Back in the 1960s, Claude Castonguay chaired a Canadian government committee  
studying health reform and recommended that his home province of Quebec — 
then  the largest and most affluent in the country — adopt 
government-administered  health care, covering all citizens through tax levies. 
 
The government followed his advice, leading to his modern-day moniker: "the  
father of Quebec medicare." Even this title seems modest; Castonguay's work  
triggered a domino effect across the country, until eventually his ideas were  
implemented from coast to coast.  
Four decades later, as the chairman of a government committee reviewing  
Quebec health care this year, Castonguay concluded that the system is in  
"crisis." 
"We thought we could resolve the system's problems by rationing services or  
injecting massive amounts of new money into it," says Castonguay. But now he  
prescribes a radical overhaul: "We are proposing to give a greater role to the 
 private sector so that people can exercise freedom of choice." 
_Canadian-Health-Care_ 
(http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299282509335931) 
 
Einstein once said The height of insanity is doing  the same thing over and 
over again and expecting different results. 
 
Both the Canadian and the British national health care systems are  literally 
medical disasters--and also monetary black holes.
Plus they are losing all of their finest doctors who don't want to  work for 
peanuts.
Those who can afford it, seek medical care out of  country.
 
The US life expectancy just increased to 78 years; Canada's fell to  75 years 
and Britain's to 73 years.
Does this not tell you that we are doing something  right?

 
 
In a message dated 6/27/2008 9:35:17 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:

 
 Bad news for persons with  disabilities and elderly.
 
In July 1, doctors will get a 10 percent payment cut, a disaster for  both 
patients and doctors that the bill would have averted. None of the  senators' 
excuses for this vote hold  water:

The bill was a partisan exercise. Not so. The bill passed 355 to 59, a  
veto-proof majority, in the House of Representatives. More Republicans voted  
for 
HR. 6331 than against  it.             
President Bush would have vetoed it anyway. So what? If enough Republican  
senators put the interests of people with Medicare ahead of their loyalty to  
President Bush, there would have been enough votes to override a veto in the  
Senate.   

Senators will be back home attending fundraisers and marching in  
Independence Day parades. We need to tell them to show a little more  
independence from 
President Bush and a little more backbone to the insurance  company lobbyists. 
Medicare belongs to the American people. It is not a racket  for the insurance 
 industry. 





Asclepios
Your Weekly Medicare Consumer Advocacy Update


Medicare  Racketeers

June 27, 2008; Volume 8, Issue  26

The Medicare  bill defeated in the Senate last night would have improved 
coverage for mental  health and preventive services and helped pay medical and 
drug costs for more  people with Medicare living on fixed incomes. The Bush 
administration objected  to these improvements, which were paid for with a 
modest 
cut to some of the  excessive subsidies Medicare pays to insurance companies. 
Administration  officials opposed this reduction in subsidies, they claim, 
because it would  result in reduced benefits for people with Medicare enrolled 
in 
private health  plans offered by these companies. 

Translation: No one gets better Medicare benefits unless our pals in the  
insurance industry get a cut off the top.

It's as if the Medicare program had been taken over by Mafia  goons.

Numerous independent, nonpartisan  studies have shown it cost taxpayers 
substantially more—about $1,000 a head,  according to one study—to provide 
coverage through a Medicare private health  plan instead of through Original 
Medicare.

Just this week, the Government Accountability Office reported that, in  2005, 
insurance companies pocketed as profit $1.14 billion in subsidies that  the 
companies had told Medicare would go toward medical benefits. 

Last night, 39 Republican senators joined President  Bush in opposing HR. 
6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and  Providers Act. As a result, 
the 
benefit improvements in HR. 6331 will not take  effect, and on July 1, 
doctors will get a 10 percent payment cut, a disaster  for both patients and 
doctors 
that the bill would have averted. None of the  senators' excuses for this 
vote hold water:

The bill was a partisan  exercise. Not so. The bill passed 355 to 59, a 
veto-proof majority, in the  House of Representatives. More Republicans voted 
for 
HR. 6331 than against  it.            
President Bush would have  vetoed it anyway. So what? If enough Republican 
senators put the interests of  people with Medicare ahead of their loyalty to 
President Bush, there would  have been enough votes to override a veto in the 
Senate.  

Next week, these senators will  be back home attending fundraisers and 
marching in Independence Day parades.  We need to tell them to show a little 
more 
independence from President Bush  and a little more backbone to the insurance 
company lobbyists. Medicare  belongs to the American people. It is not a racket 
for the insurance industry.  


Medical Record   

Senate vote to invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed on HR.  6331 fell 
short of the 60 votes needed. Yea votes indicate support for passage  of HR. 
6331. 
No votes indicate opposition. Majority Leader Harry Reid,  Democrat of 
Nevada, voted No to preserve the right to bring the bill up for a  vote again 
(Roll 
Call vote on HR. 6331  
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=hhKWI5OFLdIPKcJ&s=qtJ3JcMJJbKWJ7MSF&m=guKSIaMVKkL2F&af=y),
  June 2008).

"On average, [Medicare  Advantage] organizations' self-reported actual profit 
margin was 5.1 percent  of total revenue, which is approximately $1.14 
billion more in profits in 2005  than [Medicare Advantage] organizations 
projected" 
("Medicare Advantage  Organizations: Actual Expenses and Profits Compared to 
Projections for 2005  
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=kkI2JePRKgLWImI&s=qtJ3JcMJJbKWJ7MSF&m=guKSIaMVKkL2F&af=y),"
  Government Accountability Office, June 
2008). 

"I am an elder advocate with an Area Agency on Aging. Even though several  
Medicare Advantage plans, including four PFFS plans, are listed as plans  
accepted in our county, that is actually not the case. Once a beneficiary  
enrolls 
in one of these Advantage plans, they find out that providers in this  county 
actually do not accept the plans. If the beneficiary cannot see a  provider in 
this county, they are forced to leave the county to find  providers. Some have 
to drive 50, 100 and 200 miles to see a provider, or get  their 
prescriptions, because there are no providers in our county who will  accept 
their plan. 
Many of these elderly people can't drive because they have  poor eyesight, 
dementia, etc. These elderly beneficiaries come to our Area  Agency on Aging to 
get 
out of these Medicare Advantage plans because the local  hospital and their 
doctors will not accept the plans" (Story submitted to the  Private Health Plan 
Monitoring Project  
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=ddJOKTNpE9KJK2L&s=qtJ3JcMJJbKWJ7MSF&m=guKSIaMVKkL2F&af=y)
  from Spencer, Iowa, Medicare Rights Center, 
April 2007). 

* * * *

Medicare Part D  Appeals Help for Advocates is here!             

MRC's new Medicare Part D Appeals: An  advocate's manual to navigating the 
Medicare private drug plan appeals process  offers an easy-to-understand, 
comprehensive overview of the entire appeals  process, including real-life case 
examples, a glossary of important appeals  terms, a sample protocol for 
advocates, 
and links to important  resources.

Download a FREE copy  
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=hrKWI1OELmIQK7J&s=qtJ3JcMJJbKWJ7MSF&m=guKSIaMVKkL2F&af=y)
  of this great resource.        

* * *  *

Medicare Part D Monitoring Project           
The Medicare Rights  Center (MRC) would like to hear about your experience, 
or that of someone you  know, enrolled in a Medicare private drug plan. With 
information about what  the issues are with Medicare Part D, we will be able to 
demand that those  problems be fixed.

Submit your story at  http://www.medicarerights.org/partdstories.html.  
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=kkI2JaPQKpLXIhI&s=qtJ3JcMJJbKWJ7MSF&m=guKSIaMVKkL2F
&af=y)  

* * * *

The Louder Our Voice, the  Stronger Our Message               

Asclepios —named for the Greek and Roman god of medicine  who, acclaimed for 
his healing abilities, was at one point the most worshipped  god in Greece—is 
a weekly e-newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date with  Medicare program 
and policy issues, and advance advocacy strategies to address  them. Please 
help build awareness of key Medicare consumer issues by  forwarding this action 
alert to your friends and encouraging them to subscribe  today  
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=ddJOKPNoEiKKKXL&s=qtJ3JcMJJbKWJ7MSF&m=guKSIaMVKkL2F&af=y).
   
 

* * * *         

The Medicare  Rights Center (MRC) is the largest independent source of 
Medicare information  and assistance in the United States. Founded in 1989, MRC 
helps older adults  and people with disabilities get good, affordable health 
care. 
    

Visit our online subscription form to sign up for  Asclepios at 
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