Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell today announced $386 million in grant awards to states, territories, and nonprofit organizations to support the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Home Visiting Program). These funds will allow states to continue to expand voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services to women during pregnancy and to parents with young children. 

Annual 340B Recertification - Have You Completed It Yet?  

About 11.4 Million Enrolled Under Health Law

The Obama administration often touts the health benefits women have gained under the Affordable Care Act, including the option to sign up for coverage outside of open enrollment periods if they're "having a baby." But advocates complain the special insurance enrollment period begins only after a birth. As a result, uninsured women who learn they are pregnant outside of the regular three-month open enrollment period, which this year ended Sunday, can get stuck paying thousands of dollars for prenatal care and a delivery - or worse, going without care.  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 new cases of measles have been confirmed this week in the United States. While this is a 16 percent increase from the previous week, the disease has not spread beyond the original infected 17 states and Washington, DC. The majority of cases still stem from Disneyland in California. 

The Congressional Research Service finds that of the 78 proposed changes by Republicans to modify or completely remove parts of the Affordable Care Act, more have been signed into law than blocked by Democrats. President Obama has approved a total 44 changes but none of which were significant, and the essential elements remain the same. While Democrats have no benefit in advertising minor alterations, Republicans have stayed quiet out of fear that publicity on improving the Affordable Care Act will garner it greater public support.

There's one serious disease related to smoking and tobacco use that you hear less about - even though it is very hard to hide and impossible to ignore:  gum disease.
Gum (periodontal) disease is an infection of the tissue and bones that support your teeth. In severe cases, the bone and tissue that hold your teeth in place can break down, leading people to lose many or all of their teeth. The National Institutes of Health calls smoking "one of the most significant risk factors" for gum disease in the United States. This summer, new TV ads by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are raising awareness about smoking's link to poor oral health.
Gum disease starts when bacteria on your teeth get under your gums.  The warning signs and symptoms of gum disease are red, swollen or bleeding gums. 

Smoking raises the risk of gum disease and can reduce a person's odds for successfully treating this problem.  In fact, smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to have gum disease.  Using tobacco in any form - cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, pipes, and smokeless (spit) tobacco - raises your risk for gum disease.  The longer you smoke or chew any tobacco product, the greater your risk for gum disease.

If you use tobacco, it's never too late to quit.  The Delaware Division of Public Health offers the Delaware Quitline, a toll-free number that can connect tobacco users with free help to improve their odds of quitting. If you know someone who smokes cigarettes or uses other forms of tobacco, encourage them to call 1-866-409-1858.

What a Smile Can't Hide
Felicita doesn't smile much anymore.  Not because she isn't happy, but because this 54-year-old mom says, "I don't like the way people look at me.  I feel ashamed of myself, really.  I feel like I destroyed my health and my appearance with cigarettes."  Felicita developed gum disease from smoking, and she is featured in a new TV ad that was created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gum (periodontal) disease is an infection of the tissue and bones that support your teeth.  In severe cases, the bone and tissue that hold your teeth in place can break down, leading people to lose many or all of their teeth. That's what happened to Felicita.  She lost all her teeth by the time she was 50.  She had to relearn how to eat, drink, and talk.

Four years after getting dentures, she still struggles.  Her dentures are uncomfortable, and she only eats soft foods.  Felicita doesn't like to eat at restaurants because people stare at her when she slurps her food.  She also fears that her dentures may fall out of her mouth.

Felicita is not alone. Smokers, including those who smoke cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and pipes, and those who use smokeless tobacco such as snuff, snus, and chewing tobacco, are much more likely than non-tobacco users to have gum disease. The more  you use tobacco and the longer you use it, the greater your risk for gum disease.

Giving up tobacco isn't easy, but neither is giving up the foods you love because you can't chew them.  Felicita can no longer enjoy the traditional pork dishes served at her Puerto Rican family's gatherings.  She did, however, finally quit smoking.

It's never too late to quit. The Delaware Division of Public Health offers the Delaware Quitline, a toll-free number that can connect tobacco users with free help to improve their odds of quitting. If you know someone who smokes cigarettes or uses other forms of tobacco, encourage them to call 1-866-409-1858.

The Maryland Health Connection announced the extension Sunday, which was to have been the last day of open enrollment for coverage starting April 1. Those who have started the process now have until Feb. 28 to complete it.

Executive Director Carolyn Quattrocki says that most people could access the exchange but many had questions. That led to a backlog of calls that couldn't be answered in time for everyone to enroll.

The problem made for a rough end to what had been a smooth three months of open enrollment.