Reports From The Field

John McCain is Trying to Have it Both Ways

2008-08-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

When it comes to Social Security and his plan to fund it, John McCain is trying to have it both ways. Earlier in July, Sen. John McCain called the way that Social Security is funded a "disgrace." Last Sunday in an interview with George Stephanopoulos, John McCain said that all options were on the table. When pressed if that meant that he would consider raising the Social Security taxes he said "Yes." Later that day, his communications director was interviewed and he said that raising taxes is not being considered and never will be. In a town hall forum earlier this week he was asked by two children if he planned to raise taxes and he said plainly in a one word answer "No." He laughed knowing why the question was asked and the answer his handlers required him to give.

Look, either you are willing to do what it takes to save Social Security and all options are on the table or you are seeking to privatize the program. For a brief moment last Sunday, McCain showed that party bucking, maverick side, of himself. But his handlers reigned that in, gave him his talking point medicine, and he was back on the trail acting like a good little politician. He says he is not for privatization then advocates for private accounts. He says all options are on the table except raising taxes. We need a strait answer from Mr. McCain and we need it now!

We need this issue to stay in the news and in the face of voters. August 14th is the birthday of Social Security. Be ready for a rally on that date to keep this issue alive.

Medicare is Anouther Year Old

2008-08-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

On July 30th Medicare turned another year older and this time its a little stronger than it would be thanks to congress this month. Medicare is still in trouble and by many accounts, the program will start running in the red within 10 years. More must be done to keep this program safe and healthy so that our nations seniors may be safe and healthy.

Sen Smith on Aging

2008-07-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

On August 14th Sen Gordon Smith will be holding a conference on aging in Salem. Information here.

http://gsmith.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=WebsiteItems.Aging

It is a free event but seating is limited. So call and RSVP your self a seat. If you cant get in don't worry because we will also have a rally outside of the event. This is also the birth date of Social Security and we will mark the date at this event.

If you get into the event or want to come to the rally please let me know.

End of a big week

2008-07-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I gave a presentation to seniors at the McMinnville Senior Center. Those that I spoke with were excited about the information and asked me to return in the future.

On Thursday we held our membership meeting and I asked our membership to start think seriously about future outreach and activities of the ORARA. Is the something that you would like to see us doing or an event you would like to see us put on? Let us know and we will develop a long term plan for activities and getting the funding to accomplish those goals.

We are also looking for volunteers to work our booth at the Labor Day Picnic. I will be there but I will be organizing and cant work the booth the entire time. Come for as long as you like and help spread the word and message of the ARA with a friendly crowd. Contact Ken Hennrich
if you are interested.

After the membership meeting we held a rally in front of the Social Security office in Portland. We had a handful of activist, enthusiastically showing their support for the long term health and protection of Social Security and or opposition to the comments made by Sen John McCain. The Department of Homeland Security got wind of our rally because it was being held in front of a Federal Building. They were actually really great and were their to make sure things went smoothly and did not bother or harass us.

It was actually a little funny. I was the first person there and they started rolling around the block in their white suburbans. It was a little unnerving. One of them approached me but he was really nice and was interested in what we were doing. I cant help but wonder if my phone and or emails are being monitored since the rally. HAHA.

Although I feel the rally was a success I feel that I learned a lot and that we can do much better in the future. So........... Save the date for August 14th. I will be planning a Social Security birthday rally. I am checking around and seeing if someone else already has something for the date planned so we can team up for the event.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Big Day Tomorrow

2008-07-23T22:56:00.001-07:00

We have our monthly membership meeting from 10-noon at the Westmoreland Union Mannor. You get out what you put in and the meetings are the best way to put in.

As long as you are up and around come to our Social Security Rally at the Social Security office in Portland 1538 SW Yanhill St from 3-5pm. We want Portland to know that Social Security is not a "disgrace" and privatization is not the cure for any ills it has. Feel free to make a homemade signs. I will have signs and shirts there for you to wear and wave.

Ill see you there.

Social Security is not a "Disgrace"

2008-07-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

Let show the public how much we care about social security. We will rally on Thursday July 24th at the Social Security office in Portland 1538 SW YAMHILL ST, from 3 - 5pm. The purpose is to bring attention to Sen McCain's comments on social security and to his plan to privatize social security.

Please pass the word around to your friends family and groups. Feel free to make a home made sign and wear your Alliance T shirt. If you need a shirt or a ride, let me know because I can get more and I will be organizing car pools.

Feel free to contact me agonzoman00@gmail.com or by phone (310) 528-7973.

VICTORY!

2008-07-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

I know its a little late but I have been busy.

This week the President suffered his first Veto over ride over the issue of protecting Medicare and senior health care. The president once again sided with the insurance companies and the congress stepped up and voted to protect Medicare and Medicare recipients.

Pat yourselves on the back for all the phone calls and hard work you did in making this happen.

Social Security is officially a Campaign issue

2008-07-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

Social security is now an official issue of the 2008 presidential campaign. There were concerns that Sen. McCain's statements about social security as a "disgrace" would go unnoticed but they are still in the news this week. See the LA Times article here:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-na-mccainsocial14-2008jul14,0,3736788.story

This is about Social Security Privatization.

The problem is that there are some who are trying to make Social Security Privatization a legitimate issue. Keep up the letters to the editor and call your representatives and let everyone know that Social Security Privatization equals the end of Social Security.

Sen. McCain, Social Security, and Disgrace

2008-07-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

As many of you may have heard, Sen. John McCain, during a town hall forum, described Social Security as a "disgrace." You can see the entirety of his comments here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCOtRAJef9Q

You can also see an analysis from Talking Points Memo on Sen. McCain's comments and his past remarks on Social Security here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3RnHR9Dxmo&NR=1

What this comment gets to the heart of is Social Security Privatization. What he called the "disgrace" of social security was the way in which it is financed. The same way it has been financed, for over 70 years, is that current workers pay for the benefits of current retirees. Sen. McCain gave us no solutions at the town hall, like the woman asked for in her question, but talks about sitting at a table together with Democrats to fix it, like President Ronald Regan and Tip O'Neill did.

What is left is what Sen. McCain has advocated for in the past, voluntary private investment accounts much like President bush has proposed. All this does is steal money away from Social Security and puts it into the hand of Wall Street brokers. If anyone has been watching, investing money in the stock market recently has not been a smart financial decision. If that plan had gone into effect back in 2000, retirees would see less in their accounts today than what they put in.

The true disgrace is that for the last 7 years the president and the congress have been borrowing from the Social Security Trust Fund and the Lock Box to pay for war, tax cuts for the rich, and Medicare Advantage insurance companies. All they have managed to stick into the Trust Fund Lock Box is a stack of IOU's.

See Rep. DeFazio give a speech back in 2001 on the issues here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ErdU8Ck8g

We can continue to finance Social Security in the same way its always been done, for an eternity, if we stop stealing from Social Security (money meant to keep seniors out of poverty) to pay for tax cuts for the rich, corporate give aways and war.

We are apparently not doing a good enough job in letting the government know just how important Social Security is to us. Please write letters to the editor, call into radio talk shows, write the candidates, and tell your friends about this important issue.

Be prepared for some action in the next week or so on this issue.

Medicare Bill Moves on to the President

2008-07-10T16:31:00.001-07:00

After a long fight HR 6331 came to a vote yesterday and passed the senate with a vote of 69 - 30. Senator Kennedy Triumphantly returned to the senate casting a yea vote along with 18 Republicans. That is Nine more than had previously supported the bill. The only absent vote again was Senator McCain who was out on the campaign trail calling Social Security a "Disgrace" More on that later.

You can see the complete roll call vote here:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00169

In the past the President has promised a Veto. Its hard to tell whether or not the president will follow through with enough votes to override the veto.

Still Senator McCain does not see it fit to show up and vote on senior health. We must do more to encourage Sen. McCain to support senior health and senior issues. I encourage you to go to his web sight and let your opinions be heard.

Medicare Bill Update

2008-07-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

When it looked like all was lost following the defeat of HR 6331 last week the bill has new hope. It looks like the key vote here will be Republican Sen Arlan Spector. He had supported S. 3101 but after some last minute lobbying by the white house changed his vote on HR. 6331. Well since his vote he has been trying to explain himself to the powerful doctors lobby who have supported him and Republicans in the past. This news has prompted Sen Majority Leader Harry Reid to call for another vote when the senate return from the July 4th break.

Keep your fingers crossed on this one. Its gonna be a squeaker.

Activist Training Day

2008-07-03T13:27:00.001-07:00

I have been talking about an activist training day for a while now but now I have a venue.

The Activist training will be held on Monday August 18th from 9am - 4pm and SEIU Portland 6401 SE Foster. Coffee and dough nuts for breakfast and a Lunch will be served for free.

The focus for the training is train volunteers to go out into their local community, clubs, organizations, town halls and city council's to spread the message of the ORARA and to help grow the organization. No one knows your neighborhood better than you, so who better to go out and organize.

If you want more information or to RSVP for a seat you can email me at agonzoman00@gmail.com or call (310) 528-7973.

I hope to see you all there.

Membership takes action of Initiatives

2008-07-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

At last Thursdays ORARA Membership Meeting at the Westmoreland Union Manner, the membership took action on a few of the ballot initiatives that are likely for the November election.

The membership voted to oppose IRR# 3, 25, 40, 51, & 53.

The membership voted to support IRR# 407 & 408

More information on these initiatives can be found on my June 23rd blog entry.

The membership meetings are held every 4th Thursday of the month at the Westmoreland Union Manner unless otherwise stated.

Medicare Vote Comes Up Short Again

2008-06-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Senate voted on HR 6331, which was the house version of S 3101. The bill came one vote short of cloture at 58 - 40. Harry Reid once again vote Nay to preserve the right to bring it back up for a vote later. This time both Senators Obama and Clinton showed up to vote Yea on the resolution. Both Oregon Senators voted Yea on the measure. The only other person missing from the vote was Senator Kennedy who had a doctors note due to brain surgery.

Senator McCain was once again unable to show up to vote for senior health care. We need to do more to let Senator McCain know how important this issue is to us. The least he can do as a senator is to show up and vote. I encourage you to go to Senator McCain's website and tell him to show up and vote Yea on the bill. http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/

For the vote details you can go here.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00160

Medicare Gets Anouther Chance

2008-06-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday S. 3101 failed to get through a filibuster in order to receive a vote. So the House took up the cause yesterday and passed HR. 6331. I had an opportunity to speak with the labor liaison for Rep. Wu, and expressed our need for a progressive bill. The House essentially passed the same bill as the senates bill only with less swipes at Medicare advantage.

The Senate is also looking at a doc fix only bill that will only restore payments to doctors but the Alliance does not support that initiative.

Both Oregon Senators voted in favor of S. 3101 but lets not take any chances and let our Senators know we want this bill to pass.

OSCRC Supports and Opposes Likely Ballot Measure

2008-06-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

On Friday I attended a meeting of the Oregon State Council for Retired Citizens. There they discussed many issues having to do with seniors and persons with disabilities. They also voted to support and oppose some of the 16 likely ballot initiatives for the November election.

These are the current numbers for the bills that the OSCRC took action on and I will update them when they change following official qualification to the ballot.

IRR# 3 Creates an unlimited deduction for federal income taxes on individual taxpayers' Oregon income-tax returns.

Board opinon OPPOSE

This bill would unevenly benefit the wealthiest of Oregon Taxpayer to the tune of $15, 048 vs $1 for middle income tax payers. This would drain $1.2 billion from the 2009-2011 budget and $2.2 billion from the 2011-2013 budgets. This would to major cuts in all services in the state. Steve Novik wrote an op-ed article for the Oregonian on Thursday expressing his opposition as well.

IRR# 25 Penalizes person, entity for using funds collected with public resources for political purposes.

Board opinon OPPOSE

This bill is apart of Bill Sizemore's personal crusade against public service employees unions. This would prevent public employee unions from using dues for political purposes. They have used these dues to fight protect the public from the other noxious Sizemore initiatives in the past and he is looking for pay back.

IRR# 40 Creates mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain theft, identity theft, forgery, drug, and burglary offenses.

Board opinion OPPOSE

Mandatory minimums will cost massive ammounts of new dollars spent on prisons and do little to improve public safety. It would once again steel money from other services because it is an unfunded mandate. What generally happens in these cases since there is no extra money to spend on prisons, violent offenders are released early so that the mandatory minimum offeses can serve their terms.

IRR# 51 Limits amount of contingent fees that lawyers may charge clients for representation in civil cases
IRR# 53 Court must sanction, under special circumstances, attorneys who file frivolous pleadings or motions in lawsuits

Board opinion OPPOSE

What both of these bills are designed to do is limit the recourse that consumers and the public have legally against corporations. By limiting fees and threatening sanctions it scares or prevents some lawyers who can take cases for the public and consumers who have been injured or wronged by corporations.

IRR# 78 Amends Constitution: Requires 3/4th approval by legislature before it can declare emergency advancing law's effective date

Board opinion OPPOSE

Legislation generally has a 90 day waiting period before taking effect but an emergency clause in the legislation ignores the waiting period and puts the law into immediate affect. By requiring a super majority the bill would seriously slow down the process for things that needs immediate or emergency action.

IRR# 131 Modifies certain criminal sentencing laws; repeals medical marijuana act, replaces with subsidized cannabinoids prescription program.

Board Opinion OPPOSE

This initiative would end the voter approved Medical Marijuana laws and replace it for a government subsidized drug prescription program to the benefit of drug manufacturers. Seniors and persons with disabilities use Marijuana, like any other medication, for a variety of purposes.

IRR# 407 Amends constitution: Provides that May and November property tax elections are decided by a majority of voters.

Board opinion SUPPORT

Super majority passage of bond initiatives have caused most of them to fail leading to a tyranny of the minority. Local bonds are one of the best ways to finance public sector services such as public safety, education, and infrastructure projects. This bill would make it a vote of 50% +1 to get approval and help local municipalities to get the projects they need done.

IRR# 408 Increases sentences for drug trafficking, theft against elderly and specific repeat property and identity theft crimes; Requires addiction treatment for certain offenders.

Board opinion SUPPORT

"Unlike Mannix's one size fits all mandatory minimums, Ref. 408 targets increased prison time to large scale drug dealers and repeat property offenders. Includes drug treatment in sentencing of persons in custody and who are at risk of reoffending." OurOregon

This is only some of the Initiative likely for approval. The OSCRC only took action on the ones that would affect seniors and persons with disabilities.

Big Week

2008-06-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have had a big week and I apologize for my lack of posts.

Last month I attended and briefly spoke at the IAM local 1005 meeting. Joan Miller, IAM rep to the ORARA board, secured us a speaking position at the next Eboard meeting. Ron Rogers, Treasurer of ORARA, and I went a presented affiliation papers to the group. The Board approved and sent it to the membership for a vote. On Saturday the membership unanimously approved affiliation to the ORARA. I am very excited to add this affiliate to the ORARA. It is my first and the ORARA's first in two years.

After news of the affiliation reached the rest of the board, information on other affiliates started flying in from them. Its looking to be a great organizing summer for the ORARA, giving us an even bigger voice for our issues headed into November.

Contact the Candidates

2008-06-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

S. 3101 is still in limbo and if opponents to Medicare are allowed to run out the clock on this bill come July 1st, some seniors will find themselves without a doctor.

Neither Senators John McCain or Barack Obama showed up on Thursday June 12th to vote. You can go http://my.barackobama.com and to http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/ to let them know that you want action on this bill now. We cannot wait for January 09 on this bill.

Medicare Bill Fails to Get Enough Senatorial Support

2008-06-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, S. 3101 failed to receive the 60 votes needed for cloture with a 54-39 vote. What this means that as of July 1, doctors who treat Medicare patients will get a 10% cut in reimbursements from Medicare. Some doctors will undoubtedly drop some of their Medicare patients. This is not the first time their have been cuts and according to the Medicare Modernization act not the last.

All information including the text of the bill can be found here:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN3101:

Here are some of the notable votes.

Yea- Oregon Senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden

Nay- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from Nevada

Not Voting- Senator Hillary Clinton and Presidential Candidates Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain.

A complete voting list can be found here:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00149

I am truly surprised that none of the major presidential contenders bothered to show up and vote for senior and retiree health. It is a true representation of where the issue of Medicare fits into their agenda. What this tells us is that we must do more to let these candidates know how important this issue is to us. Our Issues must be their issues. Pandering is not enough and we must demand more.

Please call, write, email and show up to public forums and let Senators Barack Obama and John McCain know just how disappointed you are in their performance.

Support for S3101 Grows

2008-06-11T13:40:00.001-07:00

Support for S. 3101 AKA Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 has growing support.

Supporters now include:
American Academy of Opthalmology http://capwiz.com/aao/issues/alert/?alertid=11468561
American Medical Association http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/12842.html
American College of Physicians http://www.acponline.org/pressroom/3101.htm
National Association of Chain Drug Stores http://www.prweb.com/releases/Pharmacy_Reimbursement/Medicare_AMP/prweb1010954.htm
And
Zix Corporation http://www.stockhouse.com/News/USReleasesDetail.aspx?n=6931228

Keep up with the phone calls and emails. Its working.

Medicare doc fix (S. 3101) update. Sen Smith is a YES

2008-06-11T04:18:00.000-07:00

Not long after my last post I got my email edition of Medicare watch. Here is what they say on the state of the doc fix bill.

"S. 3101 is cosponsored by Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Finance Committee and Democrat of Montana, together with Senator John Rockefeller, Democrat of West Virginia; Senator Olympia Snowe, Republican of Maine; and Senator Gordon Smith, Republican of Iowa. But Democrats will need Republican support to get the 60 votes needed to overcome procedural hurdles and bring the bill to a vote.

Senate Republicans are crafting a competing Medicare package that does not include many of the improvements for people with Medicare. The improvements in the Democratic bill will cost about $4.5 billion over the next five years. The Bush administration has also threatened to veto S. 3101 if it includes any provisions that would limit the ability of insurance companies to market Medicare private health plans without establishing an adequate network of providers.

Both bills would avert a scheduled cut to Medicare reimbursement for doctors and substitute a small increase. "(MEDICARE WATCH, a biweekly electronic newsletter of the Medicare Rights Center Vol. 11, No. 12: June 10, 2008)

So Sen Smith is on board even though he was referred to as a Senator from Iowa. We still need him to do more to turn members of the Republican Caucus. A yes vote in the face of a veto does us no good. Keep up the calls for more action from Sen Smith.

Medicare doc fix Action needed now

2008-06-11T03:56:00.001-07:00

The Medicare doc fix bill will be voted on perhaps this week. If you have not yet please call you congressional reps and let them know that you want them to support the Sen. Baucus Bill. It provides for more than just help for doctors but also for recipients. This may be the last major vote on health care before the summer recess. Lets make it a good one.

Unionfacts.com ballot initiative

2008-06-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is more on the Unionfacts.com story. Bill Sizemore has gotten his anti union ballot initiative qualified for the November Ballot.

The Oregonian reports in todays paper,

"The other Sizemore initiative would prohibit the use of money for a "political purpose" if it was collected with a "public resource" such as the work time of public employees. The measure is part of Sizemore's continuing campaign against the state's public employees unions." The Oregonian, June 8 2008 "Anti-crime and property tax issues will be decided by voters" Edward Walsh.

So be on the look out for more Unionfacts.com commercials. Be ready to combat them with the real facts.

Medicare Update

2008-06-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

I have been tardy with the updates. In case you do not get the ARA Friday alerts here is an update to the Medicare Doc Fix bill.

According to the Associated Press, the Bush administration is
threatening to veto any legislation that protects doctors'
Medicare payments at the expense of private insurers. Beginning
on July 1, reimbursement rates for doctors will drop 10.6% when
they treat older and disabled patients participating in
Medicare. To keep that from happening, lawmakers are looking at
finding at least $9 billion in savings from other Medicare
programs over the next five years. Medicare Advantage private
insurers are at the top of the list for Democrats and some
Republicans to cut, since they receive generous government
subsidies to serve their 9.5 million beneficiaries. The veto
threat came in a May 22 letter to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA)
that was circulated Thursday on Capitol Hill. Sen. Max Baucus
(D-MT) is overseeing the crafting of Medicare legislation on the
Senate side. His spokeswoman noted that while the senator was
aware of the administration's concerns, the government pays
about 13% more for patients in Medicare Advantage than for
comparable patients in traditional Medicare. "The Bush
Administration is putting the interests of private insurers
before those of seniors," said Ruben Burks, Secretary-Treasurer
of the Alliance. "Medicare beneficiaries need the doctor payment
issue to be resolved quickly, and veto threats that protect
corporate interests don't move the ball forward."

Month of May Wrap Up

2008-05-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

To close out the month of May I wanted to report on what I have accomplished in the last month and whats on tap for the next.

During our Eboard meeting we discussed and set a date for an Activists Training on August 18th. The focus of the training is to become a local community organizer to assist in building the Oregon ARA. More information to follow when I have training materials.

I attended meeting of three affiliates this month. Joint Council Teamsters Retirees president Bill Shatava invited me to speak to their group and I addressed over 50 members. We had an interesting conversation on the future of Medicare and some were inspired to call Sen Smith and demand action on the "Doc Fix Bill."

I attended a meeting of the Machinists Local 1005 and spoke briefly to introduce myself to the group and spoke afterwards with a member of the group about future joint activity. I also secured a chance to speak at a future meeting.

I spoke with the ROSE retirees of OSEA and we discussed the future of Medicare and the "Doc Fix Bill." I got one interested in our activist training day in August.

If you missed the membership meeting this month we had a good presentation on senior housing and senior friendly cities. I discussed Unionfacts.com and the doc fix bill. I got more interested in the activist training day.

In the month of June I will be speaking with SEIU, and Carpenter Retirees. I will also be beginning live online town hall meetings via web cam. Ill update when the logistics are in place.

The Facts on UnionFacts.com

2008-05-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Many of you may have been seeing anti-union commercials put out by a group called The Center for Union facts. The campaign is being funded to the tune of $8 million by the US Chamber of Commerce with other anti-union groups joining in. These commercials have been seen in other states and have proceeded or accompanied “right to work” campaigns. As reported by The Center for Union Facts website “Oregon is not a Right to Work state” and that a “Right to Work” initiative has been filed by Bill Sizemore and Timothy Trickey for the November 2008 ballot.

I generally don’t make it a practice of attacking the messenger in lieu of the message but in this case I’ll make an exception. The Center for Union Facts is led by Richard Berman. In addition to Union Facts Berman has fronted the Center for Consumer Freedom which attacked Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the US Center for Disease Control on behalf of the alcohol, fast food, and tobacco lobbies. Berman’s American Beverage Institute fights laws designed to toughen drinking and driving laws. The Employment Institute fights minimum wage increases and Fishscam.com encourages pregnant women to disregard mercury guidelines and eat more tuna.

As for the message, anything I say here will only be preaching to the choir but if you are interested in more information you can go to aflcio.org, consumerdeception.com, sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Center_for_Union_Facts, epi.org/content.cfm/datazone_rtw_index, and you can watch Sen. Edward Kennedy rip apart a Union Facts advertisement on YouYube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcJ5lKq3GY0.

With potentially another right to work for less fight on the horizon be on the look out for more of these ads and commercials and be prepared with facts to fight back.

Action Needed This Week on Medicare Doc Fix Bill

2008-05-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

Medicare is the subject of debate on the floor of the senate this month with a time sensitive piece of legislation. The debate is over what is being called the “Doctors Fix Bill”.

A Part of the Medicare Modernization Act is scheduled reductions of reimbursements to doctors for their treatment of Medicare patients. As a result, some doctors are choosing to drop their Medicare patients or refuse to take on additional patients. The purpose of the reductions is to entice recipients to opt into the Medicare Advantage plans which should cover the difference. Unfortunately, many of the recipients can not afford to participate in Advantage leaving these patients without a primary care giver and without care.

Currently the debate on the floor is focused on continuing and increasing the reimbursements to doctors. An 18 month temporary extension of the current level of reimbursements is the proposed and a likely out come of the legislation. The Alliance for Retired Americans is taking the position that the legislation is inadequate. The Senate Medicare bill must help beneficiaries in need, not just providers.

Some items the Alliance would like to see added or addressed in the bill include:

·The price of increased reimbursements to physicians will be passed onto recipients making Medicare less affordable. More assistance needs to be provided for low to moderate income recipients to aid in the new costs.

Programs designed to improve the lives of poor Medicare beneficiaries [including the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) and the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs)], are broken and must be fixed.

The Senate bill should simplify and align Medicare low-income assistance programs, bring outdated asset limits in line with today’s cost of living, and improve outreach and participation for those currently eligible.

A Call to Action

The senate bill is in trouble even though the influential physicians lobby is behind the bill. President Bush has promised to veto any legislation that calls for changes away from those made by the Medicare Modernization Act. As it stands today, the senate is split along party lines making it vulnerable to the veto threat.

Oregon Senator Gordon Smith is one of those 49 currently in opposition to the bill. In the past, Senator Smith has tried to prove his independent and moderate credentials during election season. As recent polling suggests he faces a tight race for re-election this year. He once again may be in a position to listen to the concerns of seniors and those in need of healthcare.

So what can you do?

You can call or write Senators Smith and Wyden’s offices and ask them to support the “Doctors Fix Bill” and the added requests of the Alliance for Retired Americans. It is said that for every person who takes the time to call their representative, there are 25 others who feel the same way.

You can write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper. The editorial section is one of the most widely read sections of the paper and a great way to inform the readers about the issues that you care about.

You can inform your friends, family, social clubs of the issues and ask them to act as well.