Grandmas without Medical Care

Senators couldn't have missed ALL the turmoil that is speculated to occur if HR 6331 is vetoed.

The AMA not only has a video that begins streaming as soon as one visits the website, but has a link on their home page for information on Medicare participatory options for physicians.  The American Medical Association became a member of YouTube on July 1, 2008 and shared their video.  The AMA created an ad targeting Senator Sununu which was also found on YouTube with almost 2,000 views in a week. 

When my husband called me from Texas the other day, he mentioned reading a large article in the New York Times about the negative impact this bill would potentially have on Medicare beneficiaries. 

The AMA surveyed almost 9,000 physicians on the impact a 10.6% reduction in the fee schedule would have on their practices.  Grandmas will definitely have a more difficult time obtaining medical care.  I'm not sure how many Medicare beneficiaries there are, but I'll assume about 44 million.  That's a lot of Grandmas that won't have very many options.

Now the Senators seem to be aligned with supporting the Medicare Advantage programs.  Senators are failing to recognize one obvious detail.  Generally speaking, the companies (Humana, UnitedHealth, Blue Cross) that offer Medicare Advantage programs are not solely dependent upon the Medicare Advantage program and have a whole slew of health care packages for employers/subscribers.  Without the financial support from CMS for the Medicare Advantage product, those companies will continue to experience large profits overall. 

Today, I hope the Senators can say yes to Grandmas and no to greed.

Selena Horner