The attached may help clarify some questions on Healthcare/Medicare Reform. I
hope those of you that are eligable for AARP sign-up for their newsletters and
benefits.
Prayers and thoughts for you and yours,
Candy K.
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "FLAARP" <fla...@aarp.org>
To: cakal...@embarqmail.com
Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2009 5:14:22 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: The facts on Medicare benefits -- Would you gain or lose from health
reform?
Whopper of the Week: AARP lays out the myths and facts about health reform
There's a maze of misinformation out there on health reform. Because the stakes
are high, you need the facts. AARP Florida's "Whopper of the Week" details the
latest myth on health reforms, gives you the facts and helps you be heard on
this important issue.
To share your thoughts on health reform, pro or con, please call
1-866-AARP-449. To learn more about the issue, please go to www.aarp.org/fl .
To share your story of how our health system is affecting you, please go to
www.healthactionnow.org .
Now for this week's Whopper: Health reform means seniors' benefits will be cut
under Medicare.
Actually, health reform is critical to ensuring that the Medicare program will
be able to provide you benefits when you need them. Also, it's important to
realize that current proposals in Congress would increase important benefits
under Medicare.
First, your choice of doctor and hospital is protected under all three major
bills under discussion. (See what the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Politifact.com has
to say about opponents' claims that you'd lose your ability to choose your
health care .)
Second, the White House and major U.S. drug manufacturers have agreed that if
health reform is adopted, drugmakers will voluntarily cut in half the cost of
name-brand drugs provided for those who fall into the Medicare Part D "doughnut
hole" or coverage gap. Over time, the bills before Congress would close the
"doughnut hole" entirely. Read more from the nonpartisan National Committee To
Preserve Social Security and Medicare , or go to AARP's Doughnut Hole
Calculator to figure out when you might fall into the "doughnut hole" and how
you can choose less expensive generic drugs to lower your costs.
Third, both the Senate Finance Committee and House "Tri-Committee" plans
eliminate Medicare copayments and deductibles you currently pay for preventive
care services, such as cancer screenings. (See the respected Kaiser
Foundation's side-by-side analysis of all health-reform plans.)
Fourth, current versions of health reform legislation require your health
insurer to pay you back if they spend less than 85 percent of premium dollars
on the care of patients -- in other words, if their overhead and profit costs
exceed 15 percent.
When opponents of health reform talk about Medicare "cuts," here's what they
point to: Provisions now before Congress currently would reduce
taxpayer-financed subsidies paid to some private insurance companies to provide
care under the Medicare name. (Here's a Families USA study on these plans.)
These plans currently get paid extra to provide the same care as traditional
Medicare provides. That's a fact that health-reform opponents never mention.
Other legislative proposals target one of the areas of Medicare most prone to
abuse -- payments for medical equipment. Recently, an enterprising TV
journalist found that one of these companies had charged Medicare $1,200 for a
wheelchair -- but managed to buy the same kind of wheelchair from the same
company for $349. The bills also allow Medicare to negotiate for lower
prescription-drug prices, like the Veterans' Administration does now.
Targeted savings like these are very important. They make it possible to
protect Medicare's solvency over the long term. We all realize that Medicare
urgently needs help to remain strong. Suppose you're 65 today -- do you want
Medicare to be stable and capable of providing for your care when you are 75?
At AARP, we want to ensure Medicare remains strong for you and for future
generations.
As the health reform debate progresses, AARP Florida will do everything it can
to help you stay informed. Please visit our website, www.aarp.org/fl , often
for updates or call 1-866-AARP-449 to share your thoughts on health care.
This email was sent to you by AARP.
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