According to the latest Congressional Budget Office score, the Senate Finance Comm ittee Health Care Bill has a total cost of $829 billion over 10 years, imposes $424 billion in new taxes and fees over the first 10 years and has over $400 billion in Medicare cuts. I have listed the proposed cuts to Medicare below:
Cuts to Medicare
-$133B Medicare Advantage
-$128.8B Hospitals
-$106.3B Inpatient Prospective Payment System
-$22.5B Medicare DSH payments
-$56B Home Health
-$22.2B Medicare Commission
-$22.3B Medicare Improvement Fund
-$19.8B Medicare Part D
-$14.6B Skilled Nursing Facilities
-$23.1B Part B Schedules, Except Physician Services
-$8B CMS Innovation Center
-$11B Hospices
-$4.9B Accountable Care Organizations
-$3B Medical Imaging
-$800M Power Wheel Chairs
-$300M Comparative Effectiveness Medicare Component
-$100M Medigap
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Intimidation Over 1st Amendment Rights!
Medicare Advantage was created to do what the Center for Health Transformation (CHT) has long fought for: To give all seniors more private choices of higher quality health care. It currently provides almost 11 million Americans coverage through private insurance plans. Recent data shows that these seniors have better health outcomes than those in traditional Medicare.
Current legislation in Washington will gut the program. H.R. 3200 in the House will cut Medicare Advantage by $172 billion. The bill sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus in the Senate will cut the popular program by $123 billion.
If you're just hearing about this now, here's the reason: When Humana (with whom we've worked with in the past at CHT) tried to inform its Medicare Advantage members that Democratic health care reform could lower their benefits, the government ordered them to cease and desist and opened an investigation of the company.
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) subsequently introduced legislation in the Senate Finance Committee to protect the 1st Amendment rights of private insurance companies to criticize health care reform proposals.
Democrats on the committee unanimously defeated the bill.
Current legislation in Washington will gut the program. H.R. 3200 in the House will cut Medicare Advantage by $172 billion. The bill sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus in the Senate will cut the popular program by $123 billion.
If you're just hearing about this now, here's the reason: When Humana (with whom we've worked with in the past at CHT) tried to inform its Medicare Advantage members that Democratic health care reform could lower their benefits, the government ordered them to cease and desist and opened an investigation of the company.
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) subsequently introduced legislation in the Senate Finance Committee to protect the 1st Amendment rights of private insurance companies to criticize health care reform proposals.
Democrats on the committee unanimously defeated the bill.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Medicare Fraud
A standard power wheelchair costs the government about $4018 to lease to a senior compared with $1048 for suppliers to buy, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. If you ever wondered why Durable Medical Equipment vendors are driving around in pretty new trucks and are housed brand new buildings, now you may begin to know how they afford this luxury.
I am not saying all DME vendors are crooked, but I have personally witnessed fraud like this and it is really disgusting, like a $10 hammer that the government bills for $700. Remember those toilet seats that cost US Taxpayers north of $500 per seat?
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
I am not saying all DME vendors are crooked, but I have personally witnessed fraud like this and it is really disgusting, like a $10 hammer that the government bills for $700. Remember those toilet seats that cost US Taxpayers north of $500 per seat?
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
School has started. You may be thinking of school kids, like 18 or younger. However, I am talking about Medicare school has started. The time to spend 10-12 hours getting certified to sell Medicare part c and d products (per carrier!) has started...
AHIP certification, face to face training, more online certification - brokers make a huge investment just to get ready to sell during the meager six week AEP. If they are lucky, they get three more months in the OEP to sell - but for what? 10% of what they produced in the AEP? During the 6 week AEP period? Why?
Because brokers are counselors, they are ombudsmen, they care...will someone tell Pelosi, Reid, Obama, Frank, etc., what an agent really does?
AHIP certification, face to face training, more online certification - brokers make a huge investment just to get ready to sell during the meager six week AEP. If they are lucky, they get three more months in the OEP to sell - but for what? 10% of what they produced in the AEP? During the 6 week AEP period? Why?
Because brokers are counselors, they are ombudsmen, they care...will someone tell Pelosi, Reid, Obama, Frank, etc., what an agent really does?
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Alliance of Texans Against Government Controlled Health Care had its first meeting on May 21st. At the meeting several interested parties expressed their views, concerns and solutions to what appears to be on the fast track in Washington DC, which is government controlled health care. Let's just say it like it is: health care rationing.
According to the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution, Texas can reject the national health care plan being designed right now. To learn more about how this can be done, visit ww.NotInTexas.org. While at this site, review the petition to support this cause. This Alliance would like to have at least 3000 signatures that will be delivered to the Texas Department of Insurance Commissioner, Mike Geeslin, on Wednesday, May 27th.
The rest of the USA can take health care rationing. But "Not In Texas"!
Have a great Memorial Day weekend, and remember the reason for this national holiday.
Mike Smith, President
The Brokerage, Inc
According to the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution, Texas can reject the national health care plan being designed right now. To learn more about how this can be done, visit ww.NotInTexas.org. While at this site, review the petition to support this cause. This Alliance would like to have at least 3000 signatures that will be delivered to the Texas Department of Insurance Commissioner, Mike Geeslin, on Wednesday, May 27th.
The rest of the USA can take health care rationing. But "Not In Texas"!
Have a great Memorial Day weekend, and remember the reason for this national holiday.
Mike Smith, President
The Brokerage, Inc
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Opening Day!
My first ever blog...I was honored to join a group of professional insurance agents this week and form the Alliance of Texans Against Government Controlled Health Care. Two key words, alliance and controlled, were carefully selected.
We are an alliance of like minded Texans that do not want our freedoms taken away by Big Brother. Texans do not like to be controlled, either. By nature, we are independent.
The purpose of our new alliance is to stop Texas from accepting the notion that America is destined for Government controlled, socialized & rationalized health care. No where in the US Constitution does it say where Texas has adopt everything the Federal Government shoves down our throat. In fact, the Constitution allows the states to opt out of those areas not in control by the Feds.
So the good news for Texans is that our alliance is going to stop the insanity that has become big Government telling Texans what to do. You will continue to see your own doctor. Your doctor will continue to accept payment that is reasonable and customary, based on their specialty. The private marketplace and capitalism will prevail over the socialistic agendas being crafted behind the closed doors of Washington D.C.
Visit www.NotInTexas.org to learn more about our message.
Mike Smith, President
www.TheBrokerageInc.com
We are an alliance of like minded Texans that do not want our freedoms taken away by Big Brother. Texans do not like to be controlled, either. By nature, we are independent.
The purpose of our new alliance is to stop Texas from accepting the notion that America is destined for Government controlled, socialized & rationalized health care. No where in the US Constitution does it say where Texas has adopt everything the Federal Government shoves down our throat. In fact, the Constitution allows the states to opt out of those areas not in control by the Feds.
So the good news for Texans is that our alliance is going to stop the insanity that has become big Government telling Texans what to do. You will continue to see your own doctor. Your doctor will continue to accept payment that is reasonable and customary, based on their specialty. The private marketplace and capitalism will prevail over the socialistic agendas being crafted behind the closed doors of Washington D.C.
Visit www.NotInTexas.org to learn more about our message.
Mike Smith, President
www.TheBrokerageInc.com
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