The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years. Mid-March the census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. When you receive yours, just answer the 10 short questions (they say it take around 10 minutes) and then mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you don’t mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form.
The majority of the country will receive English–only materials. Households in areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents may receive a bilingual (English/Spanish) form. Any personal data you provide is protected under federal law.
Please take the time to fill out the Census and mail it back because the information affects the numbers of seats your state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives. People from many walks of life use census data to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers and more. It also helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services like:
If you are in need of a job, the U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting temporary, part-time census takers right in your own community. These short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours, paid training, and reimbursement for authorized work-related expenses, such as mileage incurred while conducting census work. For more information on the job opportunities they offer, visit http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs.
The President points to outrageous premium hikes from health insurance companies already making massive profits as further proof of the need for reform. Looking ahead to the coming bipartisan meeting on reform, the President urges members of Congress to come to the table in good faith to address the issue.
On February 1st, President Obama issued an annual proclamation declaring the month of February American Heart Month. Yes, with Black History Month and my birthday, the month of February is already a joyous time. Being the nice guy that I am, I’m willing to share (especially since they’ve been issuing the proclamation since 1963).
But even if that weren’t the case, having a month to focus on heart disease is extremely important because it is the leading cause of death in the United States. All of us know one or more people who’s lives have been affected by heart disease and if not taken seriously it could kill you. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put together a nice site, full of information for you to learn more about the dangers of heart disease.
While dangerous, heart disease is something that can be controlled if caught early enough. Knowing your family health history and living a healthy lifestyle are just some of the things you can do to prevent it. I’ve provided some links below for you to learn more on what you need to do to become heart healthy.
It’s hard to believe it’s already 2010. But we’re here and there are still new things in store for this blog. When I started blogging, the main goal was to share information and hopefully open up dialogue on issues that affect the black community. I think I did that in some way this year, but it wasn’t to the extent that I’d done in previous years.
The goal for this year is to continue on the track of keeping the site informative. I plan on opening it up to others who are interested in sharing their point of view with the readers of this site. There are some talented, well-written people out there and I want to showcase them and get some real discussions going.
Late in the year, when I got swamped with projects for work, I fell off the blogging scene for a couple of weeks. Blogging can be a daunting task and coming up with things to write about can be time consuming (especially when it isn’t one of my strengths). So this year, I’m going to solicit your help. If you or someone you know are interested in blogging, but don’t want to manage their own site, email me at info @ theotalks.net. I’m always in need of someone to write and it usually turns out to be a win-win situation for both parties.
This year, I also want to focus more on minority small businesses. In these turbulent economic times, a lot of people are turning to owning their own business. I think that’s great, so I decided to start a list of some of my favorite small businesses. I’ll be highlighting small business owners throughout the year, so contact me if you’re interested in participating.
Finally, here are some websites that you need to keep an eye on for 2010. I’ll be blogging a lot about them and hope to be visible on most of them as time permits. Check them out when you get the chance:
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection.
HIV/AIDS has been a global epidemic for more than 27 years. Most of today’s youth have never known a world without it. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published national HIV incidence (new infections) that showed much higher numbers that previous estimates. The time is now. Together, we can prevent the spread of this pandemic – through awareness, care, prevention, education and research.
The Red Ribbon is the international symbol of support for people living with HIV. Wearing a red ribbon is a great way to raise awareness about HIV as well as to break down stigma and prejudice, so make sure you get yours in time for World AIDS Day!
Last year I had the opportunity to post about Worlds AIDS Day and found a lot of interesting information about how it affects us on a local and international scale. I was amazed to find out how many black people were infected with the disease. It’s not something that’s always discussed in our community and this is why I appreciate the effort of those willing to blog about this important day.
During a talk radio show on health care, I learned about a joint U.S. Department of Health and Department of Justice website that educates the public on Medicare fraud. In order to help pay for for health care reform, President Obama mentioned the need to find better ways to be efficient and this is one of those ways. According to the website, eliminating fraud will cut costs for families, businesses and the federal budget and increase the quality of services for those who need care. Below, I’ve listed some ways you can identify fraud and not become a victim. For more information and contact information to report a potential fraud case, visit stopmedicarefraud.gov.
Be suspicious of doctors, health care providers, or suppliers that tell you the following:
The equipment or service is free; it won’t cost you anything, and they only need your Medicare number for their records
Medicare wants you to have the item or service
They know how to get Medicare to pay for the item or service
The more tests they provide, the cheaper the tests become
Be suspicious of doctors or plans that do the following:
Don’t charge copayments without checking on your ability to pay
Advertise “free” consultations to people with Medicare
Claim they represent Medicare or a branch of the Federal government
Use pressure or scare tactics to sell you high-priced medical services or diagnostic tests
Bill Medicare for services you didn’t get
Use telephone calls and door-to-door selling as marketing tools
Offer non-medical transportation or housekeeping as Medicare?approved services
Put the wrong diagnosis on the claim so that Medicare will pay
Bill home health services for patients who aren’t confined to their home, or for Medicare patients who still drive a car
Bill Medicare for medical equipment for people in nursing homes
Ask you to contact your doctor and ask for a service or supplies that you don’t need
Bill Medicare for tests you received as a hospital inpatient or within 72 hours of admission or discharge
Bill Medicare for a power wheelchair or scooter when you don’t meet Medicare’s qualifications
Watch Out For These Common Fraud Schemes:
People who approach you in parking lots, shopping centers, or other public areas and offer free services, groceries, transportation, or other items in exchange for your Medicare number. Just walk away!
People who call you claiming to be conducting a health survey and ask for your Medicare number. Simply hang up the phone
Telephone marketers who pretend to be from Medicare or Social Security and ask for payment over the phone or Internet. Don’t do it! They may want to steal your money.
As the health insurance reform debate enters into its final stages in Congress, the President denounces the desperate and deceptive last-ditch efforts of the health insurance companies to derail it.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a website that will help you find information on how well hospitals care for patients with certain medical conditions or surgical procedures. The results are from a survey of patients regarding the quality of care they received during a recent hospital stay. The good thing about this site is that it is a great way to see how your local hospital is doing in regard to patient care. The one thing to keep in mind, is that the results of the survey are around a year old.
This is a good start and I hope that it will aid in improving the public’s awareness of hospital care in their community. We need to be ready to hold these hospitals accountable when it comes to the care of our loved ones. If you have any stories you’d like to share (positive or negative) regarding your stay in one of the hospitals listed, feel free to leave a comment.
The President goes through the leading conservative and Republican figures who have come out one after another urging passage of health insurance reform. After a summer of intense debate, cooler heads begin to prevail to make progress for the American people.
The President discusses ongoing efforts to spur job creation. He also explains why health insurance reform is needed not just for long-term economic stability, but in the immediate future, discussing statistics on how costs will continue to skyrocket and hurt small businesses even next year.
