Carol Shea-Porter and the Medicare Donut Hole

by: Dean Barker

Wed Jul 14, 2010 at 08:42:44 AM EDT

If you're on Medicare, the federal health program for people 65 and older and the disabled, and you've fallen into the prescription-drug coverage gap known as the doughnut hole this year, the U.S. government is putting a $250 check in the mail for you starting Thursday. You don't have to apply for your check because Medicare tracks your drug costs. The agency will send you your $250 check automatically as soon as you reach the coverage gap this year, experts from AARP said during a conference call Tuesday.

The closing of the Medicare Part D donut hole is a major achievement brought to you by the Democratic party, over unbending opposition from Republicans.

But what you may not know is the the critical role Carol Shea-Porter played in this aspect of the health care bill. Back in December, she was leading the charge:

While we applaud the Senate's efforts to shrink the donut hole in 2010, it would not be completely eliminated. The House language provides for similar immediate relief, but continues to make additional progress in the following years until the coverage gap is fully closed in 2019. Efforts to partially alleviate the financial burden caused by the gap are important, but they must be accompanied by a long-term approach that provides for the complete elimination of the donut hole. The House-passed language achieves precisely that.

Others may disagree, and they are many hands that went into this critical piece of the health reform bill, but I consider Shea-Porter's leadership on this to be her signature achievement in her time in congress so far.  She never backed down, and as a result we have a deficit-reducing bill that makes will significantly improve the lives of seniors.

It's CSP Week on BH. Learn more here about it. Get involved, and give what you can.

Sununu: Poor Penmanship Behind Obscene Rx Prices

by: Dean Barker

Fri Aug 10, 2007 at 13:05:07 PM EDT

The MIT man made it very clear that we shouldn't worry our tiny little plebeian brains over the the Most Very Truly Serious Issue of health care:

The guest speaker called the nation's health care dilemma the single most "complex" issue facing the country and urged residents not to oversimplify the issue.

"There is no bumper sticker slogan that solves the problem," said Sununu, adding that his sense is that individual stakeholders in the healthcare system are the best-equipped to make decisions about their medical needs.

As the "only engineer in the Senate" Sununu said he is pushing for the increased use of electronic prescriptions to avoid costly errors that can drive up the cost of health care.

Here's the best translation I could come up with for the rest of us Very Unserious Common Folk:

Stop complaining about health care, and stop watching Michael Moore movies.  The Very Important Companies that provide insurance to us at usury rates will be the same entities that will self-moderate their own greed.  Remember, I'm an Senator and an engineer, which makes me perhaps the Most Very Serious and Smart Person of all, so listen up.  Every time a doctor scribbles on a pad, we lose some money, and that's why your pills cost so much.  Computers (remember, I'm an engineer) are the answer.

Back in Reality Land, I had the pleasure of listening in on a conference call yesterday from three state reps who were announcing the publication of a new report from Americans United for Change on Republican obstruction by filibuster, which tactic is an important tool in the Sprinter's Bush enablin' box.  Here's what the report (sorry, no link yet) has to say about prescription drug prices through the lens of the Medicare Part D disaster:

The 2003 Medicare Modernization and Reauthorization Act, which provides prescription drug coverage to senior citizens, includes a provision that prohibits Medicare from using its bulk-buying power to negotiate lower prices with drug manufacturers. Enterprises ranging from Costco to the Department of Veterans Affairs to health plans in foreign countries negotiate for lower prices; but Medicare can not. Allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices would yield combined estimated savings for seniors and taxpayers of between $40 billion and $65 billion a year.

The bill passed the House by a wide margin. However, it was unable to overcome Republican opposition in the Senate. While the bill received a simple majority of votes, 60 votes were needed for cloture against a filibuster. Senator McConnell said, "Today the Senate protected healthcare access for tens of millions of seniors as well as price negotiations to ensure they pay the least amount of money for the prescription drugs they need."  However, his statement is false: In New Hampshire, over 81,500 people receive Part D help; if Medicare could negotiate prices, it could save over $104 million statewide in prescription costs.

Too bad for us John E. doesn't believe in government solutions to anything, and he was one of the monkey wrenchers to filibuster this bill.

I think I feel sick.