OK. It has come down to this week: Will Democrats, on their own, pass the start of what could be pivotal healthcare reform legislation? I am one who is hoping they will and will be hopping mad if they don’t. I am praying key Democratic Congressmen will vote for what’s good for the country and [...]
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It’s been coming to our attention more and more: healthcare decisions are often propelled by business decisions, sometimes even by greed, and each of us better pay attention so that our personal health is not put at risk. The other night I was watching an episode of “House M.D.,” one of my favorite television [...] President Obama has been trying to calm fears among senior citizens that healthcare reform will significantly curtail their Medicare benefits, put their health at risk, and deny them essential care at a critical time. The President was quoted as saying “We are not going to pull the plug on grandma,” with a nod to fears [...] This year more than $100 BILLION dollars will be spent in the U.S. on high tech medical scans like MRI, CT, and PET. Unfortunately, new studies show up to 50 percent of the scans should never have been done because the results didn’t help with diagnoses or treatments. We have said time and again on [...] There’s more chatter lately (see the Seattle Times, The Newest Generation of Drugs: Who Can Afford Them?) about the cost of the growing list of biotech drugs “(“biologics”) that can lengthen your life and/or improve the quality of your life when you are living with an advanced cancer or a long-term chronic illness like multiple [...] In December 2005, the 43 million people on Medicare were urged to consider signing up for one of many privately run prescription-drug benefit plans. Costs and what drugs are covered vary by plan. This was a major change to the 40-year-old Medicare program, so it’s a big deal. But it’s been confusing to many – [...] We probably should have predicted it. I certainly tried my best to help. The Medicare Part D provision that offers reasonable prescription drug plans to seniors and people with serious disabilities has people confused, and it launched recently with some serious transition glitches. President Bush is upset, seniors are angry, the private health plans and [...] An article in the New York Times recently said the federal government has been getting complaints that some insurance agents were operating too loose with the facts about Medicare prescription drug coverage offered by the plans they were touting to seniors. Of course, insurance industry spokespeople said it must only be some unscrupulous, rogue agents [...] I’d estimate that more than 30 percent of HealthTalk members are covered by Medicare either as U.S. seniors or, at younger ages, due to disability. It provides coverage for doctor visits, drugs administered at the doctor’s office and hospitalizations. Now, after 40 years of the Medicare program, there’s about to be a big change: insurance [...] |
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