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Monday, December 28, 2009

Urge House Not to Limit Senior Citizens’ Choice to Spend Own Money to Ensure Access to Life-Saving Health Care

Senior citizens’ ability to use their own money, if they choose, to avoid involuntary denial of medical treatment under Medicare could be severely limited by a provision in the Reid health care bill.

Section 1175 of the health care bill passed by the House of Representatives November 7. The Senate is now debating and amending its own version of the bill (which unfortunately includes the same provision as its Section 1175), and once the Senate version is passed, the House will have to vote again, either on the Senate vesion or on a compromise between the two chamber's bills proposed by a conference committee. Section 1175 of the House bill would change current law, which now prevents the federal government from limiting the right of senior citizens voluntarily to add their own money of top of the government Medicare contribution so as to be able to obtain health insurance plans under the “Medicare Advantage” program that are less likely to deny treatment. Instead, Section 1175 would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in her unlimited discretion, to refuse to allow such plans to be offered to senior citizens.

Neither the House nor the Senate provision was in bills reported by the committees of either chamber; at the last minute, both were slipped into the versions sent to the floor for action.

The fundamental question is whether seniors will be prevented from using their own money, if they wish, to gain access to insurance that will not ration medical treatment. The significant cuts that the Senate and House health care bills make in Medicare increase the importance of protecting the right of older Americans, if they choose, to use their own money to save their own lives. It is critical to change Section 1175 of the House bill to keep this alternative available.

For additional information on this issue, and on other provisions in the House bill that threaten to ration lifesaving medical treatment, visit here.
 
( This alert appears on the NRLC web site)

Monday, December 14, 2009

Senator Kay Hagan's Abortion Stance Exposed by Her Voting Record


Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) has been our
U. S. Senator for less than a year and has a
100% pro-abortion voting record. 
The majority of U. S. citizens, including North Carolina citizens, oppose tax dollars being spent to pay for abortions. Senator Hagan is definitely out of step with her constituents since 3 of her 4 scored floor votes on abortion were to approve tax payer dollars for abortions.  Senator Hagan supports the current version of the Senate plan for the overhaul of Health Care and voted against the pro-life amendment which was considered in H.E.L.P. Committee to restrict the funding of abortion in the bill.  Senator Hagan was able to hide her abortion support from the people of North Carolina because the leadership in the North Carolina Senate would not allow any votes on abortion during her tenure as a State Senator.  Fortunately for us, we now have a record from which Senator Hagan cannot now hide. Unfortunately for the babies, she will be one of North Carolina's two U. S. Senators for the next five years.  

You can reach Senator Hagan to express your disapproval of her support for abortion here:

Website: hagan.senate.gov


Washington, D.C. Office:
521 Dirksen Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-3301
Phone: (202) 224-6342
Fax: (202) 228-2563

Greensboro Office:
701 Green Valley Road, Suite 201
Greensboro, North Carolina 27408
Phone: (336) 333-5311
Fax: (336) 333-5331

Raleigh Office:
310 New Bern Avenue, Suite 122
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
Phone: (919) 856-4630
Fax: (919) 856-4053




Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Reid Bill provision limits senior choice to spend

Senior citizens’ ability to use their own money, if they choose, to avoid involuntary denial of medical treatment under Medicare could be severely limited by a provision in the Reid health care bill.


Section 3209 of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) proposed health care bill, which the Senate is now debating and amending, would change current law, which now prevents the federal government from limiting the right of senior citizens voluntarily to add their own money of top of the government Medicare contribution so as to be able to obtain health insurance plans under the “Medicare Advantage” program that are less likely to deny treatment.

Instead, the Reid bill provision would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in her unlimited discretion, to refuse to allow such plans to be offered to senior citizens.

The provision duplicates the little-noticed section 1175 of the bill passed by the House of Representatives. Neither provision was in bills reported by the committees of either chamber; at the last minute, both were slipped into the versions sent to the floor for action.

The fundamental question is whether seniors will be prevented from using their own money, if they wish, to gain access to insurance that will not ration medical treatment. The significant cuts that the Senate and House health care bills make in Medicare increase the importance of protecting the right of older Americans, if they choose, to use their own money to save their own lives. It is critical to change Section 3209 of the Reid bill to keep this alternative available. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATORS TODAY !!

To phone your Senators (the approach most likely to be effective) or write them CLICK HERE.

For additional information on this issue, and on other provisions in the Senate bill that threaten to ration lifesaving medical treatment, visit:

http://www.nrlc.org/HealthCareRationing/ReidSubstitute.html .