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Friday Alert
Friday, May 23, 2008(Alliance for Retired Americans)
Medicare Changes May Address Doctor
Payments, Nursing Home
Deficiencies
On Wednesday, the U.S.
Senate Finance Committee met to discuss
upcoming Medicare legislation, including
tighter rules for Medicare Advantage
plans. The Committee Chairman,
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), later
said that the committee had found some areas of
agreement surrounding physician payments and
“stopping unscrupulous marketing of plans to
Medicare beneficiaries.” However, he
stated that the committee was unlikely to reach
an agreement soon that would improve preventive
care, increase access to the prescription drug
benefit, and settle other areas of
controversy. He added that he expected
legislation increasing doctor payments to move
directly to the Senate floor in early
June. Senators Charles
Grassley (R-IA) and Herb
Kohl (D-WI) are pushing to have their
nursing home bill included in the package of
changes. They have introduced a bill to
upgrade nursing home care and increase the
penalties for violations of federal standards,
including higher fines for violations resulting
in a patient’s death. Under the bill,
nursing homes would increase transparency by
providing consumers and the government with
more information about their owners and any
individual or company that has a role in
managing their operations. Department of
Health and Human Services officials have been
frustrated in identifying some of the owners of
nursing homes that are providing substandard
care. “We want a bill that cuts Medicare
Advantage subsidies to insurance companies and
upgrades nursing home care,” said Ruben
Burks, Secretary-Treasurer of the
Alliance.
Alliance Wishes Sen. Kennedy a Full
and Speedy Recovery
The Alliance
expressed its best wishes to Sen. Ted
Kennedy (D-MA), who has been diagnosed
with a brain tumor, in a press release this
week. “On behalf of the 3.5 million
members of the Alliance for Retired Americans,
I want to extend our thoughts and prayers to
Senator Edward M. Kennedy and his family during
this difficult time. We all join together
in wishing him a full and speedy recovery,”
said Alliance President George J.
Kourpias. “Older Americans have
no greater friend than Senator Kennedy.
His lifetime of public service has preserved,
and often strengthened, retirement security in
America,” Mr. Kourpias continued.
Health Insurance Benefit Available
to Alliance Members
Please remember
that affordable insurance to supplement
Medicare is available to Alliance members
through the ARA Retiree Health Plan. The
Retiree Health Plan Annual Open Enrollment
period is underway now through June 30,
2008! During this period,
Medicare-eligible retirees and their spouses
are guaranteed acceptance with no waiting
periods regardless of pre-existing health
conditions. Visit www.araretireehealth.com for
further details or call
1-866-298-9117 to receive your
Free Retiree Health Information Kit and your
open enrollment application. No agent will call
you - everything is handled through the
mail.
Many Eligible Low-Income Seniors
Not Applying for Part D Subsidy
The
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
and the Congressional Budget Office have
estimated, respectively, that about 2.6 million
to over 4 million individuals who may qualify
for the Medicare prescription drug low-income
subsidy are not receiving it. Various
barriers, such as reluctance to disclose
personal financial information or lack of
knowledge of the subsidy, may prevent
potentially eligible Medicare beneficiaries
from applying for the subsidy. To view
the highlights of the report, go to http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08812thigh.pdf
.
Alliance Activities Around the
Country
This past Wednesday, in St.
Louis, Alliance President
Kourpias addressed the
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU)
retiree conference as part of CBTU’s 37th
International Convention. Last week, the
Indiana Alliance held its state convention,
where Indiana Alliance President Elmer
Blankenship brought special attention
to those who have been dropped from the
recently privatized Food Stamp program.
Richard Fiesta, the national
Alliance’s Director of Government and Political
affairs, spoke about upcoming Medicare and
other senior issues coming up in
Congress. Also last week, the Florida
Alliance’s Central Florida-area Vice President
Donesa Jackson participated in
a Central Labor Council educational forum for
75 - 100 elected and future political leaders
in Orlando. Ms. Jackson explained in
detail issues including Social Security
privatization, healthcare, senior housing, and
alternative energy resources.
Next Week is Older Americans’
Mental Health Week
The Alliance is
a national partner in the observance of older
Americans’ mental health week, May 25-31,
2008. Led by the Older Women’s League,
the voice of midlife and older women, the week
is an annual opportunity to spread the message
that mental illness is not a normal part of
aging. Public awareness increases a
community’s understanding of mental illness and
reduces the stigma that keeps many older
Americans from seeking help. One in four
American adults have a diagnosable mental
illness, but less than one-quarter of older
adults with mental illness get any type of
mental health attention. “Mental
illnesses are common and treatable,” said
Edward Coyle, Executive
Director of the Alliance. “The more
people know, the more they can help seniors who
are suffering.” To learn more, visit http://www.mentalhealthweek.org/Welcome.html.
Southern Regional Meeting, Florida
Alliance Convention Fast
Approaching
The Alliance will hold
its last regional meeting, the Southern
Regional Meeting, on June 4-5, 2008 in Orlando,
Florida. The meeting will provide a forum
for activists to work together and prepare for
November’s Presidential election. Please
call Joni Jones at
1-888-373-6497 or e-mail jjones@retiredamericans.org
for details. The Florida Alliance’s
Annual Convention and Quarterly Executive Board
meeting on June 2-3, 2008, also in Orlando,
precedes the Regional Meeting.
Did You Know…
According
to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the number of people in the labor force ages 65
and older is expected to increase by nearly 74%
by 2015 (USA Today).
Related Documents
- Friday Alert
Friday Alert