CAREGIVERS USA NEWS

Vol. I, No. 21
March 31, 2003

12% MEDICARE PREMIUM INCREASE PREDICTED
Medicare's chief actuary predicts a 12.4% percent increase in the Medicare premium next year. That would increase an individual premium from $58.70 to $66.00. The increase is blamed on an unexpected surge in last year's Medicare spending, officials say. Despite the premium hike, payments to physicians would likely be reduced by 4.2 percent.

OPPOSITION TO MEDICAID CUTS GROWING
There was mounting opposition last week to House action cutting the Medicaid budget by $92 billion. More than 130 organizations wrote to Congress to oppose the action, and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who chairs the powerful Senate Finance Committee, wrote to the House Budget Committee chair objecting to the reductions, which he said would "place millions of vulnerable Americans who rely on Medicaid in jeopardy of losing their health coverage altogether."

NADER REPORT OPPOSES MEDICARE PRIVITIZATION
A new report from Public Citizen concludes that relying more heavily on private plans is not the approach to Medicare reform that is in the best interests of beneficiaries, nor is it what beneficiaries desire. Instead, the report recommends that the existing Medicare program be expanded to include prescription drug coverage. The report, "Medicare Privatization: Bad for Seniors and People with Disabilities," is available online (pdf file).

IT STILL PAYS TO SHOP AROUND
A study by New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs finds that seniors in the same neighborhoods often pay widely different prices for the same drugs. "Many consumers, especially seniors, do not have drug coverage and so the disparities found among neighborhoods in this survey are particularly troubling," said Consumer Affairs Commission Gretchen Dykstra.

TOWN HALL UPDATE
In the latest Town Hall Meeting update, Dale Bell reports on successes and partial successes in funding and scheduling the series of Town Hall meetings on caregiving.