CAREGIVERS USA NEWS

Vol. I, No. 31
June 9, 2003

SENATE REACHES COMPROMISE ON MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT; BUSH URGES ACTION
Last month, it was said that May would be Medicare month. Now it looks as though June may be the month that Congress reaches agreement on adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare and, perhaps, passing other "reforms." Two influential senators have worked out a bipartisan compromise that would add a drug benefit for all seniors, both those in traditional Medicare and those in private plans. But President Bush continues to press for "encouraging" seniors who want drug coverage to opt for a private plan.

EDWARDS CALLS FOR DRUG PRICE CONTROLS
Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards (D-N.C.) last week outlined an extensive program to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, including a Justice Department investigation into the drug industry's pricing practices. It is time to decide "whether we put consumers or corporate interests first," Edwards said.

PhRMA READIES STRONG MEDICINE
The drug industry's trade association, PhRMA, is spending big bucks to inoculate the drug industry against harmful side effects of Congress' efforts to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. The association has budgeted $150 million for lobbying over the next year. It hopes to fight off drug price controls, keep the Food and Drug Administration under control -- and it even has designs on changing Canada's single-payer system.

A BITTER PILL
We reported last week that prescription errors for seniors were increasing, according to a recent study. It's hardly surprising, given the chaos that rules at many chain-store pharmacies. CVS, one of the fastest-growing chain pharmacies, is also far ahead in the number of complaints about serious errors in filling prescriptions filed with our affiliated site, ConsumerAffairs.Com.

----------advertisement----------
SPECIAL OFFER FOR OUR READERS -- TWO CAREGIVING TAPES FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF ONE!
For readers of this newsletter only, we are offering two of the most useful and inspiring tapes from the Caregivers Video Library -- "Spiritual Caregiving," normally $49.95 plus $5 shipping, and "The Aging Game," normally $125 plus $5 shipping. From now until June 15, get both tapes for $112.45 plus $5 shipping. This is less than the cost of "The Aging Game" -- two tapes for less than the price of one! You must follow this link -- atsh.org/books/news_special.html. The offer is not publicly displayed on our Website.
--------------------------------

WHITE HOUSE ENDORSES TOWN HALL SERIES
The Bush Administration has endorsed the Thou Shalt Honor Foundation's Town Hall Meeting series. "I commend this effort to honor and care for our frail elderly," said Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. In a recent letter, Towey noted that we are becoming "a Nation that has more parents to care for than children," and said that grass-roots initiatives "can lead to enhanced caregiving that will uphold human dignity in times of serious illness."

A PREMIUM ON PROFITS
Insurance company lobbyists have convinced a great many doctors, legislators and voters that lawsuits by injured victims of doctors' and hospitals' negligence are to blame for high malpractice insurance rates. How, then, to explain a recent study which finds that in 19 states that have placed caps on patients' damage awards, malpractice premiums have risen faster than in 32 states that have not restricted citizens' rights to their day in court?

----------advertisement----------
IN FULL BLOOM
The Caregivers-USA.org "Family Tree of Elder Caregiving" elevates community awareness of caregiving and caregiving service providers. Our expanded Web directory makes it easier for caregivers and families to find you! Advertised on our affiliated sites and through the Google AdWords program, more than 150,000 hits per day lead to Caregivers-USA.org. Proceeds help cover the cost of building, maintaining and advertising the database.
--------------------------------

WORKER PARTICIPATION STORIES SOUGHT
The Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute is gathering examples of effective worker participation to improve working conditions in long-term care. The data will be used for an issue brief for the Better Jobs/Better Care demonstration project. "We need stories illustrating how input from workers helped improve job quality or working conditions," a spokeswoman said. The target might be as local as changing a practice in one facility or agency (e.g., a workplace committee whose worker members decided to renovate the break room) or a global as advocating a federal policy that would affect thousands of workers (e.g., a visit from a home health aide to a key national legislator’s office that sparked the lawmaker’s interest in a pending bill).

If you have an example to share, please contact Elise Nakhnikian at elise@paraprofessional.org or 609-430-1881.

Q-RAY CLAIMS FALSE, FEDS CHARGES
The Federal Trade Commission has charged the marketers of a purported pain-relief product called the Q-Ray Ionized Bracelet with making false and unsubstantiated claims. The FTC charges that Q-Ray deceptively claimed that the Q-Ray Bracelet is a fast-acting effective treatment for various types of pain and that tests prove that the Q-Ray Bracelet relieves pain. In fact, according to the FTC, a recent study conducted by the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., shows that the Q-Ray Bracelet is no more effective than a placebo bracelet at relieving muscular and joint pain.