 
Fuzzy senior “Rx Drug Plan”
being rushed through Senate based on “feelings,” not
numbers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Senate on verge of passing
catastrophic change without time to read the bill. 2. Ranking member cites “alignment
of stars” & “feelings” as reasons to pass. 3. Could push seniors out of private
plans onto taxpayers’ tab. 4. ACTION NEEDED! Tell Senators to
slow down and take time for debate. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SENATE ON VERGE OF
PASSING ANOTHER UN-READ BILL Let me emphasize
OUTLINE, because the specific language of the bill has not been
finalized. But that isn’t
stopping the Senate Finance Committee from holding an Executive Session and
voting on it Thursday morning. It
is expected to hit the Senate floor on Monday, June 16. SENATOR CITES “STAR
ALIGNMENT” AND “GOOD FEELINGS” AS REASONS TO PASS Ranking member of the
Finance Committee, Max Baucus (D-MT ) admitted in a statement this week that
“some may take issue with the speed of our deliberations,” and that he would
like to hold up the bill until there are firm cost estimates. In his statement,
committee chairman, Charles Grassley (R-IA), claims the bill “gets the most bang
for our buck,” but offers no figures to back that up. Despite these
concerns, both urge action. Says
Baucus, “Sometimes there comes a time when you fish or cut bait….This year, the
stars are aligned….I have a good feeling about the progress we’ve
made.” What Sen. Baucus
really means is that there is $400 billion of your money sitting on the table
available for them spend on this new benefit. And he’s afraid if they don’t grab the
money now – even for what he admits is a seriously flawed bill – they may not
get another go-round at the money grab this session. (Read both statements at http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/press.htm) TAXPAYER NUMBERS DON’T
LOOK GOOD Since we don’t know
the details yet, we can’t comment on the merits. But what we do know so far is that the
bill would create a UNIVERSAL government plan that would act as a floor, rather
than ceiling, for private plans.
That means that lower-cost private plans that offer basic coverage would
no longer be allowed to do so – they would have to match the government plan,
giving seniors little or no choice of type of plans to
choose. Further, this means
that we can expect a massive exodus as people bail out of private coverage they
now hold and run to the taxpayer-funded entitlement instead – “a profound
mistake” according to Heritage Foundation and the
TELL SENATORS TO THINK
BEFORE THEY SPEND YOUR MONEY We will keep you
posted on specifics of the bill as they become available, but in the meantime,
tell your Senators to take their time on this bill. This is a massive change to an already
severely flawed program. One way or
another, we will be paying for it for the rest of our lives. (Remember, the
original 1965 estimates for Medicare costs are a minuscule percentage of our
current reality.) Ask them to allow
enough time to: --Read the
bill --Allow for public
debate --Allow for debate on
the floor. This is too important
to rush! CLICK
HERE TO LINK TO SENATORS Senate switchboard: (202) 224 -
2131 SIGN UP FOR
MEMBERS-ONLY WEB OR JOIN AAPS TODAY Advance release of
AAPS news and reports is just one benefit of your AAPS membership. You’ll also
receive free videos, the AAPS peer-reviewed journal, reduced meeting fees, and
access to free limited legal consultation. SAVE UP TO $150 ON THE ANNUAL MEETING
FEES! Join your colleagues
in the best organization in medicine! Find out
more about joining AAPS. Sign up/log in members-only
section of the website. Association of American
Physicians and Surgeons (800)
635-1196 (520) 325-4230
Fax www.aapsonline.org |