Home My Business About Me My Book My Photos
My Poems My Documentaries My Newspaper Articles News To Know  My Links
MySpace My Guestbook      

 

Things that are going on that you might want to know. 

 

20

 

DISABLED RENT INCREASE EXEMPTION

 

Res. No. 141-2004

 

 

..Title

Resolution calling upon the Legislature of the State of New York to amend the Real Property Tax Law to provide rent increase exemptions to qualified disabled heads of households modeled on the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program.

..Body

 

By Council Members Foster, Nelson, Addabbo, Baez, Brewer, DeBlasio, Dilan, Fidler, Gerson, Jackson, Martinez, Monserrate, Perkins, Quinn, Reed, Reyna, Rivera, Sanders, Seabrook, Serrano, Liu, Provenzano, Avella, Gentile, Gioia, James, Katz, Stewart, Weprin, Gennaro, Lopez, Palma, Comrie and The Public Advocate (Ms. Gotbaum)

 

            Whereas, Section 467 of the State Real Property Tax Law (and Administrative Code provisions enacted pursuant thereto) currently contains senior citizen rent increase exemptions (SCRIE), whereby a senior head of a household, whose household income is $24,000 or less and whose rent constitutes at least a third of that income, is entitled to exemptions from rent increases in order to keep his or her rent from becoming a greater percentage of the household income; and

            Whereas, This program provides that landlords be reimbursed for the rent increase exemptions through means of property tax abatements; and

            Whereas, This program assists lower income elderly persons by lessening the harsh impact of rental obligations so that their limited incomes can be devoted to other necessities such as food, clothing and health care; and

Whereas, Many people with disabilities receive income from the federal/state Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability programs, which range from a approximately $600 to $1,000 monthly; and

Whereas, There is a critical shortage of affordable housing in New York City, which is particularly bad for disabled persons who need to find shelter that is not only safe and affordable but also accessible; and

Whereas, The same rationale for ensuring that rental costs should not consume a disproportionate amount of the income of elderly persons should apply as well to disabled persons living on small incomes, whose household incomes are needed to provide other necessities such as health care; and

            Whereas, Eligible persons should include anyone under the age of 62 with a physical or mental impairment, including, but not limited to, those of neurological or sensory organs, which substantially limits one or more of the person's major life activities, and who is regarded as having such an impairment as certified by a licensed physician; and

            Whereas, Affected housing should include rent-regulated non-public housing, including buildings under rent control or rent stabilization and Mitchell-Lama rental buildings; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Legislature of the State of New York to amend the Real Property Tax Law to provide rent increase exemptions to qualified disabled heads of households modeled on the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program.


 

 

21

 

METROPOLITAN DESK | July 18, 2005, Monday

New York Medicaid Fraud May Reach Into Billions

By CLIFFORD J. LEVY AND MICHAEL LUO
ABSTRACT - New York's Medicaid program has become so huge, so complex and so lightly policed, that it is easily exploited; though program is vital resource for 4.2 million poor people, yearlong investigation by New York Times found that program has been misspending billions of dollars annually because of fraud, waste and profiteering; state health officials deny that Medicaid was easily cheated and say they are doing excellent job of overseeing program; Republican majority in State Senate began push to overhaul system intended to protect Medicaid, while Democrats in Assembly and Gov Pataki have remained on sidelines; program is most generous and most expensive in nation, spending $44.5 billion annually, or roughly $10,600 on each recipient; James Mehmet, who retired in 2001 as chief state investigator of Medicaid fraud and abuse in New York City believes that at least 10 percent of program dollars were spent on fraudulent claims and another 20 to 30 percent more was siphoned off by unnecessary, but perhaps not criminal, spending; if figures are correct, then $18 billion annually is being misspent; despite enormous sums at stake, Albany has never studied issue; regulation of program is lax because health care providers have long resisted attempts to police program, and pharmaceutical industry has defeated measures to limit covered drugs; details of how Times investigation was conducted; examples of egregious fraud

 

22

 

http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/searchlight/20050727/203/1494/
SENIOR CITIZEN RENT INCREASE EXEMPTIONS
The council also passed a measure aimed at providing rent relief for low-income senior citizens.
In order to qualify for the senior citizen rent increase exemptions (also known as SCRIE), an applicant must be over the age of 62, have an annual income of $24,000 or less, and pay one-third or more of their income in rent.

The council's bill (Intro 666 <http://webdocs.nyccouncil.info/textfiles/Int 0666-2005.htm?CFID=4253&CFTOKEN=13543578) will increase the maximum annual income requirement from $24,000 to $29,000 (in $1,000 increments each year) over the next five years.

In return for the exemptions, the government pays property owners an amount equal to the lost rent. The council estimates that the legislation will cost about $13.8 million over the next five years.

DISABLITY RENT INCREASE EXEMPTIONS
In June, the New York State Assembly passed legislation to create a similar rent exemption program for people with disabilities. The council passed legislation (Intro 667 <http://webdocs.nyccouncil.info/textfiles/Int 0667-2005.htm?CFID=4253&CFTOKEN=13543578
) to enact the program in New York City.

The disability rent increase exemption (or DRIE) will help 20,000 disabled New Yorkers, who earn less than $17,004 a year, and who pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent.

Although advocates for the disabled and council members hailed the new program, they said the salary requirements are too low and should be equal to the limits set for senior citizens.



Help build the Network in 2005-2006, and increase civic participation of people with disabilities in NYC. Get your friends and associates involved. Visit www.dnnyc.net for more info, to join or renew membership, or call 212-251-4071 (Alexander Wood) or 212-251-4092 (Lawrence Carter-Long).
 

 

23

 

Health E-News - July 28th, 2005

  HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES ARRIVAL OF WEST NILE VIRUS IN NYC

  Three Mosquito Pools in the Bronx Test Positive for WNV; Two Manhattan
 Residents Have West Nile Fever;
  New Yorkers Aged 50 and Older Urged to Take Precautions
 
  NEW YORK CITY - July 27, 2005 - The first signs of West Nile virus (WNV)
 in New York City during the 2005 mosquito season have been detected,
health
 officials announced today. Three pools of mosquitoes collected in the
Bronx
 have tested positive for WNV; the infected mosquitoes were identified in
the
 neighborhoods of Eastchester, Woodlawn, and Baychester. The Department of
 Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has increased mosquito surveillance and
 larviciding in these areas; no spraying is planned at this time.
 
  Additionally, two Manhattan residents - both males, ages 50 and 54 -
have
 been preliminarily diagnosed with West Nile fever. Both patients have
recent
 travel history outside the City and investigations are underway to better
 determine where they were infected. While they have exhibited symptoms of
 WNV infection (e.g., headache, fever, chills), neither of them were
 hospitalized and both are recovering. With the official arrival of the
West
 Nile virus season, DOHMH Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden, MD., MPH.
reminded
 New Yorkers - particularly those over the age of 50 - to eliminate
standing
 water, where mosquitoes can breed around the home; reduce exposure to
 mosquitoes; and use insect repellants.
 
  "Many older New Yorkers still may not know they are most likely to get
 seriously ill if infected with West Nile virus," Commissioner Frieden
said.
 "As the summer goes on, people over the age of 50 - and especially those
 over the age of 65 - should guard against mosquito bites and all New
Yorkers
 should get rid of standing water and make sure window screens are
installed
 tightly and are free of tears or holes."
 
  Protect Against West Nile Virus
 
  Protect Yourself
  If outside at dusk or dawn, when mosquitoes are the most active:
    o Cover up. Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks.
    o There are currently two types of proven, effective mosquito
repellents
 approved for use in New York State: those that contain the chemical DEET,
 and those that contain Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Always follow label
 instructions.
 
 
  Protect your home
    o Get rid of standing water, where mosquitoes can breed.
    o Empty garbage containers and lids, buckets, cans, flower pots, pool
 covers, and other items where water collects.
    o Remove discarded tires.
    o Clean and chlorinate swimming pools. Empty and cover them if they're
 not in use.
    oTurn over wading pools when not in use.
    o Clean pet water bowls and bird baths frequently.
    o Make sure gutters are clear of debris so they can drain properly.
    o Cover wells or other outdoor water storage.
    o Use screens. Put screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes
out.
 Fix or replace broken screens.
 
  Protect your community
    o Report dead birds and standing water. Dead birds may indicate WNV
 infection, and mosquitoes breed in standing water. Report both online at
 nyc.gov/health/wnv or by calling 311.
    o Help your neighbors. Remind or help neighbors to eliminate standing
 water from their property.
 
  In 2004, there were five human cases of West Nile virus in New York
City,
 two of which were the more serious form (encephalitis) and required
 hospitalization. A full summary of WNV activity for 2004 can be found
online
 at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wnv/wnvr1-2004.shtml.
 
  To report dead birds online, visit:
 http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wnv/wnvbird.shtml; to report standing
water
 online, visit: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wnv/wnvwater.shtml. New
 Yorkers can also call 311 or visit
 http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/public/dohmhnews3-04.pdf for
more
 information about West Nile virus and how to prevent mosquito bites.

 

 

 

24

 

The New York Times
 

July 26, 2005

Learning Words They Rarely Teach in Medical School: 'I'm Sorry'

There is nothing in the Hippocratic Oath that tells doctors what to do when they make a mistake with a patient. Nor is there much on this subject in medical school curriculums or in residency training programs.

But there should be.

Much was made of the Institute of Medicine's 1999 report that 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year in hospitals from preventable medical errors, many of them presumably made by doctors.

The report spawned many initiatives to address the problem, but there was little discussion about how doctors, when they have made mistakes, should deal with their patients.

Not long ago, a patient called me to complain about the treatment she received from one of the residents I supervise. After starting a new medication, this patient said that she experienced bad side effects, and that her doctor had failed to warn her that this drug might interact adversely with other medications she was taking, something she discovered by herself on the Internet.

What really bothered her was not so much the physical discomfort - headache and dizziness - but the fact that when she confronted her doctor, a psychiatrist, he didn't apologize for his mistake. She asked to be switched to the care of another resident, because she felt her current doctor would resent her for taking him to task.

When I reviewed this case with the resident, he puzzled over why he was reluctant to apologize to the patient. Did he feel his medical authority was threatened? Was he worried about the legal implications of admitting a mistake? Not really.

Instead, it seemed to the resident that acknowledging the mistake would narrow the psychological distance between him and his patient, and that felt uncomfortable.

Everyone assumes that the ever-present threat of litigation has made doctors more anxious about admitting error, and no doubt it has. But doctors have always been tight-lipped about their mistakes, in part to preserve an illusion of medical omnipotence.

Like every doctor, I've made plenty of mistakes along the way.

As a young attending physician, I started a very depressed patient on a type of antidepressant called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor after she failed to respond to Zoloft and then to Prozac, drugs that belong to a different class of antidepressants.

Because the two types of drugs can interact, I waited for what was then considered enough time before prescribing the new drug. But within two days, the patient developed a high fever, confusion and dangerously low blood pressure, a syndrome we now recognize as a result of surging serotonin levels in the brain. She ended up in the intensive care unit and nearly died from a serotonin syndrome.

Needless to say, I was distraught about what had happened. I wasn't sure what went wrong, but I felt that it was my fault, so I apologized to the patient and her family.

They were shaken and angry, and they quite naturally blamed me and the hospital for their daughter's near-death experience. But she recovered rapidly and completely, and in the end, they decided that this was an unfortunate but "honest" medical error and took no legal action.

Studies suggest that patients are less likely to sue when doctors apologize for mistakes, and many hospitals now encourage their physicians to admit their errors. According to an advocacy group called The Sorry Works! Coalition, 16 states have already passed laws giving doctors legal immunity for their apologies to patients.

Of course, there are plenty of doctors with a nice bedside manner who can get away with bad treatment. How else to explain patients who often line up in court to support doctors accused of malpractice?

The surprising truth is that many patients have a hard time knowing whether they are really getting good medical care.

Because so many diseases fluctuate randomly over time, patients sometimes spontaneously improve despite incompetent treatment. On the other hand, a patient who receives exemplary medical care may fare badly simply because the illness is hard to treat. In other words, doctors are often praised or blamed, when the outcome is in fact a chance event.

Many, perhaps even most, medical errors probably have little ill effect and go unnoticed by patients. Many lawyers would disagree, but doctors ought to let their patients know when they've erred; it humanizes them and builds trust.

In the end, most patients will forgive their doctor for an error of the head, but rarely for one of the heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page

 

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

[19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]

[27] [28] [29] [30] [31]

 

 

News Page

 

 

 

 Home                                                                                            Back to Top

 

 

 7/28/2005  mjg  Ó2003 carmelo gonzalez    webmaster@carmelogonzalez.com   www.CarmeloGonzalez.com

Last updated on 07/19/2008