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Dear Retiree, here is your November 20, 2009 issue of the Friday Alert.
Reid Presents Health Care Bill That Cuts $130 Billion from the Federal Deficit
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) presented an $848 billion health-care overhaul package on Wednesday
that would help Americans of all ages better afford to see a doctor and get a prescription filled. An analysis of the
Senate bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined that
it would cut federal deficits by $130 billion over the next decade. "Our nation's retirees need lower prescription drug
prices, the ability to get life-saving preventive screenings and tests, and an end to the Medicare Trust Fund-draining subsidies
to the private insurance companies who run Medicare Advantage programs. Senator Reid's bill offers solid progress in
these important areas," said Edward F. Coyle, Executive
Director of the Alliance. "We are also pleased to see bill include a public option." Sen. Reid said on Tuesday
that he remained cautiously optimistic that he could get the Senate's 58 Democrats and 2 independents to vote to thwart a
filibuster on what is known as a motion to proceed, the initial step in any debate. On Thursday, he said that first
crucial vote on the overhaul package would likely take place on Saturday. Approval relies largely on the votes of three
wavering moderate Democrats: Senators Ben Nelson
of Nebraska, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.
House Acts to Prevent Drastic Cuts in Medicare Payments to Doctors
Also on Thursday, the House approved a $210
billion measure - known as the "doc fix" - that will adjust Medicare payment rates to doctors, avoiding a 21% cut in January
and continuing cuts in the years ahead. A cut of that magnitude could reduce access to physicians for Medicare beneficiaries
throughout the country. The bill, H.R. 3961, is companion legislation to H.R. 3962, the House-passed health care reform
bill. H.R. 3961, which passed by a vote of 243-183, will also allow older Americans the ability to keep their choice
of doctor. Complete results of the vote are available at http://bit.ly/4hYNYx.
A report requested by Republicans and released on Saturday by the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services drew attention from health reform critics this week. The report questioned the expected
savings from the House-approved health care overhaul. However, CMS's analysis is not an apples-to-apples comparison
to the cost estimate conducted by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), because
CMS did not review tax provisions, which help offset the price tag of the Democrats' measure. It is certain that the
House health care reform bill will extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by five years, significantly longer than any
other recent proposal. The legislation will also cut out-of-pocket spending by more than $200 billion by 2019.
"We must separate fact from fiction to avoid being alarmed unnecessarily," said Ruben
Burks, Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. "Overall, national spending on health care would increase
by less than 1.3% over the next decade with the House bill, even though millions of additional people will gain coverage.
Without health care reform, health care costs are expected to rise at rates double that of inflation, growing every year as
a larger share of the Gross National Product." To learn more facts about the financial benefits of H.R. 3962 to retirees,
go to http://bit.ly/jV9Ml.
Rising Drug Costs in Face of Health Reform
The New York
Times reported early this week that the drug industry has been raising its prices at the fastest rate in years
- this year by 9%. The rise has caused speculation about price increases in advance of health reform legislation.
Those increases will add more than $10 billion to the nation's $300 billion drug bill this year, and led Democrats in Congress
to request two investigations of drug industry pricing [http://bit.ly/1NcGtz] on Wednesday.
On the Road: West Virginia
On Thursday, Alliance President Barbara
J. Easterling joined West Virginia Alliance President Spud
Terry and active retirees at their annual membership meeting. Easterling urged WV retirees to set the
record straight and not be divided when it comes to health reform, saying, "Through it all, my fellow retirees, we need to
stay together. We need to keep reaching out to retirees from community-based groups. Together, we can be partners
in change."
Retirees with the Write Stuff: Write Letter, Win Pen
"Retirees with the Write Stuff" is an Alliance project recognizing
retirees whose letters to the editor are published. Most recently, Kathy
Breeden, James Brown, Bob Dougherty, Earl Frampton, Patricia Gooden, John Harris, Owen Humphress, Charlie Lemon, Beatrice
Lumpkin, John Newman, Terry Schleder, and William
Stevens contributed to their state and local papers. If you have had a letter published recently, please
send us an email at letters@retiredamericans.org so that we can recognize you and send you a "Write Stuff" pen.
Las Vegas Convention Sign-up Details Now Available!
Mark your calendars for April 5-8, 2010 in order to attend the
Alliance's National Convention in Las Vegas, where we will kick off our grassroots efforts for the 2010 elections. New
details about the conference are now posted on the Alliance's home web page, www.retiredamericans.org; to learn more, simply click on "2010 National Convention" or go to http://bit.ly/1jIzz2. Register for the convention directly from that page, or by calling 1-888-373-6497. We will have workshops and
training sessions to strengthen our organizing and advocacy skills, and will hear from leading experts in public policy, health
care and aging, and the media. Alliance members will elect a president and secretary-treasurer, and community members
will elect six community-based board members. To vote in the Alliance elections, conference attendees must be members
of the Alliance by December 5, 2009. Hotel reservations must be made by contacting Bally's Las Vegas directly at 1-800-358-8777.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the next Friday Alert will be published on December
4, 2009. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Become
part of a progressive grassroots movement!
Join the Alliance: www.retiredamericans.org/join
____________________________________________________________________
Alliance for Retired Americans 815 16th St, NW Washington, DC 20006 www.retiredamericans.org
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(4) and dedicated to educating all Americans about and advocating on behalf of retirees and seniors. The Alliance is
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