CSCS: Council of Senior Centers and Services of NYC, Inc.

With all the misinformation flying around these days, CSCS’ testimony at a recent hearing tried to dig up the truth about health care reform not pulling the plug on grandma. Couldn’t be further from reality.

After reading Section 1233, “Advance Care Planning Consultation”, in HR3200, it is evident that the idea of “death panels” is totally ungrounded:
Section (5) “actionable medical order relating to the treatment of that individual that”…section (5)(A)(ii), “effectively communicates the individual’s preferences regarding life sustaining treatment (emphasis added), including an indication of the treatment and care desired by the individual;”.

Read the text of the HR3200 yourself

I have a living will and health care proxy. So does my 91 year old mother and other members of my family and friends. It is progress to have Medicare cover the cost of individuals developing their end of life plan with a health care professional and was originally inserted as part of the Medicare Part D legislation passed in 2006 under President George Bush. No one objected to this then and some now objecting voted for this as part of the Medicare Part D legislation without a problem. So, why are the voices so loud opposed to this now? Rather than a “death panel”, this should be called “end of life dignity”.

To read more of Bobbie’s testimony head to our website

Websites providing independent, objective information about health care reform:

• www.kff.org - the Kaiser Family Foundation
• www.politifact.com – a project of the St. Petersburg Times to check the accuracy of certain political statements
• www.factcheck.org – a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center

For more information on HR3200 and Medicare check out the Medicare Rights Center

Wendell Potter, the former head of public relations with Cigna, one of the largest health insurance companies, is now a chief whistleblower speaking out on the abuses of health insurance providers. His interview with Bill Moyers is very revealing as to how the health insurance industry has worked to use less and less money to pay claims and keep the status quo in current efforts to reform health care: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv1FwOCNoZ8

What do you think about the health care legislation?  Did President Obama’s speech last night address your concerns?

What should President Obama and Congress include in health care reform to provide long term care and chronic care for older Americans? What do you think? It is important not to lose sight of what is important in health care reform - and not pay attention to the vitriol out there.

With Congress home for the August break, we each have to contact our Congressmembers and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to make sure Medicare and Medicaid stays in financial shape to serve today’s seniors and tomorrow’s boomers when they become seniors (even though Boomers hate to think about that fact). Medicare does not cover long term care services to keep someone in the community and people have to go into poverty to get Medicaid long term care services -  and there is still a lot of silence on this issue from Washington. Break the silence!

Do you think Congress and the President will really reform health care to make it more affordable, eliminate pre-existing conditions, have a public plan and everything else they are promising? Does Medicare or your health insurance (if you have any) work for you? Do you think Washington understands the pain on the street for Americans and health care?