AP/The Huffington Post Posted: 01- 4-11
10:00 AM
WASHINGTON — Eager to show who's now in charge, the House's new Republican majority plans to vote to repeal President Barack Obama's landmark health care overhaul before he even shows up in their chamber to give his State of the Union address.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/04/health-care-reform-repeal-vote_n_804084.html
This is Bullshit!
..Stephen Wilburn Posted 1/4/11
It seems to me that the Rethugs just don't want to see this President accomplish anything worthwhile for the American people. In my opinion it will be very hard for them to garner votes by taking away some very important changes that effect millions of folks with little or no heath insurance. Especially with some of the benefits already in the mix. Of course they could always lie, and keep shoving their bullshit down our throats by way of Fox News and leave us not forget The Almighty Glen Beck.
I am especially pissed at their decision to repeal health care because my wife happens to be one of many that find the law to be very helpful. With Lupus comes a myriad of health problems. When we first moved back to Denver her prescription costs were at a little more than $800 per month. But with help from the City of Denver, and the State of Colorado those cost have become more manageable with costs around $250 per month. And with the donut hole provision, we are able to get her prescriptions at a fraction of the cost. Which works well for us because these are drugs she will have to have for the rest of her life. It's just so hypocritical coming from these politicians whose heath care is set up in the same fashion.
Why won't these asshole drop their FREE GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED PLANS, and get real world coverage? Or at least get the millions of folks in the country on their FREE GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED PLANS.
Oh yeah. They claim they don't want to see the government messing with their Medicaid. Jeesh!!!!!!
If you want to cut the deficit, try getting completely out of Iraq. Then bring our children home from Afghanistan. Move the tax percentage back to the pre Bush era for the richest folks in the country. And for God's sake let's manufacture something! Penalize companies that are reaping big benefits in countries other than our own. These companies will tell you that with the current economy they can not create jobs in America, but at same time they're having job fairs around the world and can't find nearly enough people to fill the positions. Hell, The Caterpillar Company was in Iowa and the people there had good jobs, and good lives along with The John Deere Company. If you think I'm lying look it up!
I went to the White House web site to get the real deal on the Health Care Reform Law, and here is what I found. You have a great and blessed day. PEACE!
Myth
Health insurance reform will use my tax dollars to fund abortions.
Fact
No. The health insurance reform legislation maintains the status quo of no federal funding for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the woman is endangered.
Myth
Seniors will not have access to Medicare Advantage plans
Fact
Not true. Today, Medicare pays Medicare Advantage insurance companies over $1,000 more per person on average than Original Medicare. These additional payments are paid for in part by increased premiums by all Medicare beneficiaries - including the 77 percent of seniors not enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. The new law levels the playing field by gradually eliminating Medicare Advantage overpayments to insurance companies. There is no provision in this legislation that caps or reduces Medicare Advantage enrollment; access to competitive,
high-quality Medicare Advantage plans will continue.
Myth
Health reform will lead to massive tax increases and kill jobs
Fact
Not true. The Affordable Care Act includes tax credits to help make health care affordable for working families. Small businesses can begin claiming tax credits to help provide insurance to their employees this year. All told, the Affordable Care Act includes the largest middle-class tax cut for health care in American history. Additionally, independent experts predict that the new law will create jobs - estimated at more than 250,000 per year.
Myth
Reform will cut Medicare for Seniors
Fact
The new law will not cut benefits for seniors; the same protections that Medicare beneficiaries have now will be there in the future. In fact, the Affordable Care Act will add benefits such as free prevention coverage, an annual wellness visit and a phase-out of the Medicare donut hole. In addition, by reducing waste, fraud, and abuse and cracking down on overpayments, the law will lower premiums, reduce cost sharing, and extend the life of the Medicare trust fund by 12 years.
Myth
You will be forced to purchase insurance you can't afford.
Fact
False. The Affordable Care Act will make health insurance affordable for everyone, with tax credits for those who need help buying coverage and a hardship waiver for those who still can't afford it. This ensures that everyone is protected from bankruptcy and has access to care. It also reduces the "hidden tax" that people with insurance pay to cover the health care costs of people without insurance. Otherwise the cost of caring for the uninsured will continue to be shifted to people with insurance, as it is today.
Myth
Businesses will suffer under health reform
Fact
Health insurance reform lowers costs for American businesses - especially small businesses - who are struggling to remain profitable and competitive under the status quo. The independent Congressional Budget Office confirmed that the bill would lower health insurance premiums for the same insurance plan by up to 4 percent for small businesses and 3 percent for large businesses, and the Business Roundtable estimated that provisions to help bend the health care cost curve like those in the bill could save $3,000 per person in health costs.
Myth
The small business tax credits won't actually provide relief.
Fact
Small businesses will receive $40 billion in new tax credits to help cover the cost of health coverage for their employees. The tax credit is designed to both support those small businesses that provide coverage today as well as new businesses who decide to provide coverage. Effective immediately, the tax credit is worth up to 35 percent of the premiums a business pays to cover its workers and in 2014, the value of the credit will increase to 50 percent. An estimated 4 million small businesses will be eligible to receive these tax credits.
Myth
This bill does nothing to bring down the cost of health care.
Fact
Not true. The health policy experts and economists who have looked at this legislation have said we are pursuing every possible mechanism to reduce health care costs. The Congressional Budget Office found that health insurance reform will reduce the deficit by over $100 billion in this decade and by more than $1 trillion over the following 10 years.
Myth
The new law extends coverage to illegal immigrants
Fact
Absolutely not. Under the Affordable Care Act, undocumented immigrants are not able to enter the exchanges to purchase coverage nor are they able to obtain tax credits to purchase insurance. Undocumented immigrants will receive absolutely no assistance from the government.
Myth
Health reform will lead to a government takeover of health care.
Fact
False. The Affordable Care Act puts people, not health insurance companies or government, in charge of health care. The new law strengthens the existing employer-based health insurance market while making the market fair for consumers by implementing landmark consumer protections. Families and individuals that don't have access to affordable coverage can receive tax credits to help them purchase coverage in the private health insurance market. There is no government-sponsored, public, or "single payer" plan in the law.
Landmark: Number of Donut Hole Rebate Checks Passes One Million 
Posted August 30, 2010
By Don Berwick, M.D., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
On August 10th, you may have seen Jenny Backus’ post on HealthCare Notes noting that the third round of donut hole rebate checks went into the mail.
Recently, we hit a major milestone: the millionth check was sent out over the weekend.
If you haven’t heard about the rebate checks before, they are the first step in closing the prescription drug coverage gap under the Affordable Care Act. This gap is commonly referred to as the ‘donut hole.’ We know that many people with Medicare have tight budgets and some may skip or alter the medicines their doctors recommend they take in order to save money in the donut hole. That is dangerous and unacceptable. And that’s why the Affordable Care Act takes steps to close this coverage gap.
This year, as qualifying people with Medicare enter the ‘donut hole,’ Medicare will send them a tax-free, one-time rebate check for $250. Next year, if you reach the ‘donut hole,’ you will receive a 50 percent discount when buying covered brand-name prescription drugs.
If you are eligible for this assistance, remember, you don’t need to do anything special to receive the check. People who qualify for the one-time check do not need to sign up, since their checks are mailed automatically when they enter the donut hole. So just make sure to check the mailbox.
Just a reminder: you should never give out personal information to anyone who is not a trusted source. If anyone asks for your personal information you are encouraged to contact 1-800-MEDICARE and report the inquiry. You can also visit www.stopmedicarefraud.gov for more information.
We hope that the latest round of checks will ease the burden on individuals recently entering the donut hole. This is just one of several ways that the Affordable Care Act strengthens Medicare so make sure you check out medicare.gov and other areas of healthcare.gov for more information.
New Resources for Employers and Unions to Help Keep Health Coverage Accessible and Affordable
Posted August 31, 2010
By Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce
If you are an employer, you know how difficult it can be to find – and provide– health insurance for your retired employees who are age 55 or older and not yet eligible for
Medicare.
Some Americans who retire before they are eligible for Medicare see their life savings disappear because of medical bills and exorbitant rates in the individual health insurance market. And the cost of insurance can be out of reach for individuals looking to buy health coverage on their own.
Many employers would like to help their employees make this transition comfortably and provide access to health insurance past retirement. But in these tough economic times, it is difficult for employers to keep up with skyrocketing health care costs for employees and retirees.
The Affordable Care Act’s Early Retiree Reinsurance Program will make it a little easier for employers to provide high-quality health benefits to their retirees.
Early Retiree Reinsurance Program is a $5 billion program created by the Affordable Care Act to provide financial assistance for employers, including large and small businesses, State and local governments, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and labor unions that will help retirees and their spouses, surviving spouses, and dependents, as well active employees and their families, continue to have access to quality, affordable health coverage.
There has been a tremendous amount of interest from businesses and organizations from across the country since the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program was announced just a few months ago. We have received applications from more than half of Fortune 500 companies, all major unions, and government entities in all 50 States and the District of Columbia, and we are delighted to be able to notify our first round of successful applicants. As of today, nearly 2000 employers and unions have been accepted into the program.
In addition to announcing these approved applications, the Department of Health and Human Services announced today two new information tools for employers and unions interested in the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program – a new website (www.ERRP.gov) and a new hotline (877-574-3777 or 877-574-ERRP). Employers and unions can find application forms and instructions online, as well as other relevant guidance and regulations from HHS.
You can also visit here for more information about the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program and an interactive map displaying the employers that have been accepted into the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program.
Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP)
In March of 2010, Congress passed and President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act—the new health law. The law creates a new program – the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan -- to make health coverage available to you if you have been denied health insurance by private insurance companies because of a pre-existing condition.
Read about the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP); then use the PCIP Map to learn more about how the program works in your state.
IMPORTANT NOTE: New plan options will be available in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan in 2011. Find out more about the new options.
Preventive Care and Services
Under the Affordable Care Act, you and your family may be eligible for some important preventive services—which can help you avoid illness and improve your health—at no additional cost to you.
What This Means for You
If your plan is subject to these new requirements, you would not have to pay a
copayment, co-insurance or deductible to receive preventive health services, such as recommended screenings, vaccinations and counseling.
For example, depending on your age, you may have free access to preventive services such as:
- Blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol tests
- Many cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies
- Counseling on such topics as quitting smoking, losing weight, eating healthfully, treating depression and reducing alcohol use
- Routine vaccinations against diseases such as measles, polio or meningitis
- Flu and pneumonia shots
- Counseling, screening, and vaccines to ensure healthy pregnancies
- Regular well-baby and well-child visits, from birth to age 21
Some Important Details
- This preventive services provision applies to people enrolled in job-related health plans or individual health insurance policies created after March 23, 2010. If you are in such a health plan, this provision will affect you as soon as your plan begins its first new “plan year” or “policy year” on or after September 23, 2010.
- If your plan is “grandfathered,” these benefits may not be available to you.
- If your health plan uses a network of providers, be aware that health plans are only required to provide these preventive services through an in-network provider. Your health plan may allow you to receive these services from an out-of-network provider, but may charge you a fee.
- Your doctor may provide a preventive service, such as a cholesterol screening test, as part of an office visit. Be aware that your plan can require you to pay some costs of the office visit, if the preventive service is not the primary purpose of the visit, or if your doctor bills you for the preventive services separately from the office visit.
- If you have questions about whether these new provisions apply to your plan, contact your insurer or plan administrator. If you still have questions, contact your State insurance department.
- To know which covered preventive services are right for you—based on your age, gender, and health status—ask your health care provider.
For More Information
Read a list of covered services.
Learn more background on the new prevention rules.
Check out healthfinder.gov and other prevention guides.
Read the regulation (detailed legislative information).
Celebrating 45 Years of Medicare
Posted July 30, 2010
Don Berwick, M.D., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Forty-five years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law – forever changing and improving our nation’s health care system by guaranteeing health care services for seniors and persons with disability. Before Medicare, millions of the nation’s seniors were uninsured. Since then, Medicare has been the bedrock of the nation’s health care system.
The Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in March of this year, will also make lasting improvements to the nation’s health care system by giving Americans more affordable access to coverage. And the Affordable Care Act builds on Medicare’s promise of health care security by strengthening Medicare for today’s seniors and for their children and grandchildren.
If you are covered by Medicare, here’s what you will see from Medicare under the Affordable Care Act:
- More benefits. Your guaranteed benefits under Medicare remain. Starting next year, help is on the way for if you are struggling to afford preventive services. Co-pays and other cost-sharing for key preventive services such as colon cancer screening and mammograms will be eliminated. And you can receive free annual wellness check-ups.
- Fighting fraud and keeping Medicare strong. Reducing waste, fraud and abuse is critical to ensuring that Medicare’s precious resources are going to support the health and well-being of seniors like you. We are committed to cutting fraud in the traditional Medicare program in half by 2012. The dollars we save will go right back into the Medicare trust funds to preserve the life of the program.
- Lower drug costs. The Medicare “donut hole” is a gap in prescription drug coverage where people with Medicare have to pay the full cost of their drugs. That gap will be closed under the Affordable Care Act. This year, if you fall into the donut hole, you will receive a one-time, tax-free rebate check for $250. Next year, if you reach the donut hole, you will receive about 50% off the cost of your brand name drugs, and by 2020 the donut hole will have been gradually closed.
- Better quality care. Medicare has long led the way in improving how care is delivered in America. Under the Affordable Care Act, we are going to keep improving quality by encouraging more integrated, coordinated care. Community health teams will provide patient-centered care so you won’t have to see multiple doctors who don’t work together.
Today, CMS is not only celebrating Medicare’s 45th anniversary but also using it as an opportunity to redouble its efforts to educate and inform people with Medicare and their family members about the many changes and improvements to the program’s various options in advance of Medicare Open Enrollment. We have done mailings for beneficiaries, posted materials on Medicare.gov, and unveiled radio ads educating beneficiaries about where to go to get their questions answered and how to prevent fraud and scams. CMS is also launching a Medicare television campaign featuring popular TV personality Andy Griffith. You can watch the ad by visiting www.Medicare.gov and look for it on cable television in the days ahead.
Here’s to another 45 years of a strong Medicare program!
Strengthening Medicare
Posted August 02, 2010
Don Berwick, M.D., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Millions of Americans rely on Medicare for their health care security. But for years, skyrocketing health care costs have threatened the long-term financial health of the program. Many people with Medicare have worried about the long-term solvency of Medicare and whether or not there would be enough funds in the program in the future to pay for care for them and their children.
Thanks to some important new features of the
Affordable Care Act, Americans can rest assured that Medicare will continue to be there – better than ever – for our seniors and individuals with disabilities.
Today, my agency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, released a new report, Affordable Care Act Update: Implementing Medicare Costs Savings, demonstrating just how much – and how fast – important provisions of the Affordable Care Act will improve the financial health of Medicare. In 2010 and 2011 alone, these provisions will save Medicare an estimated $8 billion and almost $418 billion by 2019. These savings will protect the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund through 2027, extending its life by 12 years.
These new savings will come largely as a result of reducing excessive payments to private health insurance companies, promoting better quality of care, and cutting Medicare waste and fraud through powerful new tools. These tools keep bad actors out of the Medicare program in order to prevent fraud in the first place and enhanced technologies to help law enforcement stop fraud quickly when it does occur.
And there are many important investments in support of innovation for clinicians and health care organizations who are trying every day, as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is, to make health care better for patients and more affordable at the same time.
There are other actions in the new law that strengthen Medicare by improving the health of those who receive benefits. These include improving outreach and coordination efforts after a patient is discharged from the hospital to prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions and reducing preventable surgical errors.
Many of the programs in the Affordable Care Act are designed to ensure that people with Medicare continue to have access to quality, affordable care. This year, many people with Medicare who have fallen into the Medicare donut hole are receiving a one-time $250 rebate check to help with their drug costs, making sure that financial concerns do not interrupt needed treatment agreed on by a patient and a doctor.
And next year, all people with Medicare will have access to annual wellness visits and other preventive services with no cost-sharing, giving millions of Americans an opportunity to get potentially life-saving screenings. Over time, new reforms will also encourage better coordinated care.
Together, this adds up to a good deal for people with Medicare and taxpayers. If you or someone you love is on Medicare, make sure to check out sections like here and here on www.healthcare.gov that talk more about how the Affordable Care Act affects you.
Reining in Excessive Health Insurance Premium Increases
Posted August 16, 2010
By Jay Angoff, Director of the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight
It’s not uncommon to hear stories of individuals and families who opened their mail only to learn that their health insurance premiums are going up dramatically again. Over the last 10 years, average premiums have more than doubled, putting many Americans in the difficult position of having to choose between health care and other necessities. In 2010 alone, individual market insurers, who cover 14 million Americans, requested premium increases of, an average, 20 percent. These kinds of rate hikes are not sustainable and lead to millions of people no longer being able to afford coverage every year.
Thanks to the
Affordable Care Act, we now have new tools and resources for States to hold insurance companies accountable and put a halt to unreasonable premium increases. One powerful tool is called rate review, a process that requires insurers to submit their proposed rate increases to State Insurance Departments for review and, in some States, approval before they can go into effect. To help States conduct such reviews, today, we announced $46 million in grant awards to States, part of a $250 million investment in consumer protection over the next few years.
Earlier this year, my boss, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius – who is the former Governor and Insurance Commissioner of the State of Kansas – called on insurance companies to justify premium increases of as much as 39 percent. Her actions, and those of several States, led many insurers to back off and withdraw their unjustifiable premium increases.
Although most States have some system for looking at insurance rates, there is much more they can do to help people like you. These grants are the first step in improving those systems and making them work better for Americans and small businesses purchasing their own insurance.
States will use these grants to make a number of different types of improvements. In general, insurance companies will have to submit more information about why their proposed rate increases are necessary, and States will be better able to evaluate rate proposals and determine if they are necessary.
The end result is that Americans will know that their insurance companies will be held accountable for raising rates – accountability that should lead to affordability.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/myths-and-facts#healthcare-menu
