If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
A massive, cross-country occupation, with doctors and other healthcare personnel joining in, would make the point to the insurers that the public is sick and tired of the gross, despicable, inhumane behavior of an industry that holds our lives and wellbeing in its clutches.
This Friday, March 23rd, marks the second year anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act -- a.k.a. "health reform." If you are like most people, you may have some misconceptions about what has or has not happened in the past two years.
A recent poll found that the American public still doesn't know what is in the health reform law and what is not. Here's the list of health reform "gifts" available this year.
If you're enrolled in Medicare, mark these dates on your calendar: October 15-December 7, 2011. That's Medicare's 2012 Open Enrollment period -- and you should note that it occurs a month earlier this year than in the past.
Most of us breathe a sigh of relief when we reach Medicare age because we think we will have coverage until we die. And we will. But we may not get all the options we want.
In medicine, supply creates demand. Show me an area with more hospital beds and I'll show you one with higher hospital utilization that doesn't improve population health status.
I'm betting that many of them, if they're paying attention to what Rep. Paul Ryan wants to do to the Medicare program, are having some serious buyer's remorse.
The Republican plan is heartless rationing. It won't be Medicare anymore. You can call it Medicareless, because it would no longer be the guaranteed health care program that has served our nation so well since 1965.
Democrats who think Ryan has guaranteed the GOP's demise by proposing to shred Medicare will soon be rudely disabused of that notion. Insurers have shown time and again they can persuade Americans to act against their best interests.
The GOP's budget breaks the fundamental promise of this country: That if you work hard and play by the rules, you can take care of your family and retire with dignity and peace of mind.
The Affordable Care Act contains a number of important improvements in Medicare coverage, but fact-free media coverage and political spin have stoked fear among seniors.
This year is an especially happy birthday for Medicare because the new health reform law makes it easier for seniors to afford to see a doctor, fill a prescription, and receive free preventive screenings for serious diseases.
For seniors now, Medicare is actually stronger, you can keep your same doctor, and your benefits will improve -- with no co-pay for preventative services and with a $250 rebate for the donut hole.
I'm trying to remember when it was that Republicans became such big champions of Medicare. Certainly not in 1965, when the GOP joined the American Medical Association in fighting enactment of the program.
If you're approaching 65, here are some Medicare basics you might want to become familiar with now, rather than waiting until the last minute.
Many reform critics have frightened senior citizens by claiming that reform will threaten Medicare. In fact, reform will make Medicare much more efficient.
I think Mayor Michael Bloomberg is right. At least in spirit....
