With all the talk about healthcare reform, I just wanted to write a diary about how healthcare reform would affect seniors. This is NOT a diary that discusses the public option.
First, there are many angles that I could go with this diary. I'm just going to touch on a few topics:
1.) Access to Medicare for 55 year olds and above
2.) Living Wills and Advanced Directives
3.) Long-term care
4.) Changes to Medicare
Second, let me explain my methodology in this diary. I did not rely on media reports for the information contained below. I simply went to the websites of certain Senators on the HELP and Finance committees and looked through their press releases to find out what legislation they've introduced. It's amazing what treasure troves one can find when one does this. I wish members of the media would do the same thing once in a while. The mainstream media simply isn't that informative on this issue.
Anyway, after going to the Senators' websites, I then went to Thomas and looked up the legislation to see whether the legislation had any co-sponsors, especially Republican co-sponsors.
Medicare Buy In:
First up, last month Rockefeller and Cardin introduced legislation that would allow people that are 55 years old and above to buy into Medicare. http://rockefeller.senate.gov/...
According to the press release, the Medicare Early Access Act would also provide a 75% refundable tax credit to the same age group.
So far, only Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio has decided to co-sponsor this bill along with Cardin and Rockefeller. Not sure if this legislation has a chance of passing since there's no bipartisan support and little support on the Democrats' side as of yet.
Advance Planning:
Rockefeller has also introduced the bill the Advance Planning and Compassionate Care Act in a press release last month. http://rockefeller.senate.gov/...
The bill contains the following:
a.) Secretary of HHS under the auspices of the CDC would provide a hotline providing a clearinghouse of information about advanced directives including information as to why they're important and how to write one.
b.) Secretary of HHS will have the responsibility of creating a website that would provide information on long-term care including hospice care.
c.) The CDC will be responsible for initiating a national campaign on the importance of establishing an advanced directive.
d.) States and localities will be granted financial help to provide legal assistance to Medicare recipients who would like to write an advanced directive.
http://thomas.loc.gov/...
Interestingly enough, Rockefeller has more co-sponsors for this legislation. Carper, Collins, Kohl, Stabenow, Warner and Wyden all have co-sponsored this bill.
Medicare Reform:
Rockefeller has also introduced legislation that would give more authority to the little known commission called MedPAC in his MedPAC reform legislation. Rockefeller would make MedPAC an executive branch agency. This new agency would have the power to set payment rates for doctors/hospitals that provide services to Medicare recipients. The decisions that MedPAC made would requ ire a 3/5th majority in both the House and Senate to overturn.
http://thomas.loc.gov/...
Rockefeller only has one co-sponsor in the Senate--that would be Senator Whitehouse of Rhode Island. In the House, Jim Cooper has sponsored this legislation.
Long-term Care Reform:
Both Senators Cantwell and Kohl introduced legislation this month called the Home and Community Balancing Incentives Act , which would incentivize states to encourage their residents to receive home-based healthcare rather than entering nursing homes by increasing matching federal funds.
http://cantwell.senate.gov/...
Cantwell and Kohl are the only co-sponsors of this legislation.
Well, that's all I'll cover today. There's much more to learn about healthcare reform when it comes to seniors. I think I'll do an entire diary devoted to the MedPAC recommendations that have been coming out of that organization in the last few weeks. Very interesting stuff for healthcare reform geeks like myself. Stay tuned....