Today, NBC reported on a story about hospitalized seniors pushed into nursing home care who are never "admitted" and rack up thousand of dollars in fees that Medicare won't cover. Unbeknownst to patients and their families, hospital officials place patients in an observation status instead of admitting them as an in-patient. As a result, the time spent in the hospital is not … [Read more...]
#AARP recommends sensible solutions to strengthen Medicare
Last week AARP representatives from all 50 states visited Capitol Hill to express opposition to the President’s proposed "Chained CPI" Social Security benefit cuts and to support responsible solutions to strengthen Medicare. The AARP representatives urged Senators, Members of Congress and their staff, to back specific proposals that would strengthen Medicare for future … [Read more...]
Rep. Ryan meets President at White House. Are Medicare cuts coming?
When the sequester hit the federal budget seven days ago, the budget hawk on the right, Rep. Paul Ryan, started re-floating his 2012 budget plan as the solution. Opponents of the GOP budget will recall that Ryan is in favor of raising the age for Medicare eligibility and privatizing the health care program. The White House is doing its part to fix the budget crisis by … [Read more...]
How will Immigration Reform Impact the Future of Medicare? (video)
Have you stopped to consider how U.S. immigration laws might impact the future viability of the Medicare and Social Security programs? Robert Reich did. His latest video editorial on how the Baby Boomer generation is bankrupting Medicare and Social Security is thought provoking and timely. Immigration reform is already on the national agenda, but we’ve been focusing on … [Read more...]
Will Privatizing Medicare Work? A Few Clues from Part D Plans May Tell.
The Medicare prescription drug program, better known as "Part D," was the first step towards privatizing Medicare. By all accounts it is successful and should be a model for overall Medicare reform. It gives seniors a choice and it relies on private competition to keep costs under control. By all measures it is coming in well below expected costs. Depending on the outcome … [Read more...]