House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman from California and Dina Titus from Nevada had shown once again their commitment to seniors when they introduced the Medicare Premium Fairness Act. This proposal would bar Medicare Part B rates from rising the 20%, which is allowed under the current law. The House passed this proposal [...]
According to healthcare supporters, Stark Laws intruded into medical practice and caused obstacles in managed care networks. President Clinton agreed and vetoed the regulations in 1995. Now we can fast-forward to the present. Starting October 1 of this year, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), ban fee payments in space and equipment leases [...]
As of October 1,2009, the Stark Laws have been modified and noncompliance can lead to hefty fines and penalties. Â To fully understand what the Stark laws are, one must digress for a moment to the initial phase. The Stark law, named after Congressman Pete Stark who sponsored the bill, deals with physician self-referral of Medicare [...]
The following blog comes from the AMA (American Medical Association). I felt that it was important enough that everyone sees this, so I am helping to spread the word. Permanent Medicare Reform Needed An AMA survey shows that drastic cuts in Medicare payments will make it harder for patients to see their doctor. Consider some [...]
The Mantra that legislators recite is “Medicare benefits won’t change”. Let’s take $500 million out of the system. “No problem” was the legislative cry, the money will be recouped from fraud prevention of the current system. The Finance Committee proposes to cut payments to private Medicare Advantage plans by $17 billion over a ten year [...]
A new bill is arising from the House of Representatives to require additional tax payments from insurance companies who offer “Cadillac” insurance plans. Â The additional tax is supposedly going to help defray the cost of any new public health options being offered. Since February 2009, there has been a whole hullabaloo regarding the establishment of [...]
Democrats are rejoicing that they have pared down the healthcare bill to “meet President Obama’s demand that legislation not add one dime to the deficit.” Mr. Baucus who authored the bill prides himself and touts the bill as one that will revolutionize the healthcare system for this century. Analysis issued by the Congressional Budget Office [...]
The following was listed as a joke on a popular website for humor.  It was also listed with a tag for health insurance: Health Care Blues… Thought I’d let my doctor check me, ‘Cause I didn’t feel quite right. All those aches and pains annoyed me. And I couldn’t sleep at night. He could find [...]
It is difficult to comprehend how quality will not change to medicare when $500 million dollars are taken out of the system- this when 30% more of the population is entering. Â I posed this question to the White House. The response that they gave was that there is over $1 billion in fraud that will [...]
Switzerland provides universal health care for its citizens without a public option. Â A very attractive facet of this care that allows the program feasibility is that the insurance companies do not make obscene profits and pharmaceuticals are regulated. It is time to divert the burden from the taxpayers of the United States to insurance companies [...]
