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Entries in medicare (42)

Thursday
Nov052009

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.
Wednesday
Oct282009

House GOP'ers Fight To Save Senior Benefits

Travis Martinez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and fellow Republicans argued on Wednesday against cuts in benefits for Medicare and Medicare Advantage recipients.

“Poll after Poll shows that America’s seniors are the group that has the greatest concerns about government takeover of health care, that’s because proposals cut Medicare benefits that seniors rely on,” said Boehner.

The Republican Leader used Wednesday's press conference to promote the his party's healthcare website, healthcare.gop.gov, where users can view “better solutions” to fix the nation's health care system.

House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), who also attended the press conference, invoked words from President Barack Obama’s campaign.

Responding to then-Senator Obama's pledge that Americans who like their health care plan would not be forced to give it up, Pence said, “ I guess he wasn’t talking about American senior citizens," adding that "under recent legislation, $162 billion will be cut from the popular Medicare Advantage."
Thursday
Oct222009

Congress Commissions Study To Revamp Medicare Compensation 

By Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

Over a dozen House Democrats from the Quality Care Coalition announced Thursday that they will be pursuing a solution to what has been described as regional inequality in Medicare compensation.

“McAllen, Texas ... has a reimbursement rate of about $15,000 per patient per year,” said Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wa.). “In Tacoma, Washington it’s $7,100 per Medicare patient.

“This is wrong. It was done on a political basis and it was sustained for forty years,” Dicks added.

To combat this, Congress will commission a 16 month study with the Institute of Medicine to find a way to reimburse medical professionals based on the outcome of care rather than the volume of the treatment.

The provision mandating the study will be included in the final House health care reform bill. According to the QCC, the inclusions will be budget neutral.
Tuesday
Oct132009

Ditching Medicare Part A May Have Financial Reprucussions, Warns Lawyer

By Ravi Bhatia, Talk Radio News Service

Kent Masterson Brown, lead attorney for plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the Department of Health and Human Services, warned Tuesday that seniors who attempt to leave their Medicare policies may face financial repercussions.

“[The three internal rules of the Social Security Administration] allow you to get out of Medicare Part A, but if you do, you lose all your social security retirement benefits, and you are required to repay every benefit that had been paid to you,” Brown said. “They won’t let you out until all the money has been collected.”

The lawsuit, Hall V. Sebelius, seeks to prohibit the Social Security Administration and the Dept. of Health and Human Services from requiring seniors to take part Medicare A through policies which Masterson contends were improperly implemented.

“The frightening thing about a case like this is an agency that’s just doing anything it wants,” Brown said. “Keeping agencies in tow, making them do only what Congress has dictated is fundamentally essential to the republic.”

Government lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case in May on the grounds that the plaintiffs have not been harmed by the policies and hence have no standing to sue. In addition, the lawyers argued that the plaintiffs have not exhausted all of the administrative remedies available to them before suing.
Wednesday
Oct072009

House Republicans Say New Health Care Proposal Threatens Medicare Recipients

John DuBois, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

A number of House Republicans argued Wednesday that cutting medicare funding will put both the program and its recipients in danger.

Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said that the belief that the U.S. will be able to cut medicare funding without negative consequences is "the biggest fallacy in this new plan as we move forward."

Blunt said he was also concerned that the cuts would take money away from senior citizens who already have pre-paid into Medicare, a move Blunt says “will damage the system."

“It’s inappropriate to reduce the foundation of medicare in order to pay for a new government health plan,” Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) added.
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