CAREGIVERS USA NEWS

Vol. I, No. 1
November 4, 2002

MEDICARE CRISIS WORSENS; CONGRESS ADJOURNS
Medicare payments to doctors and home health care agencies will be cut Jan. 1 unless Congress acts in a lame duck session or the Bush Administration finds a way around the problem. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson insists that his department does not have the statutory authority to reverse the changes, putting the issue back in Congress' lap. The cuts stem from a formula adopted by Congress in 1997. The cuts are likely to prompt further cutbacks in home health care services and many doctors are vowing they will no longer treat Medicare patients.
atsh.org/news/med_crisis.html

ANOTHER SHOE DROPS: MEDICARE HMOs RAISE RATES
Both Medicare HMO members and the companies that underwrite their plans are calling on Congress for relief. Insurance companies are imposing major increases in out-of-pocket costs next year. In Miami, for example, Humana members will pay $200 per day for the first five days of a hospital stay, compared to no charge for in-plan hospitals this year. Meanwhile, the insurance companies say Medicare must provide more money for HMOs, which are paid a lump sum for each senior member.

"THOU SHALT HONOR" FOUNDATION FORMED
The producers of "And Thou Shalt Honor," the landmark Program Pick of the Month PBS documentary released last month have formed a foundation to support family caregivers efforts through advocacy, public education and multimedia communications, including a 25-city series of Town Hall meetings on chronic care issues. "The threadbare and incoherent nature of our chronic care system is a tragedy of titanic proportions. It completely defies logic and must be remedied before the rapidly aging Baby Boom cohort reaches old age," Bell and Wiland said.
http://atsh.org/newsltr/20021104.html

VOLUME I, NO. 1
This is the first issue of Caregivers USA News, a weekly newsletter for family caregivers and the organizations that support them. It is published by the Thou Shalt Honor Foundation. Initial circulation is about 40,000, including organizations listed in the Caregivers-USA.org database and leaders in the caregiving and chronic care fields. The editors welcome your comments and suggestions as well as news about your organization.
atsh.org/about/contact_us.html

BANISHED FROM EDEN? NURSING HOMES RESPOND
Eden Alternative founder Bill Thomas' vow to "bury" the nursing home during the broadcast of "And Thou Shalt Honor" has been drawing spirited responses from many nursing professionals and nursing home administrators. What do you think? The topic is open for discussion in the Professionals Forum on our Web site.
www.thoushalthonor.org/phorum/list.php?f=5

Those who missed the broadcast can find a synopsis of Dr. Thomas' views on our PBS Web site.
www.pbs.org/thoushalthonor/eden/index.html

BOOKS AND TAPES
If you missed the broadcast or want to share it with friends and associates, the full two-hour "And Thou Shalt Honor" broadcast is available on VHS for $29.95 on our Web site. The companion book is also available. A DVD with additional material will be available in time for holiday giving.
www.atsh.org/books/

ONE IN FIVE WITHOUT DRUG COVERAGE
A study by Tufts-New England Medical Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation finds nearly one in five California seniors (18%) were without drug coverage in 2001. Roughly the same share said they did not fill a prescription or skipped doses to make their medications last longer, with higher rates reported among seniors in poor health and those without drug coverage.
www.kff.org/content/2002/6058/

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Caregivers USA news is published by the Thou Shalt Honor Foundation. The editor is James R. Hood, who can be reached at jhood@oaktonpress.com

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Copyright © 2002, Thou Shalt Honor Foundation