CAREGIVERS USA NEWS
Vol. I, No. 37
July 21, 2003
AGING GROUPS TO CONGRESS: GET REAL
The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, an umbrella group of more than 50 groups, has sent a wake-up call to the conference committee that's trying to reconcile the competing Medicare bills passed by the House and Senate. The basic message: Don't use the prescription drug benefit as an excuse to disassemble Medicare.
BOTH MEDICARE BILLS THREATEN UNIVERSALITY
Both pending bills do away with the time-honored principle that Medicare provides the same benefits to all, regardless of income or place or residence, critics say. Robert D. Reischauer, who directed the Congressional Budget Office from 1989 to 1995, warns, "If either the Senate or House bill is enacted, the ideal of universality will be history." Critics are also concerned that the measures threaten the drug benefits some retirees now receive from their former employers.
A GUIDE TO THE MEDICARE BILLS
Head swimming? The Kaiser Family Foundation is offering a couple of documents, complete with chart packs, that will help you unravel the competing House and Senate Medicare bills.
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ONE LAST TIME -- THE NEWSLETTER SPECIAL
This is the last week for our special sale
of two exciting and inspirational titles from the Caregivers
Resource Library. Many of you have
told us you had trouble with our PayPal online ordering system so
we have added instructions on how to pay by check.
Get "Spiritual Caregiving" and "The Aging Game" for less than the
regular price of the "Aging Game" alone. The overwhelming response
to this special offer -- for readers of this newsletter only -- has
been extremely gratifying and we are happy to extend it so no one
misses out.
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KANSAS CITY'S KCPT TO AIR FIRST CAREGIVING TOWN HALL
The first And Thou Shalt Honor Town Hall Meeting on Caregiving will be videotaped Tuesday, August 26 between 9AM and 12:30PM in Kansas City. A one-hour version will be aired on September 25 at 8PM. Nick Haines, Executive Producer at KCPT for News and Public Affairs, will be the Moderator of the program. The opening sequence will be videotaped
at the Harry Truman Presidential Library in Independence because President Truman was the first president to call for a national healthcare policy for the United States.
UNINSURED PAY MORE FOR DRUGS
Uninsured consumers in the Washington, D.C. area are charged 80 percent more for 10 common prescription drugs than the best available market prices, according to a survey by U.S. PIRG. The survey found that, nationally, uninsured consumers were charged 72 percent more on average for 10 common prescription medications than the federal government.
HUGE DISPARITIES FOUND IN MEDIGAP RATES
Despite standardized benefits for Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap), consumers continue to face significant disparities among Medigap premium rates for identical plans, according to Weiss Ratings, Inc. Weiss found that premium rates continue to vary dramatically among all Medigap plans, from a minimum of $352 for Plan A to a maximum of $6,659 for Plan J, revealing a 1,792 percent leap in premiums between the lowest- and highest-cost plans.
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ACTION REQUIRED
Action! That's what is needed to remedy some of the stubborn problems consumers write to us about -- rebate scams, $35 6-minute phone calls, home improvement scams. Our new not-for-profit consumer advocacy organization -- ConsumerAffairs.org -- will be organizing consumers to demand change and lobbying Congress and the regulatory agencies to get new laws and regulations. But it won't work without you. Join now and get 18 months for the price of 12.
Reduced membership rates for disabled, retired, unemployed and fulltime students.
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GAO: SERIOUS NURSING HOME PROBLEMS PERSIST
A GAO study confirms there is a rampant epidemic of abuse and neglect in our nation's nursing homes, said Donna Lenhoff, Executive Director of the National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR), in Senate testimony last week. "Oversight must be significantly improved and the enforcement system strengthened," Lenhoff said.
CALIFORNIA NURSING HOMES IN TROUBLE
An assessment of the financial performance of the skilled nursing industry in California finds that revenue sources are being squeezed, costs are rising, and the quality of care is under scrutiny. While Medi-Cal accounts for more than half of all facility revenues, the state budget deficit has earmarked significant cuts to nursing facilities. The assessment was prepared by the California HealthCare Foundation and is available online.
In addition, the California Nursing Home Search Web site, a free service for California seniors, caregivers, family members, providers and consumers provides comprehensive information about the quality of nursing and intermediate care facilities in the state.
NY TO REQUIRE BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR HEALTH AIDES
New York will require nursing home aides, home health aides and personal care aides to undergo FBI criminal background checks before they can work in nursing homes in the state. Convicted killers, rapists, kidnappers and arsonists will be banned for life from working in nursing home and home health care jobs.
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