Seniors Get Medicare Fix ! Hey That`s Me !

Congress Delivers President Obama a ‘Doc Fix’ Bill

After realizing that combining the ‘Doc Fix’ provision with a jobs creation package was not politically feasible, House Democrats promptly passed a six-month solution to the ongoing cuts in Medicare reimbursement rates to physicians. The temporary fix passed the House late Thursday night by a vote of 415-1. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services had already started to process Medicare claims at the 21%-lower rate, causing severe financial damage to medical practices nationally. All prior claims will be resubmitted and paid at the new reimbursement rates. Additionally, the bill allows for a 2.2% raise for physician reimbursement rates. Despite this small-scale victory, there were no celebrations on Capitol Hill, as the same problem is on the verge of occurring yet again. In December, Medicare physicians are scheduled to face a 23% cut in reimbursement rates, increasing up to 30% by January. Policy experts, Medicare beneficiaries, and doctors alike are grateful for the fix, but believe that a permanent solution must be implemented. We hope that during the next six-months, Congress will be able pass a permanent solution to this recurring problem, and we still hope for a jobs and economic relief package.

Editorial : The Democrats had to remove the jobs unemployment bill to get this passed ! Thousands of unemployed, will no longer draw unemployment benefits. All you must do is, remember that Republicans don`t care about the unemployed middle class ! "Let Them Eat Cake" ! is their motto !

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- America Speaks: National Meeting to Take Place on Saturday

On June 26, America Speaks, an organization its creators describe as seeking to increase citizen involvement in public policy, will be holding a town hall meeting on the budget deficit in twenty different cities around the country. The participants will be connected via interactive technology. After the meeting, America Speaks and its partners will put together a series of recommendations; they will then present those findings to Congress and the President’s Fiscal Commission, most immediately when the Commission meets on June 30. The stated goal of the forum is to grant the public the ability to voice their opinions on how best to deal with the country’s financial troubles. However, many senior advocates fear that some will try to manipulate the discussion in order to blame Social Security unfairly for the national debt. “Social Security has not added a single cent to our debt. It is funded directly by payroll contributions from workers and employers,”

Editorial : Also remember that our Presidents borrow from our Social Security fund to finance the WARS ! Oh yes, they never pay it back !