Printable Version
Friday Alert
Friday, February 29, 2008(Alliance for Retired Americans)
Medicare Advantage Plans Costing
Many Seniors More
A report issued
yesterday by the Government Accountability
Office, Congress’ investigative bureau,
revealed that out-of-pocket costs for Medicare
Advantage beneficiaries are often much higher
than for recipients of traditional Medicare,
particularly for spending on nursing homes,
home health care, and some hospital visits. In
2007, 19 percent of seniors with Medicare
Advantage plans were faced with higher overall
costs for home health services, and 16 percent
were subject to greater expenses for inpatient
hospital care and overnight stays. While 48
percent of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries
participated in programs with annual limits on
out-of-pocket costs, one of the benefits touted
by private insurance companies, the report
found a number of significant expenses that are
not counted toward these limits by many
insurers. 21 percent of such plans excluded
spending on home health care, 23 percent did
not include certain mental health services, and
29 percent would not count the cost of some
cancer treatments. After seeking care, many
beneficiaries were surprised to learn they paid
considerably more than their plans’
out-of-pocket maximums indicated they would be
charged. According to Congressional
Quarterly, Democrats in Congress may try
to amend the President’s Medicare
“trigger” bill, which proposes
means-testing for Part D and was introduced in
Congress on Monday (H.R. 5480 in the House and
S. 2662 in the Senate), to target Medicare
Advantage plans. “These Medicare Advantage
plans are ultimately costing seniors more and
failing them in times of need,” said
George J. Kourpias, President
of the Alliance. “Private insurance companies
are literally profiting at the expense of
retirees.”
Prescription Drug Group Spends $22
Million Lobbying Washington in
2007
The pharmaceutical
industry’s main trade group spent over $22
million on Washington lobbyists in 2007, the
Associated Press reported. This is a 25
percent increase over 2006. “Retirees
need to know what we are up against in
Washington. But I still believe that a
grassroots army of seniors can take on the
giant lobbyists – and win,” said
Edward Coyle, Executive
Director of the Alliance. Also, the
Wall Street Journal reported that
prescription prices rose eight percent in 2007,
twice the rate of inflation. Some
industry analysts, the Journal noted, believe
that the increases were aimed to drive drug
prices higher before any possible Medicare
reforms could be enacted by Congress.
Coyle is scheduled to discuss the issue this
afternoon on Fox Business News Network.
Inflation Rising Faster for
Retirees Than Other
Americans
Inflation figures for
older Americans are significantly higher than
for the general population. The Wall Street
Journal reported this week that while the
average inflation rate, measured by the
Consumer Price Index, is increasing at 4.4
percent per year, most of the products with
prices rising most slowly or even falling are
purchased by younger consumers. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that through
January, clothing prices fell an average of 0.2
percent, while costs for information-technology
merchandise fell about 6.2 percent. On the
other hand, costs for products bought by
retirees are rising alarmingly; the BLS
estimates home energy expenses to be rising at
5.5 percent per year, the cost of groceries
increasing by 5.7 percent per year, and
gasoline prices swelling 34 percent. “These
statistics prove that retirees have economic
and political interests beyond Social Security
and Medicare,” said Ruben
Burks, Secretary-Treasurer of the
Alliance. “We must vote for candidates in
November that are not only good for the health
of seniors but for the health of our
economy.”
Voter Help Available for Ohio,
Other March 4 Primary States
The
non-partisan organization Election Protection
is operating a free telephone hotline, where
trained legal volunteers are answering
questions and helping to fix problems around
the March 4 primaries in Ohio, Texas, Rhode
Island and Vermont. Voters can call
1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) or visit the
Election Protection website at http://www.866ourvote.org/
for help before or after voting to ask
questions about rules or report problems
experienced at the polls. Legal
volunteers will provide information about
voting in your state, work with local election
officials to try to resolve issues and
ultimately file emergency lawsuits if
necessary. While the voter protection
hotline is available for every state voting
Tuesday, extra attention is being focused on
Ohio in anticipation of widespread troubles.
According to a recent article in USA
Today, almost 20 percent of Cuyahoga
County election volunteers did not report in
2006, and poll workers throughout the state
that did show up were insufficiently trained. A
shortage of poll workers is also expected for
Tuesday’s primaries. Additionally, an
economic downturn and declining home prices
have resulted in many voters being asked to
fill out provisional ballots, as those who move
close to Election Day may have new polling
stations or be unable to show proof of
residence. For more information on voting in
Ohio, go to http://www.retiredamericans.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/6113.
Less than One Month Until First
Regional Conference
In less than
one month – March 24-26 – the Alliance will
hold its first regional conference of 2008 in
Las Vegas, NV. Featuring speakers such as U.S.
Rep. Shelley Berkley (NV-01),
the Western Regional Conference will provide a
forum for activists to work together and
prepare for November’s Presidential election.
Attendees will learn how to get seniors and
other retirees registered and voting, increase
grassroots advocacy and educate federal, state
and local legislators on issues like Medicare,
Social Security, prescription drugs, and
retirement security. Locations and dates for
later conferences are: Northeastern
Regional Conference, April 17-18, 2008 in
Philadelphia, PA; Midwestern Regional
Conference, April 28-29, 2008 in St. Louis, MO;
and Southern Regional Conference, June 4-5,
2008 in Orlando, FL. For copies of the
official registration form for any of the four
regional conferences, call 1-888-373-6497,
email Joni Jones at jjones@retiredamericans.org,
or visit our website at http://www.retiredamericans.org/.
Did You Know…
The
average age of the estimated 2 million poll
workers in the United States is 72 (USA
Today).
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