New Cancer Guidelines Say to Start Mammograms at 50, Not 40 Nov 22, 2009
The new guidelines were issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, whose stance influences coverage of screening tests by Medicare and many insurance companies ... No changes are planned in Medicare coverage either, said Dori Salcido, spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services department. (Fox News)
Hill Democrats Critical Of Bush's Budget Plan Nov 22, 2009
In a series of hearings, they rattled off a list of their objections: More than $100 billion to be sliced from projected Medicare and Medicaid spending ... At a time when the president is trying to engage Democrats in a politically risky effort to restructure Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, Rangel told Paulson, the budget represents a "missed opportunity.". (Yahoo News -- U.S. Budget)
Scott & White seeks expansion in Leander Nov 22, 2009
before that, they served patients who were members of the Scott Health Plan, Medicare or Medicaid. Primary care facilities throughout Scott offer services such as internal medicine and pediatrics and range from smaller offices to those of 35,000 square feet. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
Judge the difference for yourself Nov 22, 2009
" Brandy wrote on Nov 21, 2009 9:46 AM:" To Bill or anyone else - Here's an example of how Medicare needs fixed - Huband's Granpa is not well ... Medicare only allows him 20 days in rehab total a year ... He has 7 days left by Medicare-docs "estimate" a full month of the closest thing to "recovery." How, if at all, can this kind of situation, for any elderly, be fixed. (Cameron Observer, MO)
White House defends Senate health bill Nov 22, 2009
The White House on Saturday defended the Senate's version of healthcare reform and attacked the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit passed under the Bush administration in 2003 ... "To provide a little perspective on these attacks, lets compare today's legislation with the 2003 Medicare Part D effort, which many of these same critics supported," writes Dan Pfeiffer. (TheHill.com)
Sen. Reid: Opposition to health procedural vote is 'Orwellian' Nov 22, 2009
"His rambling argument was hard to understand but he didnt seem to rebut any of the Republican leaders charges that the bill raises premiums, increases taxes and slashes Medicare," a senior GOP aide said of the speech. Source: The contents of this site are. (TheHill.com)
U.S. Senate votes on health care reform bill Nov 22, 2009
The bill would also cease practices including denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions, and raise Medicare payroll taxes for the wealthiest Americans to help pay for the social insurance program for the elderly. The House of Representative approved its health care reform bill on Nov. 7 by a narrow margin of 220 to 215. (Xinhuanet, China)
Designing principles at birth of a new era Nov 22, 2009
Of greater concern to many in the field is the expense of PGD, which can cost up to $13,000 and is not funded by Medicare. Director of the Centre for Genetics Education Associate Professor Kris Barlow-Stewart said: ''It's only available in the private sector so there is an issue of equity there. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Broder: Budget-buster... Nov 22, 2009
Will future Congresses actually impose the assumed $420 billion in cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs. They never have. (The Drudge Report)
CRACKS SHOW IN DEM CAUCUS -- COULD SINK BILL... Nov 22, 2009
(3) REPUBLICANS BLANK CHECK TO PRESIDENT BUSH ON THE SPENDING FOR MEDICARE ADVANTAGE----A USELESS PROGRAM,AND DOSENT HELP ANY SENIORS,NOW IT WILL BE RE-WORKED TO HELP ALL SENIORS.. (4) NO-CHILD LEFT BEHIND--PASSED,BUT NOT FUNDED BY THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS,WE ALL REMEMBER SEN. TED KENNEDY'S ANGER IN TRYING TO GET BUSH TO FUND THAT PROGRAM,NO MATTER WHAT--BUSH WOULD AND THE REPUBLICANS WOULD NOT FUND NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND--NOW--OUR SCHOOLS HERE IN AMERICA ARE FALLING APART.. (The Drudge Report)
Viewpoints: Most Americans believe health bill will raise deficit Nov 22, 2009
Will future Congresses actually impose the assumed $420 billion in cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs. They never have. (Sacramento Bee -- Opinion)
Obama's Empty Promise Nov 22, 2009
And what they're concerned with is the $590 billion coming out of Medicare, and beginning in 2011, we add three million to 3 ... But we're in the situation where we're raising taxes $750 billion, taking $500 billion out of Medicare and trying to make -- to balance this thing without spending any money ... It did it in the state of Tennessee when Medicare first came out. (Fox News)
Historic health care bill nears key Senate vote Nov 22, 2009
Americans know that a vote to proceed on this bill is a vote for higher premiums, higher taxes and massive cuts to Medicare ... To finance the expanded coverage, Reid proposed higher taxes as well as cuts totaling hundreds of billions of dollars in projected Medicare payments ... Hardest hit would be the private insurance Medicare plans, although providers such as home health agencies would also receive significantly less in future years than now estimated. (Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, NC)
Comparison of Democratic Health Care Bills Nov 22, 2009
Medicare payroll tax increased to 1 ... Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. (ABC News -- Wire)
Read the story Nov 22, 2009
What are Medicare and the insurance industry saying about their plans to pay for mammography. 7. (CBS News -- Evening News)
Dont be silent Nov 22, 2009
Medicare, Medi-Cal, Social Security, the Post Office, our government all are broke ... For 20 years, the Medicare program has been cited by government auditors as high risk for fraud and waste. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
COMMENTARY: Health care reform rebuttal Nov 22, 2009
2 trillion of which the major cost contributors will be Medicare, small businesses, middle-income families and middle-income individuals. Medicare will be hit with a 500 billion reduction in funding over the next 10 years ... That's the equivalent of one full years cost of Medicare at today's rate. (Benson San Pedro Valley News Sun, AZ)
Palin book tour has people wondering if it's a campaign tour Nov 22, 2009
It also doesn't rob Medicare. Of course the Dems aren't going to look at it. (Wasilla Frontiersman, AK)
Medicare conference combats confusion over plans Nov 22, 2009
Traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medigap and prescription drug coverage plans add up to a tough system to navigate if you re younger, and an even tougher one when you re older, Lydia Baker of the Pima Council on Aging told a crowd of about 300 at West Social Center on Thursday. Baker, the Medicare and health insurance coordinator for PCOA, and Patricia Dorgan, director of services for the group, spoke at the 24th Annual Medicare Update Conference ... Open enrollment for 2010 for... (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
Congress considers expanding Cobra subsidy Nov 22, 2009
To get the subsidy, people cannot be eligible for Medicare or another group plan, including a spouse's. Income limits and other rules apply. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Voice of the people | Nov. 17 Nov 22, 2009
If the current house bill passes, the Democratic Congress will cut Medicare $500 billion (wake up, seniors), cut payment to doctors and hospitals and increase the taxes on premiums and medical equipment ... Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid and Amtrak are good examples of federal government programs that are broken or in the hole ... I am a new senior citizen (age 65) and a grandmother who is on Medicare, and I fully support health care reform, including a public option. (Herald Online, SC -- Opinion)
Letters for Friday, November 20, 2009 Nov 22, 2009
kuaina wrote on Nov 20, 2009 7:33 PM:" Liberal morons, ( you know who you are.) Just because Ms. Weir mistakenly calls Harry Reid " the senator from Utah", that means what she wrote is somehow totally incorrect. What part of America going broke do you not understand? Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are all headed for insolvency. States and cities will be the next in line for bailouts and Obama continues to spend like a drunken sailor. The deficit is growing by leaps and bounds and you... (Lihue Garden Island, HA)
What to expect in Saturday health care vote Nov 21, 2009
Increases Medicare payroll tax on individuals earning $200,000 a year and couples earning $250,000 a year. Requires individuals to buy health insurance, with a fine for noncompliance. (CNN -- Health)
Scott & White seeks expansion in Leander Nov 21, 2009
before that, they served patients who were members of the Scott Health Plan, Medicare or Medicaid. Primary care facilities throughout Scott offer services such as internal medicine and pediatrics and range from smaller offices to those of 35,000 square feet. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
Obamas brace for battle on health care reform Nov 21, 2009
The overhaul legislation, if passed by Senate, would be the biggest expansion of health care coverage since Medicare was created more than 40 years ago ... Michelle has admitted she is up against a lot of misinformation on this topic, and gave an assurance that her husband would ensure Medicare coverage would not be eroded ... My husband believes that Medicare is a sacred part of Americas social safety net, and its a safety net that he will protect with health insurance reform. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Opening the Screening Door Nov 21, 2009
It's an organization whose guidelines are often followed by Medicare and insurers. In the middle of a huge national debate about the role government plays in health care, it comes out with guidelines that almost mirror the British NHS, which has been a favorite target of Conservatives for Patients' Rights and other health care skeptics. (Slate)
No hospital savings seen with electronic records Nov 21, 2009
The researchers analyzed data from the industry's Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, hospital reports on costs incurred through the Medicare insurance program for the elderly and the 2008 Dartmouth Health Atlas, which compiles government health data. Their study was released by the nonprofit Physicians for a National Health Program, which backs a single-payer U.S. health insurance. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Health Care 'Public Option' Would Cover Little of Population Nov 21, 2009
The public plan was conceived as a separate insurance policy that would operate like Medicare, the government-run health program for seniors ... Unlike Medicare, which decides how much to pay doctors for services, the public plan would negotiate with doctors as private insurers do. (13WMAZ.com, GA)
What's in the Senate Health Bill for You? Nov 21, 2009
To help pay for it all, the Senate bill would heavily tax high-cost insurance plans, impose a 5% tax on elective cosmetic surgery (which some wags have nicknamed the "Bo-tax," estimated to raised $6 billion), and slightly raise Medicare payroll taxes for the wealthiest Americans. The Medicare tax rate is currently 2 ... Increases Medicare payroll taxes by 0. (CBS News -- Early Show)
"The Death of Conservatism": A Premature Burial Nov 21, 2009
His administration rammed through Medicare Part D, the first new entitlement program in a decade, and jacked up federal spending year after year. . (Townhall.com)
Senate Democratic leaders close in on health care vote Nov 21, 2009
It is funded by a politically delicate mix of cuts to the federal Medicare system and new taxes on health-care industries, high-end "Cadillac" health plans and wealthy households. The measure is so politically charged that finding the votes even to take up the legislation turned into a Capitol drama. (AZCentral -- News)
War Is Peace: Can Science Fight Media Disinformation? Nov 21, 2009
Now fabrications about death panels and oxymoronic claims that government needs to keep its hands off of Medicare flow freely on the Internet, driving thousands of zombielike protesters to Washington to argue that access to health care will undermine their fundamental freedom to have their insurance canceled if they get sick. And 24-hour news channels, desperate to provide breaking coverage at all hours, end up serving as public relations vehicles for any celebrity who happens to make an... (Scientific American)
Married Couples Face Extra Tax in Healthcare Bill Nov 21, 2009
Ryan Ellis, tax policy director at Americans for Tax Reform, said the new marriage penalty comes on top of an existing one that's always been part of the payroll tax, which funds Social Security and Medicare. He said when the payroll tax was created to fund Social Security during the New Deal, lawmakers didn't anticipate the freelance of two-income families, so there's always been a sort of marriage penalty for couples whose incomes topped the single-earner income taxation level. (Newsmax)
Republicans Blast 'Bait and Switch' Obamacare Nov 21, 2009
WASHINGTON -- Digging in for a long struggle, Republican senators and governors assailed the Democrats' newly minted health care legislation Thursday as a collection of tax increases, Medicare cuts and heavy new burdens for deficit-ridden states ... The bill "will save lives, save money and save Medicare," he said ... Among the cost-cutting provisions would be creation of an Independent Medicare Advisory Board which could be required to recommend steps limiting the growth of the program that... (Newsmax)
Dem Support Slips Among High Earners As Tax Hikes Loom Nov 21, 2009
5% Medicare tax hike on those earning over $200,000 annually and $250,000 if filing jointly. It would also place a 40% excise tax on health coverage above $8,500 annually for individuals and $23,000 for families. (Investors Business Daily)
White House Tangles With Bishops on Abortion Nov 21, 2009
GOP senators and governors stepped up their opposition to the bill Thursday, assailing the measure as a collection of tax increases, Medicare cuts and heavy new burdens for states. Despite criticism, there were growing indications Reid would prevail on an initial Senate showdown set for Saturday night. (Newsmax)
Senate Nears First Healthcare Vote Nov 21, 2009
"We've been warning the American people of the Democrats' plans to raise premiums, raise taxes, and slash Medicare in order to fund more government," Republican leader Mitch McConnell said ... The bill would also raise the Medicare payroll tax on high-income workers, which is used to finance the government health program for the elderly, and impose a tax on high-cost "Cadillac" insurance plans. (Newsmax)
Democrats Press Health Bill's Holdouts Nov 21, 2009
It would be funded through cuts to the Medicare program and a series of new taxes on upper-income payrolls, high-valued insurance plans and cosmetic surgeries. Republicans have balked at the Medicare cuts and argue that the bill would drive up insurance premiums. (Newsmax)
Help Your President — Kill ObamaCare! Nov 21, 2009
Clearly something must be up with the AARP. Why else would the nation's largest lobbying organization, sworn to protect the interests of senior citizens, watch silently as Congress plans to cut Medicare spending by $400 billion to pay for its health reform legislation ... I am fighting for my life in my small business and now the government wants to increase the cost of keeping my employees by raising medicare taxes and taxing our "cadillac" health insurance plan in which we share the costs... (Investors Business Daily)
Health Bill Hoax ... Nov 21, 2009
We suspect Reid's estimate will be as accurate as those for Medicare and Medicaid, which are going broke with their trillions in unfunded liabilities. According to the Heritage Foundation, Medicare alone faces $36 trillion in unfunded obligations ... Part of the "profit" in this bill will be achieved through several hundred billion in Medicare cuts. (Investors Business Daily)
House moves to protect doctors from Medicare cuts Nov 21, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) The Democratic-controlled House voted Thursday to add more than $200 billion to the deficit to prevent steep Medicare payment cuts to doctors, a move Republicans denounced as a political payoff ... Characterizing the measure as "an important step forward," the president lauded the legislators "for taking action to protect the care and physician choice that Medicare beneficiaries and TRICARE patients have earned" in a statement issued by the White House late Thursday ... Doctors... (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR -- Business)
Consumers guide to health reform Nov 21, 2009
The Senate bill would increase the Medicare payroll tax by 0 ... Under both bills, government payments to Medicare Advantage, the private-plan part of Medicare, would be cut back ... However, both bills would eliminate all Medicare co-payments on preventive services, such as screenings for colon, prostate and breast cancer. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Our view: Tonight's the night Nov 21, 2009
It also counts on big savings in Medicare that may not materialize ... A few Democrats still hold out hope for converting the entire health care system to a Medicare-for-all model -- universal coverage with the government paying almost all the cost ... Big political decisions that were controversial at the time -- creating Social Security in 1935, Medicare in 1965, civil rights legislation of the 1960s -- are now almost universally accepted. (Anchorage Daily News)
Bill would cause increase in Medicare premiums Nov 21, 2009
The increase is a result of a federal law requiring premiums to pay one-quarter of the cost of Medicare services for doctors and other outpatient services ... Taken together with the health insurance reform bill which will lower premiums, extend the solvency of Medicare by five years, improve preventive and primary care for seniors, and eliminate the doughnut hole drug coverage gap, it s a good deal for seniors ... According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation... (Coos Bay-North Bend The World, OR)
Here are questions that deserve some answers Nov 21, 2009
to Pril wrote on Nov 19, 2009 9:23 AM:" 12% seniors over 64, 23% pregnant women and children under 20, 65% people between 20 and 64. As for bush wanting 18 to 35 years olds dead... if I remember correctly, we were attacked by Muslim terrorists that killed over 3000 innocent Americans. Did you want that to go unanswered? Everyone agrees that the health care industry is unethical bordering on criminal but the solution is not a bureaucratic government health care system which will do far worse. The... (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
Fremont Board sets levy election amount Nov 21, 2009
-- Payroll deductions for Medicare and Social Security, 36,595. -- District contribution to lodging costs during state and national competitions, 12,225. (Rexburg Standard Journal, ID)
Letters for Friday, November 20, 2009 Nov 21, 2009
kuaina wrote on Nov 20, 2009 7:33 PM:" Liberal morons, ( you know who you are.) Just because Ms. Weir mistakenly calls Harry Reid " the senator from Utah", that means what she wrote is somehow totally incorrect. What part of America going broke do you not understand? Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are all headed for insolvency. States and cities will be the next in line for bailouts and Obama continues to spend like a drunken sailor. The deficit is growing by leaps and bounds and you... (Lihue Garden Island, HA)
Senate Dems push towards crucial test vote Nov 21, 2009
Both pieces of legislation would rely on more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare over 10 years to pay for them. The Senate would tax high-cost insurance plans, drug companies and elective cosmetic surgery and raise the Medicare payroll tax on income over $200,000 per year for individuals and $250,000 for couples. (USA Today)
Expert elaborates on Medicare Part D Nov 21, 2009
The QJCC offers free assistance to individuals who may be confused about their Medicare benefits ... With limited exceptions, the plan calls for EPIC members without other primary drug coverage to enroll in a Medicare Part D plan ... If seniors do not already have Part D, EPIC will help them select and enroll in a Medicare plan based on their drug and pharmaceutical needs. (Queens Chronicle, NY)
Senate vote next step on health bill road Nov 21, 2009
The House package is financed through a combination of a tax surcharge on wealthy Americans and new spending constraints in Medicare and Medicaid ... The Senate measure also trims entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid ... The Medicare payroll tax on individuals earning $200,000 a year and couples earning $250,000 a year would increase by a half-percentage point, from the current 1. (CNN)
Region and state » Nov 21, 2009
Esther Notrica dreads this time of year when she must review dozens of Medicare prescription drug plans to figure out which one works best for her ... Esther Notrica dreads this time of year when she must review dozens of Medicare prescription drug plans to figure out which one works best for her. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
Georgia cant afford its share of ObamaCare Nov 21, 2009
Kyle, would you like medicare repealed ... If you have a problem with any type of government healthcare, please include in your articles a call to repeal medicare, otherwise it doesn t seem that you are writing anything worthwhile in the healthcare debate. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Healthcare Radicals Bank on Public Ignorance and Gullibility Nov 21, 2009
To give you an idea of the kind of math that Reid and his allies employ, they conveniently left out of the projected cost of the bill some $247 billion -- the cost of a 10-year freeze on cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. Reid had proposed that expensive doctor-fix plan to buy off the American Medical Association, which dutifully endorsed the overall health care bill in response to the cash inducement. (Human Events Online)
Government Option in Health Already a Miserable Failure Nov 21, 2009
3 percent -- of Medicare s $452 billion budget ... One thief named Tony told CBS Steve Kroft that he robbed $20 million from Medicare ... He registered bogus medical companies, bought stolen doctor and patient ID numbers, and then billed Medicare for phantom wheelchairs, phony artificial limbs, and more. (Human Events Online)
Healthcare Big First Vote Saturday Nov 21, 2009
2 trillion on coverage (not $848 billion as advertised) which includes spending for Medicaid/CHIP ($374 billion), CLASS Act Spending ($15 billion), outlays for exchange subsidies ($349 billion), government run plan payments ($131 billion), risk adjustment payments ($118 billion), other Medicare/Medicaid spending ($130 billion), small employer tax credits ($24 billion), and revenue effect of exchange premium credits ($103 billion). Like the House-passed bill, Harrycare also cuts Medicare by half... (Human Events Online)
The deficit problem: Dealing with America's fiscal hole Nov 21, 2009
An ageing population and health-care inflation are inexorably driving up the cost of the country s three big entitlements: Social Security (pensions), Medicare and Medicaid (health care for the elderly and the poor, respectively) ... Raising the retirement age for Social Security and Medicare would save money while encouraging Americans to work longer, thereby expanding economic potential. (The Economist)
De una casita humilde a una gran red de ... Nov 21, 2009
Alrededor de la mitad de sus pacientes no cuentan con seguro mdico y la mayora del resto estn inscritos en los programas Medi-Cal o Medicare. Steve OKane, director ejecutivo del Council of Community Clinics, alab el centro por rescatar a tres clnicas comunitarias en Logan Heights, Lincoln Acres y el centro de San Diego el ao pasado cuando tom control del Comprehensive Health Center, que se encontraba en apuros econmicos. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Editorial: Promises of drug industry fall flat Nov 21, 2009
In return, Medicare, a massive buyer of prescription drugs, was barred from negotiating lower prices or directing recipients away from expensive medicines when cheaper and equally effective options were available ... 4 million low-income people were transferred from Medicaid the government health program for the poor to Medicare in 2006 ... Undoubtedly, some senators will offer amendments that will allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices under Medicare. (Sacramento Bee -- Opinion)
Post exclusive: 'Pill mills' popping up all over Palm Beach County Nov 21, 2009
Eight years later, Blumberg pleaded guilty to federal Medicare fraud charges. In 2003, before the federal case was filed, Blumberg fled on foot from a bad car crash on Florida's Turnpike near Boca Raton, leaving his wrecked Lexus and another driver's hurt children behind, the Florida Highway Patrol said. (The Palm Beach Post)
Schwarzenegger visits state's Capitol Hill Dems Nov 21, 2009
Schwarzenegger told Leavitt and Bush that he opposes proposed cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and a children's health insurance program that could make it harder for California to achieve its plans for universal coverage. California also would be severely affected if Bush's annual push to eliminate a program that reimburses states for the cost of jailing illegal immigrants convicted of crimes is eliminated. (Yahoo News -- Arnold Schwarzenegger)
Reviews of Senate health bill mixed Nov 21, 2009
MedChi s most pressing concern, however, is that the Senate bill does nothing to prevent a 21 percent cut in Medicare fees to physicians expected to take effect in July 1, 2011 ... If nothing is done to avert the cuts, many doctors will stop seeing Medicare patients, Ransom said. (Baltimore Business Journal, MD)
Moderate Dems Key In Upcoming Health Vote Nov 21, 2009
The bill relies on cuts in future Medicare spending to cover costs, as well as an increase in taxes. President Barack Obama Sunday said House passage of health care overhaul was a 'courageous vote' for many lawmakers. (Click2Houston, TX)
Moderate Dems Pivotal In Saturday Health Care Vote Nov 21, 2009
The Senate measure also raises the Medicare payroll tax on income above $200,000 annually for individuals and $250,000 for couples. Both bills rely on more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare ... The bill relies on cuts in future Medicare spending to cover costs, as well as an increase in taxes. (Click2Houston, TX)
Sundhausen attends seminar Nov 21, 2009
The seminar helped to foster an understanding of Medicare and its effect on the typical medical practice. The specialized training also focused, among other things, on analysis of revenue coding and realization, tax saving techniques for physician financial planning and practice operation including fraud prevention through appropriate controls. (Park Hills Daily Journal, MO)
Healthcare bill faces first U.S. Senate test Nov 21, 2009
The legislation would spark the biggest changes in the healthcare system -- which accounts for one-sixth of the U.S. economy -- since the 1965 creation of the Medicare government health insurance plan for the elderly ... It would raise the Medicare payroll tax on high-income workers, which is used to finance Medicare, and impose a tax on high-cost "Cadillac" insurance plans ... "Higher premiums, higher taxes on the middle class, including small businesses, Medicare cuts -- there's nothing here... (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
