AARP Endorses House Health Care Bill

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

AARP CEO A. Barry Rand announced Thursday that the lobbying organization for seniors' interests is endorsing the House health care bill.

“On behalf of our nearly 40 million members, AARP is pleased to endorse the Affordable Health Care for America Act,” Rand said during a press conference.

Rand said the House bill improves and strengthens Medicare benefits and protects the program for future generations. He also said the bill restricts insurance companies from discriminating against older Americans.

"The Affordable Health Care for America Act...meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage,” said Rand.

The House is preparing to vote on this bill as soon as Saturday.

Rand added, “As members of the House gear up for this historic vote, they will hear from older Americans.”

AARP is the largest membership organization for people over 50.

Arizona Republican Urges Democrats To Reverse Key Provision In Healthcare Bills

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to exclude a provision that exempts insurance companies from tort claims from the proposed health care bills in the House and the Senate.

Section 514 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) states, among other things, that if an insurance company improperly denies benefits to an individual, it cannot be sued for any resulting injury or wrongful death, regardless of whether it acted in bad faith in denying benefits.

“Why does a health care reform bill continue immunity to insurance companies so they can injure and kill people?” Shadegg asked during a press conference Wednesday.

The intent of the ERISA provision is to prevent the misuse and loss of pension funds to protect American retirees. Section 514 of ERISA contains a preemption that does not allow civil courts to sue insurance companies for injury or wrongful death, because 514 is a federal statute.

Standing alongside Shadegg was Florence Corcoran, who suffered the loss of her unborn baby in 1989. Corcoran took to the podium and explained that she was diagnosed with Toxemia during her 36th week of pregnancy. Her doctor had requested that she be admitted to the hospital for further monitoring of her unborn child, but her insurance company, United Health Care Inc., maintained that she would be adequately cared for while on bed rest at home. Corcoran left the hospital, and the next week her baby went into distress and died.

“Insurance companies, all they look out for is money. That’s all, it’s not the patients health that they are concerned about,” said Corcoran.

Shadegg offered an amendment to strip the immunity in section 514 in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but said the amendment was rejected by Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) The Arizona Republican said that he will offer an amendment to remove this language in the House Rules Committee.

“I hope...that the American people will rise up and demand that Nancy Pelosi fix this bill before it’s voted on in the House...or that in the conference committee it be fixed.”

Obama Responds To Health Care Reform Rumors

President Barack Obama attempted to quell rumors arising from the health care reform debate during a town hall meeting held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire Tuesday, saying that although he respected those who had disagreements, there has been a great deal of misinformation.

“Where we do disagree, let’s disagree on things that are real,” Obama said. “Not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that’s actually been proposed.”

The President defended the public option, denying that it signaled a government takeover of the health care system.

“I do think that having a public option...would keep the insurance companies honest,” Obama said, explaining that the public option would provide a reasonable model that insurance companies could mimic in terms of cost.

Obama stressed that while he wanted action that would provide coverage for as many Americans as possible, he has not been pursuing a single-payer plan.

“For us to transition to a system like that I believe would be too disruptive,” the President said. “A lot of people who currently have employer based health care would find themselves dropped and they would have to go into an entirely new system that has not been set up yet. I would be concerned about the potential disruptiveness of that kind of transition.”

Obama also dismissed rumors of “death panels”, a term picked up by Conservatives such as former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin to describe government officials who would decide whom to provide coverage for under a public system. The President said that the rumors emerged from an amendment in one of the drafts of health reform legislation that sought to expand medicare coverage to include consultation for end of life treatment, such as hospice care or drafting living wills.

The President also attempted to mitigate fears over the government rationing health care, stating that rationing is currently occurring through private insurance companies declining coverage.

“You will have not only the care you need, but the care that right now is being denied to you only if we pass health care reform,” Obama said.

Obama poked fun at some of the more colorful rumors, pointing to the conclusion from various news outlets that the White House’s request for the public to send them rumors they have received via email was secretly the means through which to collect an enemies list.

“Come on, guys,” the President mused.
In recent weeks, the debate over health care reform has reached a fever pitch, with raucous crowds haranguing public appearances by members of Congress. However, the President stated that reform would nevertheless be passed by 2009.

'Telemedicine' to save money through insurance company reimbursements

Dr. Robert Litan, author of “Vital Signs via Broadband: Remote Health Monitoring Transmits Savings, Enhances Lives” explains what needs to be done to allow 'telemedicine' to save the government billions of dollars. (0:57)