices range from around US$3,500 to US$8,500 for something about the size of a Speak and Spell. In contrast, the Proloquo2Go app has a price of US$189.99. If someone is in the market for an AAC system, it is one of the biggest bargains in the entire App Store for any iPhone or iPod touch running OS 2.1 or higher. Proloquo2Go took the uncommon route of using existing hardware to run a complex AAC system. It's nearly impossible to describe the use of the system through words, though I'll try, but I'd suggest you check out some detailed videos walking you through the process in some depth.
