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Bush Administration: Cut Doctors’ Medicare Fees, Not Insurance Company Profits |
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From day one, the Bush administration’s Medicare plan has favored the profits of big insurance companies over the needs of seniors. Here’s the latest example: The Bush administration is threatening to veto any legislation that protects doctors’ Medicare payments at the expense of private insurers, according to the Associated Press.
Beginning July 1, reimbursement rates for doctors will drop 10.6 percent when they treat older and disabled patients who use Medicare, which would discourage doctors from treating our most vulnerable citizens—seniors who need Medicare to afford to see a doctor—in favor of sustaining the record profits enjoyed by big insurance companies.
Congress is working to prevent this travesty by finding at least $9 billion in savings from other Medicare programs over the next five years. At the top of the savings list are the generous subsidies that large insurance companies receive to operate the privatized Medicare Advantage program. But the Bush White House has threatened to veto any bill that cuts the payments to big insurers, which are estimated to reach $150 billion over the next 10 years.
In a May 22 letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said if Congress wants to keep the higher physician payments, it should cut payments to other providers in the traditional Medicare program, such as hospitals, nursing homes and sellers of medical equipment like wheelchairs and oxygen.
“The Bush administration is putting the interests of private insurers before those of seniors,” says Ruben Burks, secretary-treasurer of the 3.5 million-member Alliance for Retired Americans.
Medicare beneficiaries need the doctor payment issue to be resolved quickly, and veto threats that protect corporate interests don’t move the ball forward.
We’ve noted how a study by the Government Accountability Office found many people in the private Medicare plans face higher costs for home health care, nursing homes and some hospital stays than through the traditional government-run Medicare program. In fact, the report shows the government will spend an estimated $54 billion in extra costs for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries from 2009 through 2012. A little more than one in five of the 44 million Medicare beneficiaries—9.5 million people—are in the private Medicare Advantage plans.
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Over 425 labor organizations across the nation have endorsed H.R. 676, the National Health Insurance Act. This bill when passed will improve upon and expand coverage of Medicare to ALL residents of the United States.
Coverage will include chiropractic, dental, hospital, long term care, mental health, vision and substance abuse along with other ailments.
Profiteering will cease to exist as the HMOs will become obsolete!
All labor members should be demanding that their Congressman and Senator get on board with HEALTHCARE NOW!
Indeed, H676 would cure such ills; but no presidential canidate is talking about H676. Cutting payment for doctors means fewer doctors will honor medicare is a true statement.
In Missouri, few doctors in the metro St. Louis area accept medicaid for instance (Missouri cut medicaid funding and such long ago). Soon, this will be the care with Medicare. Look at all that money saved. As some of the folks die off, the savings in Social Security and other benefits would be tremendous. Dead babies or old folks, what is the difference with some of our elected ones whom are supposed to be taking care of the “people’s business” .
After all, the poor insurance companies need the money. Ask them. Ask Bush, oops McCain if you doubt this
It’s obvious that Bush would never even consider HR676, but when Obama or McCain take office, we need a massive campaign from grassroots America to make our wishes known, that we are not going to put up with a sick healthcare system and the three bloodsuckers any more: private healthcare insurance companies, big pharmaceutical companies and the malpractice lawyers who have forced many good doctors out of practice because they could no longer pay higher and higher mapractice premiums to cover the increasing number of frivolous suits.
We elect our Senators and Representatives to represent us, it’s past time they listened to us, quit their political “sandbox squabbles” and took care of some long overdue business. If it takes a barrage of phone calls, letters and visits to accomplish this, I am game for it. Anyone else ready to fight?