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Medicare

Real Americans and Fake Patriots

by: Adam L

Wed Sep 07, 2011 at 09:44:26 AM EDT

Ironically but not surprisingly, Sarah Palin and a good number of those on the right like to address their crowds, who have increasingly been playing dress-up as "patriots" (and not in the Tom Brady kind of way), as "Real Americans™".  They talk about "the tree of liberty", "patriotism" and any number of cherry picked or out-of-context quotes from the Founding Fathers or the Bible.  Yet when it comes to actions, what we see from her, Scott Garrett, Chris Christie, Eric Cantor, many on the right (and a growing number on the "left" as well) is just the opposite of what a "real American" is.

Real Americans don't vote for $50 billion in Iraq "reconstruction" like Eric Cantor, Scott Garrett and so many Republicans did with no strings attached, yet demand more cuts here in America to help those in need after devastating earthquakes and hurricanes.

Fake Patriots like Chris Christie and so many Republicans talk about cutting Medicare and social security benefits for those who desperately need them, cloaking it as "reform", while turning their nose up at raising the social security wage limit to address the most regressive tax in this country.

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Third World Health Care - First World Disgrace

by: deciminyan

Sun Sep 04, 2011 at 11:00:00 AM EDT

I wrote this for my personal blog, and it has no specific New Jersey connection per se, but given Governor Christie's aversion toward providing decent health care to its most disadvantaged citizens (see, for example, here, here, and here), I thought it would be appropriate to cross-post to Blue Jersey


François is a refugee, one of 27,000 from Côte d'Ivoire living in a camp in eastern Liberia. His kidneys are failing and he needs dialysis three times per week. But he can't receive dialysis under Liberia's third-world health care system and if he's lucky he'll get emergency treatment when his health deteriorates to the point where he is at death's door.

A typical response to this story is, "Oh, that's terrible. The poor man is suffering, but that's the way things are in third-world countries."

Yet, this story is only partially true. His name is not François. The part about his being without care until he is close to death is true, but he is not a refugee in Liberia - he is an undocumented immigrant living in the United States of America.

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Health Care Supporters To Hold "Hands Off Our Medicare!" Rally

by: New Jersey One Plan One Nation

Fri Jul 29, 2011 at 03:37:32 PM EDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Ray Stever, President
New Jersey One Plan One Nation
ray@njoneplan.org
www.njoneplan.org

Health Care Supporters To Hold "Hands Off Our Medicare!" Rally

Don't Let Congress Cut Medicare: Improve It and Expand It to All
Coalition Says Medicare Is the Solution, Not the Problem

Rep. Donald Payne (D-10th Dist.) and New Jersey Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver are expected to address healthcare advocates from a broad range of organizations and senior citizens who are coming together in Newark on Saturday, July 30th, to celebrate Medicare's 46th birthday and to tell Congress, "Hands Off Our Medicare!" The event is being organized by the New Jersey One Plan One Nation coalition, whose President Ray Stever says "Medicare didn't cause our budget problems. The financial meltdown did that. Don't let people use the deficit as an excuse for attacking the best healthcare program this country has ever had. Instead, let's see how an expansion of Medicare can help us solve our budget problems, prevent layoffs, and help families and businesses cope with the rising cost of healthcare. Medicare is the solution, not the problem."

What: Press conference to celebrate the 46th Birthday of the Medicare program
When: Saturday, July 30, at 11 a.m.
Where: New Community Manor Senior building, 545 Orange Street, Newark, New Jersey. Parking---Use the St. Rose of Lima church parking lot at corner of Orange and Gray Streets. Entrance on Gray Street.
Who:  
• Ray Stever, President, New Jersey One Plan OneNation Coalition
• Congressman Donald Payne
• New Jersey Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver
• Larry Hamm from the Peoples' Organization for Progress
• Noel Christmas from the Utility Workers Union ofAmerica
• Deborah Huber from the National Organization forWomen-NJ
• Representatives from CodePink, Healthcare-Now, GreenParty-NJ, as well as Labor.
Note:   Senior citizens and coalition members will be available for interviews.

Medicare was signed into law on July 30, 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson as part of the Great Society vision for America. Medicare is a government-run insurance program that currently provides coverage for nearly 48 million elderly Americans and people with disabilities. Not only has Medicare provided access to life-saving care, it has kept millions out of bankruptcy.

"Our retirees paid into the system all their working lives, as we are doing now. Our elderly are struggling to make ends meet under the current system. It's outrageous for Congress even to consider cutting their Social Security and Medicare just to give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires," said Ray Stever, president of New Jersey One Plan, One Nation Coalition. "Our retirees didn't cause the financial crisis. Wall Street did. So why should our elderly and disabled people be the ones to pay the price? That's why we're saying, "Keep your hands off Medicare and Social Security!"

Medicare is far more efficient than private insurance. Medicare's overhead is only about 3%, as opposed to about 11% for the MedicareAdvantage programs and as much as 30% for many private insurance plans. New Jersey One Plan One Nation's affiliate Healthcare-Now! (http://www.healthcare-now.org/campaigns/win-win) estimates that if a Medicare for All plan were established nationwide, the state government of New Jersey would save more than $2.6 billion per year because the payroll tax to fund the expanded Medicare program would be far less than what the state is currently paying for health insurance premiums. Furthermore, the state would be freed of its $60 billion unfunded obligation to provide for retirees' healthcare benefits. County and local governments would also save millions.  

The New Jersey One Plan, One Nation Coalition is a labor and grassroots coalition that advocates single-payer health care for allAmericans. It uses HR 676 - the United States National Health Care Act, also known as Expanded and ImprovedMedicare for All -- as a template. Congressman Payne is a co-sponsor of that legislation.

"Medicare is so much more efficient than private health insurance that the New Jersey state government would save about $2.6 billion per year if we bought our state workers' health insurance through Medicare instead of through private insurance," said Stever, of One Plan, One Nation Coalition. "If we had Medicare for all, we wouldn't be laying off Teachers, Police, Fire Fighters and other state workers. County and local governments and school boards would also save millions per year. So would businesses and nonprofits such as churches. So would taxpayers and the self-employed. Medicare for all would solve our budget problem and stimulate New Jersey's economy. That's why we don't want to wait for a nationwide Medicare for All system. We can establish our own statewide system in New Jersey."

Stever noted that the U.S. spends nearly two and a half times as much per person on healthcare as the people of any other industrialized country. Yet we rank 37th in the overall quality of the care we receive.  Plus, Americans face a real threat of being bankrupted by medical bills, even if they have insurance.  A Harvard University study published in 2009 in the American Journal of Medicine found that medical problems were a major contributing factor in nearly two thirds of all personal bankruptcy cases. Most of the medically bankrupt were solidly middle class and nearly 80% had medical insurance at the start of the bankrupting illness.

"Saving all that money on healthcare means that there will be fewer layoffs and other cutbacks," says Stever.

Healthcare providers would also benefit from a Medicare forAll system. Physicians for a National Health Program (www.pnhp.org) estimates that streamlining payment through a single, nonprofit payer like Medicare would save $400 billion annually, enough to provide coverage for all of the uninsured people in the United States.

Medicare is the Solution, NOT the Problem!

Sources:
Data on potential savings to New Jersey government from Medicare for All, according to Healthcare-Now!'s Win-Win Campaign: http://www.healthcare-now.org/...
Study on role of illness and medical debt on personal bankruptcy in the United States: http://www.pnhp.org/new_bankru...

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I pledge allegiance ...

by: Adam L

Wed Jul 27, 2011 at 03:07:00 PM EDT

I pledge allegiance.....

What would happen if a left leaning group forced all Democrats to sign a pledge to push for marriage equality, single payer healthcare like "Medicare for all", a tax rate of 60% on all income over $2,000,000 or free pre-school education for anyone anywhere?  And what would happen if that group ran primaries against every single Democrat whose agenda wasn't precisely in line with that pledge - regardless of what the political climate was, what their constituents wanted or more important, ran against the United States (or State) Constitution that they swore to support and defend?

Well, this is precisely what the Republican Party is doing with Grover Norquist and his "tax pledge".  Here in New Jersey, every single Republican member of Congress (and one Democrat) has signed this pledge - regardless of the fact that tax cuts for the wealthy don't create jobs and kill the economy.  At a time when faux "patriotism™" has taken over the right wing, it is simply amazing that all but seven Republican Representatives and all but seven Republican Senators have publically pledged allegiance and sworn their loyalty to a special interest group whose purpose has been proven time and time again to hurt America and stifle the economy.

Remind me who hates America?

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Republicans Threaten Social Security Checks for Nothing

by: Hopeful

Tue Jul 12, 2011 at 03:45:00 PM EDT

The President rightly pointed out today that the House Republicans are jeopardizing Social Security checks, disability checks, and veterans benefits:

"I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it"

Stopping checks or defaulting on debts would be a complete disaster, whether we're talking about the consequences to individuals or the consequences on the national macro-economy.

Setting recent arrivals Jon Runyan and Leonard Lance aside, every New Jersey Republican and Democrat have voted to raise the debt ceiling multiple times (PDF), each voting yes when their party was in the majority and no when it wasn't. These long-term Republicans -- Frank LoBiondo, Chris Smith, Scott Garrett, Rodney Frelinghuysen -- are in perfectly safe seats and it's time for them to step up for the good of the country. After all, they already approved the budget so they have authorized every dollar of spending, knowing that it required borrowing. It's been pure political showmanship until now, but reality is intruding. They need to vote -- with some Democrats of good faith -- to raise the debt ceiling without continuing to take the country hostage.

Furthermore, these long-term debt deals are meaningless because you can't control what future Congresses do. Look at how Frank LoBiondo complains every year about "cuts" to Medicare doctor reimbursements and votes to pay the doctors more. In fact, LoBiondo and the 1997 Republican majority insisted on putting the Medicare cuts into the budget to "balance" future projections. If he's reading this, please don't destroy the country for a deal that you yourself will denounce in a few years.
 

Discuss :: (2 Comments)

EVENT: American Dream House Meeting

by: Virginia

Fri Jul 01, 2011 at 12:44:53 PM EDT

Saturday, July 16, 2011 at 2:00pm
near Main & Moore Streets in Hackettstown, NJ

RSVP required:
http://civic.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=117273


Michele Bachmann says we can reduce unemployment by eliminating the minimum wage. Is that the kind of economic "recovery" we want—$4 and $5 and $6 per hour jobs? Van Jones is absolutely right. Too many of us are already sacrificing plenty. Too many of us are already paying for Wall Street’s recklessness with our personal austerities and anxieties. The Tea Party’s solution is to discredit our ideals and dismantle our government. But we can do better. We can build a movement to make OUR democracy work for OUR American Dreams. Let’s take the first step together by meeting on July 16th to get acquainted and share ideas.

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Thousands of NJ-7 Seniors at Risk Under GOP Plan

by: Ed Potosnak

Wed Jun 08, 2011 at 12:07:11 PM EDT

promoted by Rosi

A new analysis by the House Commerce Committee provides District by District information on the impact of Republican Medicare Plan and Medicaid cuts, illuminating the disastrous impact of the Ryan Budget supported by my opponent right here in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.

Congressman Leonard Lance supported the Ryan budget, which ends Medicare as we know it, turning Medicare into a voucher program.

Here is the impact, by the numbers on NJ-7's CD directly from the analysis:
  • Reduce coverage for 8,400-dual eligible seniors and individuals with disabilities.
  • Jeopardize nursing home care for 1,800
  • Impair the healthcare of 13,000 children (including 400 newborns)
  • Cut payments for Emergency Room visits for 5,000 patients
  • Cut payments to hospitals for 1,500 inpatient visits

Medicaid assistance under the Ryan Plan cuts an average of $13,000 per enrollee over the next decade, putting seniors and persons with disabilities at risk.

This analysis is aligned with the report from May by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), which estimated that a typical 65-year-old Medicare beneficiary in 2022 would see their out-of-pocket health care costs increase from $6,154 to $12,513 under the Republican budget.

If the Ryan plan to turn Medicare into an inadequate voucher program, for which Congressman Lance voted, were to be signed into law, seniors across America would face bleak economic prospects. But with the exception of Florida, there is no state more disastrously impacted than right here in New Jersey. Congressman Lance has seen these numbers and well knows that by 2022 out of pocket expenses for the typical 65-year old enrollee in New Jersey would jump from $6,832.43 to $13,892.47, the second biggest increase in America ($7,060.03).

I'll fight against that ever being enacted every day I'm in office.

Please help me in fighting for our Seniors and standing up to the GOP's Budget by joining Congressman Barney Frank at an event supporting my 2012 campaign for Congress on June 18th in Warren, Somerset County, NJ.  RSVP Today.

Discuss :: (1 Comments)

Once Again: Balancing the Budget on the Backs of the Poor

by: deciminyan

Tue May 24, 2011 at 06:15:00 PM EDT

Once again, the less fortunate among us are being asked by the Christie administration to do more than their fair share in the governor's "shared sacrifice" approach to the budget crisis. This time it is lower income Medicaid recipients who are the victims of Christie's draconian axe.

On the day when the New Jersey Supreme Court rebuked Governor Christie's refusal to carry out the legislature's education mandates, the Assembly Budget Committee heard testimony from the governor's health leadership team - Mary O'Dowd, Commissioner of Health, and Jennifer Velez, Commissioner of Human Services.

The primary purpose of the hearing, chaired by Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden), was to discuss the administration's proposal for a waiver to certain federal Medicaid requirements. The impetus for the waiver is a savings of $300 million.

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Psst... don't tell the Tea Party about this

by: Hopeful

Mon May 16, 2011 at 09:41:47 PM EDT

In case anyone is still thinks the Republicans like Jon Runyan who voted to abolish Medicare actually care about the deficit, this should wake you up. The CBO analysis of the 'bipartisan' budget deal is out:

A few weeks after they cut the deal, we have an answer. It turns out the six-month spending bill Congress passed in March increased discretionary outlays through the remainder of the fiscal year by a bit over $3 billion. In other words, total direct spending will be higher by the end of September than if Congress had just set spending on autopilot for the remainder of the fiscal year back in April.

Yes, the Republicans threatened to shut down the government for their budget cuts and ended up increasing spending. (The culprit is defense spending.) I'll confess the House Republicans are creating political disasters even faster than I expected. Just don't give up your future so these clowns can give it to someone else.

Discuss :: (1 Comments)

Newt Gingrich: Jon Runyan is voting for "right-wing social engineering"

by: Hopeful

Sun May 15, 2011 at 05:42:54 PM EDT

Imagine walking into Congress and saying "Sure, I'll vote to abolish Medicare -- What could happen?" Now even Newt Gingrich, the original Republican bomb-thrower and revolutionary, is saying Jon Runyan threw his lot in with extremists:

Gingrich also distanced himself from the plan proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to turn Medicare into a voucher system: "I think that that is too big a jump." He called the plan "right-wing social engineering," which he considers not "any more desirable than left-wing social engineering."

Of course, the headline could apply to any of our House Republicans, but Frank LoBiondo is more afraid of the Tea Party in a primary than anyone else, and Leonard Lance is going to lose his seat in the great game of musical chairs.

Discuss :: (2 Comments)

Dear Mr. President, Please Don't Hurt Me, Thanks, Jon Runyan

by: Hopeful

Thu May 12, 2011 at 03:28:07 PM EDT

I told you last week that Jon Runyan must be realizing he was a chump to vote to abolish Medicare and now this week he's confirming it. In a signed letter, Representative Runyan and his first-year colleagues asked President Obama to not say anything mean about his Medicare vote. I didn't expect a professional football player to turn out to be a policy wonk but I am surprised he'd be crying that politics is too tough in just five months.    

As Frank Pallone told a town hall:

"Under the Republican plan, Seniors who have worked hard all their lives will no longer have the security of knowing they'll have health care when they need it," said Pallone. "These cuts are a budget buster for seniors and will force them to pay more to get significantly less care."
Discuss :: (3 Comments)

Oilman Runyan

by: deciminyan

Wed May 11, 2011 at 08:03:31 PM EDT

We posted over this last night with an update about the Dem state conference changes - sorry, deciminyan - so I'm pulling it up top for a bit. -  Rosi

For many years, my wife and I have been lucky enough to take a week's vacation every summer on Long Beach Island. We look forward to a time of relaxation and enjoyment of the pristine beaches. But during his first term in office, Congressman Jon Runyan is working to take that pleasure away from us.

Working in lock-step with his Republican colleagues, Runyan is actively promoting off-shore oil drilling in the Atlantic and providing the wealthy oil companies (i.e his campaign contributors) with more financial benefits - as if they need them.

To be fair, Runyan is delivering on campaign promises. I don't understand why Ocean County residents would vote for someone who will put their tourism industry in jeopardy, but they did.

Now Runyan is making it even more attractive for oil companies to drill. He voted on a bill to allow these companies to obtain new leases, even while they owe the government payments for fines from previous sins. And while he's voting to cut Medicare in the (false) name of fiscal responsibility, he also voted against elimination of taxpayer subsidies to oil companies.

Drilling off the Atlantic coast is not the way to solve our insatiable lust for energy. It's not a matter of whether an oil spill will devastate Atlantic beaches, it's just a matter of when and how badly.

Our vacations on LBI have become even more cherished over the last couple of years, as we have started a family tradition of having our grandson (and his parents!) visit us at the beach each summer. They live 300 miles from the nearest ocean, so this is a special time for our grandson as well as us. Let's hope that Runyan's pro-oil, anti-tourism approach magically avoids Murphy's Law and that we don't see a repeat of the BP disaster in our back yard. For our grandson's sake and the sake of all those kids who love the beach.



How many more years will my son and grandson be able to enjoy LBI if Oilman Runyan has his way?
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The GOP War on Women

by: Ed Potosnak

Sun May 08, 2011 at 02:46:19 PM EDT

I've met Joan Potosnak. She's pretty awesome. - promoted by Rosi

Mother's Day is a time to celebrate our Moms and all the women in our life who provide support.

My Mom is very special to me. When I needed healthcare, she took on a second job, working nights at UPS because her full-time day job did not offer health benefits. That year I had two surgeries.  Who knows how we would have survived the mountain of medical bills without access to health insurance. She sacrificed so I could be healthy, focus on my studies and become the man I am today.

Thank you Mom.  I love you.

And thank you to all the Moms in our lives-bosses, colleagues, family, and friends for re-shaping America.  more below...

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About now, Runyan realizes he's a chump

by: Hopeful

Thu May 05, 2011 at 01:57:42 PM EDT

Jon Runyan arrived in Washington this year, trusting his Republican colleagues to give good advice to the novice politician. Instead, they told him to vote for a budget that abolishes Medicare and replaces it with a private voucher program. That plan went nowhere because the public hates it, and now his leadership has left him high and dry:

Responding Thursday to the news that one of his most powerful chairmen, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) of the House Ways and Means Committee, will not push ahead with the Medicare plan, [Speaker John] Boehner told reporters, "My interpretation of what Mr. Camp [said] was a recognition of the political realities that we face. While Republicans control the House, the Democrats control the Senate and they control the White House."

Right-wingers in the South might not pay a price for pushing their extreme plans, but Mr. Runyan has to run for re-election in a swing district. He'd better learn to think for himself quickly.

Discuss :: (2 Comments)

All New Jersey Republicans vote to privatize Medicare

by: Hopeful

Fri Apr 15, 2011 at 03:47:15 PM EDT

The Ryan plan aims to abolish Medicare as we know it and replace it with a privatized voucher system. Pollsters tell us the American people hate the idea:

The Republican deficit reduction plan does not even win majority support, but when voters learn almost anything about it, they turn sharply and intensely against it.  They have particularly grave concerns about the plan to end Medicare and slash Medicaid spending, pushing seniors into the private insurance market and costing them thousands of dollars more in out-of-pocket expenses.

Today, every New Jersey Republican voted for the plan: Frank LoBiondo, Scott Garrett, Jon Runyan, Chris Smith, Rodney Frelinghuysen, and Leonard Lance all have now tried to end Medicare.    

Discuss :: (4 Comments)

CBO: Republican budget would increase deficit

by: Hopeful

Tue Apr 05, 2011 at 10:07:40 PM EDT

Yes, the Republican plan to abolish Medicare, cut Medicaid, and slash everything but the military ends up increasing the amount of debt at the end of ten years. That's the conclusion of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. (They give the money away in tax cuts.)

Ah, but after all, Medicare wouldn't be destroyed until later. After the first ten years of the Republican plan, health care costs for seniors will more than double:

For a typical 65-year-old with average health spending enrolled in a plan with benefits similar to those currently provided by Medicare, the CBO estimated the beneficiary's spending on premiums and out-of-pocket expenditures as a share of a benchmark: what total health-care spending would be if a private insurer covered the beneficiary. By 2030, the beneficiary's spending would be 68 percent of that benchmark under the proposal, 25 percent under the extended-baseline scenario, and 30 percent under the alternative fiscal scenario.

The CBO also found that the Medicaid plan would devastate state budgets while leading to less coverage.

We'll find out if we have a Democratic Party who calls this plan "courageous" or who resolves to fight.  

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The Republican Plan to Abolish Medicare

by: Hopeful

Tue Apr 05, 2011 at 03:35:43 PM EDT

Living down here in the Philadelphia media market, we were bombarded with misleading 2010 ads attacking Democrats for "cutting Medicare." In reality, they had reformed the privatized Medicare Advantage program dreamed up by Republicans, which managed to cost more to the government, not less as promised by conservatives. But the ads worked because seniors love their government Medicare plans.

Conservative Republicans are now revealing their true plans as they have proposed to abolish Medicare for everyone under 55, and replace it with a system of voucher designed to not keep up with inflation. This is now the moment of truth for Democrats. Nancy Pelosi was right in 2005 when she revealed her schedule to negotiate with Bush on Social Security: "Never. Is never good enough for you?"

There's plenty of issues the Democrats disagree about, but Medicare isn't one of them. If the public wants to abolish Medicare, let them vote Republican. I say the 2010 campaign shows the public wants just the opposite.

Rush Holt understands:

Budgets are moral documents. They reflect, in dollars and cents, our real priorities. Republican priorities are clear: abandoning the most vulnerable in our society by destroying Medicare and Medicaid in order to cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans.  

Frank Lautenberg understands:

This budget is more proof that Tea Party extremists have toppled the Republican House leadership and completely taken over.  The House Republican Tea Partiers started with cuts to Head Start, education and medical research, and now they want to privatize Medicare.  If you are a child seeking an education or an older American seeking health care,the Tea Party budget is toxic to your future.

Every other Democrat must oppose this plan, and every Republican needs to be put on record that they plan to abolish the Medicare program if they get the Senate and Presidency.  

Update: Frank Pallone reminded me that Medicaid is at issue too:

"Converting Medicaid into block grants is one of the worst health care proposals to be presented to Congress in years"
Discuss :: (3 Comments)

At For-Profit Hospitals... Follow The Money

by: Ann Twomey, HPAE

Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 04:33:33 PM EST

For-profit companies "turn around" hospitals, not with a magic bullet but with by, cutting corners, services, and staff. They do it with our tax dollars. And they do it in the dark. The New Jersey State Senate has an important opportunity on January 6 to bring the financial operations of these companies into the public light and out of secret boardrooms.

These for-profit hospitals use the same increasingly scarce public sources of funding - Medicare, Medicaid, Charity Care, and Family Care, as our non-profit hospitals. Yet the current financial reporting requirements are very weak. For-profit hospitals must be held to the same standards of financial transparency and accountability as our non-profit hospitals. Shouldn't the communities they serve know how much is being spent on compensation for top executives or on supplies and services provided by the owners' affiliates and subsidiaries-particuarly when much of the revenue is the result of our tax dollars? Maybe, but they are not.

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LoBiondo cuts Medicare Doctor Reimbursements, hopes everyone forgets.

by: Hopeful

Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 05:17:51 PM EST

Here's an interesting November 19, 2009 press release from Frank LoBiondo saying "LoBiondo Supports Protecting Local Doctors from Cuts to Medicare Payments":

"For the past seven years, I've supported efforts to protect our doctors and their staffs from scheduled Medicare reimbursement cuts, which in the end would affect the care they are able to give their patients. Today, I voted for a plan that would prevent the scheduled doctors' reimbursement cuts, would not add to the deficit, and would ensure future South Jersey seniors are not shouldering the costs. Regrettably, it was not the bill that was approved by the full House today," said LoBiondo.

What's interesting about this?  It's not just that LoBiondo voted against getting rid of the cuts, after all, the press release is clear enough. It's not that he claims to have voted for a Republican alternative, when there was no such vote that day. No, those are all in the days work.

The impressive bit of hypocrisy is that the cuts are due to the "Balanced Budget Act of 1997" (H.R. 2015) which, of course, Frank LoBiondo and his Republican colleagues made law. These cuts are entirely his creation! When the Republican party actually cared about deficits -- at least the name of the 1997 law says they did --  they created a "Sustainable Growth Rate" formula which would have reduced the deficit by paying doctors less. Whether it's a good idea or not, I don't know, but it is the law thanks to Frank LoBiondo's 1997 votes, whatever press release he sends out in 2009.

Sadly, we can expect that no reporter will ever notice the contradiction.

Also available at Frank LoBiondo record.

Discuss :: (1 Comments)

Medicare to test new incentive system with New Jersey Hospitals

by: Jason Springer

Mon Aug 24, 2009 at 03:00:00 PM EDT

They are going to be testing a new program here in New Jersey that will attempt to cut down on some of the healthcare costs for Medicare:
Twelve New Jersey hospitals and their participating physicians are taking part in the Physician Hospital Collaboration Demonstration, a Medicare project that will evaluate gainsharing as an innovative new incentive method that aims to reduce healthcare costs while improving quality of care.
Here's more about the program they are trying out:
NJHA spearheaded the effort to win a waiver from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to test the initiative in New Jersey. Called "gainsharing," the program offers physicians financial incentives to work with hospitals in lowering costs in a variety of ways. The program also includes stringent quality controls to protect patients.

The program is designed to encourage physicians and hospitals to work together to provide the most efficient care for patients. Currently, Medicare reimburses hospitals a fixed rate for treating a Medicare patient, based on the patient's diagnosis. But physicians are paid differently, receiving individual payments for each procedure or each day spent in the hospital. Those very different payment philosophies are inconsistent, and the gainsharing project aims to bring them together.

Under gainsharing, physicians may share a portion of the savings that are realized by working with the hospital to make a patient's stay more efficient.

We constantly hear about the disparity in reimbursement rates and it's an interesting approach that provides incentives to the physician by allowing them to share in the savings that are realized, while at the same time cutting down on the overall cost of the sytem in the process.

The goal of the program is to use the data, from quality of care to cost savings, to help determine whether its strategies could be replicated nationwide. I'll put the participating hospitals below the fold.

There's More... :: (1 Comments, 68 words in story)
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