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Minnesota poll shows voters split on health reform, young people more supportive
September 26, 2012
As could be predicted, the split falls largely on party lines. The law has much greater support among younger voters yet less from those age 65 or older. That’s possibly because of the false impression caused by Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, who claims it will take money away from Medicare benefits. Instead the crafters of Obamacare successfully negotiated with providers to take less money for the same services to seniors, which in part has allowed seniors’ prescription drug donut hole to close. Obamacare has strengthened Medicare. Read more.
Tags: donut hole, Medicare, minnesota, Obamacare, Paul Ryan, prescription drug coverageRepealing Obama’s health care law won’t be easy
July 16, 2012
FOX News – Yes, if Mitt Romney wins the White House and his Republican allies retake the Senate, he could shred most of President Barack Obama’s health care law without having to overpower a Democratic filibuster. But it won’t be as easy as some Republicans portend, and it certainly won’t be quick.
Tags: 2012 elections, health insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, Mitt Romney, Obamacare, RepublicansRyan plan could deliver crushing blow to Medicare
April 15, 2012
Robert Greenstein, President of the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities (CBPP) dubbed Ryan’s proposal “Robin Hood in reverse – on steroids. It could likely produce the largest redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S. history.”
Tags: budget plan, Congress, Medicare, Paul Ryan10 Medicare bills you can expect to pay
July 14, 2011
Some are fairly obvious, but others are hidden amid bureaucratic small print. For instance, who knew that you pay extra when a doctor doesn’t “accept assignment” from Medicare? It’s up to the savvy consumer to be aware of all the ways medical costs can mount up even with a Medicare card in your pocket.
Tags: beneficiaries, elderly, expenses, health insurance coverage, Medicare, out of pocket, seniorsHow much of long-term care will Medicare cover?
June 14, 2011
The good news is that while Medicare’s role in long-term care is complicated, you can head off much of the headache that comes with the financial burden of long-term care by understanding some basic concepts.
Tags: adult day care, custodial care, long-term care, Medicare supplement insurance, Medigap, skilled nursingHow Medicare made Grandpa a drug mule
May 26, 2011
How our investigative Medicare reporter/Guinea pig got caught up in the gritty world of prescription drug trafficking and why more than a million Americans look north to Canada for cheap drugs each year.
Is Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan finished?
May 17, 2011
No major Republic presidential candidates are endorsing it and Newt Gingrich slammed it on Sunday. Is Paul Ryan's Medicare voucher plan dead on arrival?
Tags: Paul Ryan, voucher planPelosi’s says she’ll put Medicare on the table, but won’t euthanize it
May 16, 2011
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she'll put Medicare and other entitlement programs on the table in talks about reducing the deficit, but that "abolishing Medicare is not on the table."
Tags: debt limit, deficit reduction, medicare voucher, nancy pelosidirty little secret: Medicare is already privatized
May 9, 2011
It’s a dirty little secret that’s right out in the open: The GOP has already privatized Medicare for more than one out of four recipients. They did it back in 2003 through the Medicare Modernization Act.
Tags: medicare modernization actCantor comes clean on Medicare, health reform
May 5, 2011
Cantor takes as a given that rationing of health care is our future, and he may be right. But he puts his reliance in the private sector to do that rationing rather than the government. We don’t agree. America’s private health delivery system has worked like crap for the under 65 crowd, and will be even worse in dealing with older people, who tend to need more of it.
Tags: Eric Cantor, health reform, MedicareRyan acknowledges there’s no way Senate will pass his proposed budget
April 6, 2011
Swampland (TIME) – House Republican Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan talks about his “Path to Prosperity” budget plan, which would transform Medicare and Medicare programs and scrap the new health reform law.
National TV and radio campaign will educate seniors about Medicare fraud
March 15, 2011
HHS.gov – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday a nationwide TV and radio campaign that will to educate seniors about how to protect themselves from Medicare fraud.
Boehner says he’s ready to take on Social Security, Medicare
March 4, 2011
The Atlantic Wire – House Speaker John Boehner says he’s ready to “lock arms” with President Barack Obama to trim entitlements, including Social Security and Medicare.
Half of Americans think health reform law has been repealed or aren’t sure
February 24, 2011
Swampland (TIME) – Democratic messages about repeal of the health reform law may be falling on deaf ears, since half of Americans either think the law has been repealed … or they aren’t sure.
Sebelius on Medicare: nothing more important than making sure we have doctors
February 17, 2011
Medpage Today – Health and Human Service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sits down for a brief discussion of health reform, electronic medical records and what she’s hearing from about doctors concerned about changes in Medicare.
Obama budget cuts HHS spending, but spares doctors from Medicare fee cut
February 14, 2011
The New York Times – President Barack Obama’s budget proposal would cut spending by the Department of Health and Human services by 2 percent, but would spare doctors from a deep cut in Medicare fees.
Stroke survivors who can’t afford medicines include Medicare Part D beneficiaries
February 11, 2011
Medical News Today – Medicare Part D beneficiaries are among a group of stroke survivors who can’t afford medications that would reduce the risk for future strokes, according to new research.
Despite projects, Medicare Advantage enrollment is UP 6 percent
February 11, 2011
McKnight’s – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Donal Berwick surprised Congress Thursday when he testified to a panel that Medicare Advantage numbers are UP six percent, despite predictions.
Feds hunting for 170 Medicare scam artists
February 4, 2011
Medicare Resource Center – The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a “Most Wanted” list of crooks scamming the Medicare system.
Publisher of Wall Street Journal wants to know how much doctors get from Medicare
January 27, 2011
Law Blog (The Wall Street Journal) – Dow Jones & Co, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, is trying to overturn a long-standing court order barring access to a Medicare database that it says could help identify fraud and waste in the system.
Lawsuit challenges Medicare policy on rehabilitative care
January 18, 2011
Healthwatch (The Hill) – A Medicare rights group has filed suit to challenge a Medicare provision that denies rehabilitative coverage to individuals with chronic conditions and long-term illnesses on the grounds that their condition is not likely to improve.
Medicare advisory committee suggests new fee to discourage overuse of home health visits
January 14, 2011
The Christian Science Monitor – The Medicare Advisory Commission has recommended that Congress impose a fee on home health visits covered by Medicare to discourage overuse of the service, which costs taxpayers $20 billion a year.
Proposed Medicare rule would reward hospitals for quality of care
January 7, 2011
The Hill – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Friday a proposal that would boost payments to hospitals if they demonstrate that they’ve provided high-quality care for patients.
Debate over health reform repeal is great opportunity to see exactly what’s at stake
January 7, 2011
healthinsurance.org – The upcoming House Republican effort to repeal the health reform law will be more than political theatre. It’s also great chance for Americans to understand exactly what they could lose if the law is repealed.
How repeal of the Affordable Care Act would cost families, seniors, small businesses
January 5, 2011
The White House Blog – The White House explains how repeal of the health reform law would cost Americans control of their health care and put insurance companies back in the driver’s seat.
Expectations for Medicare aren’t meeting contributions
January 2, 2011
The Washington Post – An updated financial analysis shows that your payments into Medicare throughout your career doesn’t mean the money will be waiting for your when you retire.
Medicare prevention benefits, shrinking donut hole signal brighter 2011 for seniors
December 31, 2010
healthinsurance.org – In 2011, Americans can expect 21 health reform provisions to take effect, from a medical loss ratio provision requiring that carriers spend more of premium dollars on medical care to to the “beginning of the end” for the prescription drug “donut hole.”
21 provisions of health reform law take effect in 2011
December 28, 2010
Health Blog (The Wall Street Journal) – Twenty-one provisions of the Affordable Care Act take effect in 2011. Among them: Medicare Part D prescription drug discounts, medical loss ratios and free preventive services.
Medicare policy will pay doctors for end-of-life consultations
December 25, 2010
The New York Times – Democrats dropped end-of-life consultations from the health reform legislation that was signed into law in 2010, but a new policy, outlined in a Medicare regulation, will pay doctors who counsel their patients regarding end-of-life care options.
Health reform delivers for Medicare beneficiaries; provides free annual physical
December 18, 2010
The Columbus Dispatch – Medicare beneficiaries who resolve to start the year healthier will get a boost from the recently passed health reform legislation. Starting January 1, older and disabled people can get annual “well visits” and health screenings with no out-of-pocket costs.
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Did your members of Congress support or oppose health reform?