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Friday Alert October 26, 2007
Alliance for Retired Americans
888 16th Street, N.W. - Washington DC, 20006 - (202)
974-8222 - www.retiredamericans.or
SCHIP Passes the House
Again
On Thursday, the House voted 265-142 to
pass H.R. 3963, a revised version of H.R. 976, the State
Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
Reauthorization. Like the original version, vetoed by the
President on October 3rd, H.R. 3963 continues to provide health
care coverage for 10 million American children, but it did not
secure a veto-proof majority of votes. The revised bill
contains provisions that are designed to ensure that 1) the
focus would be on enrolling low-income children in SCHIP first;
2) SCHIP would not cover illegal immigrants; 3) SCHIP coverage
of adults would be phased out faster; and 4) children leaving
private insurance for SCHIP would be minimized. A Senate
vote on the new bill could take place as early as next
week. However, the White House has already said that it
will veto the new bill as well. “This bill addresses
all of the concerns of those who opposed the previous bill, H.R.
976,” said Edward Coyle, Executive
Director of the Alliance. “Unfortunately for
opponents of this legislation, who are afraid that voting
against it makes them appear heartless, this issue is not going
away anytime soon.”
Senate, House Introduce Bill
with a Medicare-run Drug Benefit
Legislation
to give consumers a Medicare-run drug option was introduced on
Tuesday by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and
Representatives Marion Berry (D-AR) and
Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). The Medicare
Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act, S. 2219 in the Senate
and H.R. 3932 in the House, would utilize price negotiation and
the best evidence about the safety and effectiveness of drugs to
give older adults and people with disabilities the choice of a
stable, consistent and affordable drug coverage plan. The
bill was written with the knowledge that it costs private
insurers 9.8 percent of the drug benefit's total cost to
administer the program, yet it costs Medicare only 1.7 percent
of the total costs to administer hospital and outpatient
coverage. Also on Tuesday, America’s Health
Insurance Plans (AHIP) held a rally in Washington, D.C. in
support of Medicare Advantage’s private insurers.
“AHIP is on the wrong side of subsidies for insurance
companies. They can hold as many rallies as they want, but
the Medicare-run drug option will be proven the superior
choice,” said George J. Kourpias,
President of the Alliance.
Big Drug Companies Try to
Hide the Truth with Slick Television Ads
On
the heels of recent drug recalls, accusations of political
influence and outrage over high prescription drug prices, the
pharmaceutical industry has begun a campaign to bolster its
image. An article in The Hill details a
“Healthcare Campfire with Billy Tauzin,” a recent
effort by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of
America (PhRMA), the major lobbying group for big drug
companies. Launched last month as part of a campaign that
also includes several websites and weekly radio shows, the
half-hour television program is hosted by Billy
Tauzin, a former Republican congressman from Louisiana
and the head of PhRMA since 2005. Though they are paid
advertisements, the episodes are promoted as public affairs
programs and feature interview segments with guests such as talk
show host Montel Williams and former White
House Press Secretary Tony Snow. Reports
on drug research and other various health topics are narrated by
ex-professional broadcasters and produced to look like local
news, the result of over $1 million spent on a high-tech studio
and control room that could be found at a television
station. PhRMA aims for the show to be nationally
broadcast by the end of 2008. At the same time,
Prescription Access Litigation (PAL), a national coalition of
groups - including the Alliance – that challenges illegal
and costly tactics by the pharmaceutical industry, called for
increased enforcement by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) against misleading prescription drug direct-to-consumer
advertisements. The call was part of comments offered to
the FDA regarding its proposed study of on-screen images
appearing while the risks and side effects of drugs are read
during advertisements, and whether they change how viewers
understand drug safety information. “Savvy Seniors
won't be fooled by these slick infomercials,” said
Ruben Burks, Secretary-Treasurer of the
Alliance.
Fires Don’t Stop
California Alliance’s
Conventioneers
Over 200 members of the
California Alliance braved wildfires to elect two new
community-based vice presidents at their state convention in San
Diego on Sunday and Monday: Kathy Piccagli from
the Older Women’s League and Jack Roberts
from the Democratic Club of Central Orange County. Members
also installed one at-large vice president –
Carolyn Negrete, from Health Care for
All. Several labor vice presidents were appointed by their
union: Willie Gholar, Service Employees
International Union; Andy Barnes, International
Association of Machinists; Bill Price, United
Food and Commercial Workers; Judy Katz,
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees;
Karen Connor, Teamsters; Paul
Rich, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers;
and Max Turchen, California State Employees
Association. In addition, Dawn Bronsema
was elected Secretary. Edward Coyle spoke
at the convention. Special thanks to the Handlery Hotel
for taking in many evacuees at reduced rates, bending the rules
during the fires to allow pets, and making room for as many
people as they could!
Alliance Web Site Poll Shows
Fear, Concern Regarding Promised Benefits
The
final results are in from the last Alliance web site poll,
“Are you concerned that your retiree health care and
pension benefits will not always be delivered as
expected?” Of 774 web visitors responding, 83% are
concerned. Only 8% are confident that they will receive
what they have been promised, while 9% said that their employer
did not promise those benefits. Go to www.retiredamericans.org
to take part in the new poll, “Do you think it is
important for older Americans to voice support for
SCHIP?”
$18,000 in VA Assistance Not
Being Received by All Who Could
Benefit
According to the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs, the “under-used” Aid and
Attendance Benefit could pay a couple up to $18,000 per year for
assistance with out-of-pocket medical costs for Veterans and
their spouses or widows. Find information about the
benefit from Aging with Grace, LLC, a geriatric care management
company, at www.agingwithgrace.net/bios.htm,
by calling them at 800-626-9440, or by looking at all VA Pension
benefits at www.vba.va.gov.
Become part of a progressive grassroots movement!
Join the Alliance
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Alliance for Retired Americans 815 16th
St, NW Washington, DC 20006 www.retiredamericans.org
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