If HR 6331 fails Medicare patients could be the losers

(Update June 28) Republican senators are assailed for voting against the Medicare bill and the Republicans should be held responsible for a 10 percent cut in payments to doctors that takes effect next week. NYImes, June 28 !! Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 28
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Yesterday, Republicans blocked an attempt to bring HR 6331 to [...]

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HR 6331 fails to get to Senate floor for vote today

HR 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, failed today to get to the Senate floor for debate and a vote after Republicans blocked a procedural vote.
Reed vows to return the bill for a vote within 10 days

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Alert! Senate to vote on Medicare Bill June 26th – Write your Senators now!

The Minnesota Senior Federation has sent out alert saying that the senate is scheduled to act on the Medicare Bill Thursday, June 26.
Please send an email or make a telephone call urging your senators to support this legislation.
The House delivered a strong bipartisan message on June 24th in support of seniors and low income [...]

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Medicare Bill, HR6331 passes House 353 to 59

(Update 6/25) An article by Robert Pear in today’s NYTimes discusses this bill.
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Today, the House of Representatives passed HR6331, a bill that improves Medicare coverage of preventive and mental health services, eliminates enrollment barriers for low income programs and keeps a 10.6 percent Medicare payment cut to doctors from taking place on July 1.
This [...]

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Identity theft and Medicare cards

An article in the June 22 NY Times discusses the risk of identity theft and Medicare cards. The inspector general of Social Security says “Displaying such information on Medicare cards unnecessarily places millions of individuals at risk for identity theft…” and “immediate action is needed.” Will anything come of this soon? Probably [...]

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46% of all adults use internet during this election

A recent study by the Pew Research Institute has found that more individuals than ever before are going online to learn about the candidates and to take and active part in promoting candidates and issues and spreading news both pro and con.
The study shows that:

“46% of all adults are using the internet, email or phone [...]

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Listen to your doctor

I’m sure that Seniors, as a group are much more interested, concerned and involved in health care than any other age group. It’s not that we all have an avocation for medical science, rather it’s because we depend on it to keep us moving and ticking more than, say, someone forty-something or younger. [...]

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Obama campaign sets up web site to counter rumors and lies

As the campaign begins to heat up so do the rumors and lies coming from the right.  In order to meet the Swift Boats head on, the Obama campaign has set up a Web site devoted to countering these smears.  It is at  http://www.fightthesmears.com and should provide us with interesting talking points during these next [...]

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States are looking to rein in private Medicare plans

From a NY Times article by John Pear on June 5:
WASHINGTON — State officials say they will soon ask Congress for more power to regulate the marketing of private Medicare insurance plans to older Americans because they are still receiving complaints of high-pressure sales tactics that have led some beneficiaries to sign up for unsuitable [...]

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Caucuses – a historical perspective and “Obama’s debt to Ickes”

At last Saturday’s DNC meeting, Harold Ickes was one of the most memorable voices. A strong Hillary supporter, he had strong words about the Obama campaign. As Hillary seemed to mellowed on Sunday, Ickes really did, showing that passion and reason can coexist. This article from the Huffington Post, talks about [...]

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