health benefit changes Obama bill

brief listof future benifits--list from ARA 3-2010


Health Care Reform: What's in it for Seniors

The Senate-passed health care reform bill dramatically cleared the House on a 219-212 vote Sunday night, and President Obama signed it into law on Tuesday. Please see the Alliance's Special Edition Friday Alert of March 23 at http://bit.ly/dttZ01 for more details of the related votes. The reform phases out the doughnut hole gap in prescription drug coverage, providing a $250 rebate in 2010 for seniors who fall into the hole. Beginning in 2011, seniors will receive a 50% percent discount on their prescription drugs when they fall into the doughnut hole, and by 2020 the doughnut hole will be completely eliminated. To see the Alliance's one-page write-up listing provisions in the health reform law that will affect seniors, along with the time line for their implementation, go to http://bit.ly/9mja6j. To summarize that document, the new law also:


•Covers preventive services; in 2011, seniors in Medicare will receive free annual check-ups with no co-payments for mammograms, colonoscopies and other preventive screenings;
•Supports early retiree coverage, providing financial assistance to employer health plans that cover early retirees;
•Encourages doctors to coordinate care and improve quality, creating incentives for providers to work together and reduce wasteful care like repeated tests;
•Removes obstacles to changing Part D prescription drug plans, allowing Part D enrollees to make a mid-year change in their enrollment if their plan makes an unexpected change;
•Expands the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy, which will significantly help struggling seniors afford their health care costs;
•Enacts the CLASS Act, creating new long-term assistance for seniors and the disabled;
•Enacts the Elder Justice Act, authorizing new criminal background checks on long-term care workers who have access to residents or patients; and
•Eliminates wasteful overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans while creating incentives for coordinated, high quality care across the health care spectrum, extending the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by 9 years and improving Medicare for generations to come.
For a listing of which changes take effect immediately, go to http://bit.ly/ag60lc. In short - in addition to the doughnut hole changes - within the next six months alone, the new law:


•Provides a $5 billion reinsurance fund to help employers who provide health benefits to early retirees ages 55 to 64 (goes into effect in 90 days);
•Eliminates pre-existing conditions for non-dependent children up to age 26;
•Prohibits insurers from placing lifetime limits on coverage;
•Restricts new plans' annual limits on coverage;
•Provides $5 billion to states to create a high risk insurance pool for those denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions and who have been without insurance for 6 months;
•Prohibits rescission, or dropping coverage, when individuals become sick;
•Creates a public health and wellness fund and requires new private insurance plans to offer preventive services without co-payments;
•Provides up to 35 % tax credits to small business that offer health care coverage; and
•Creates a new and independent health insurance appeals process for consumers

not the best, best will have to do

more Missouri Madness--House passes healthcare dud

The Missouri Healthcare Freedom Act has passed the Missouri House. The bill is a sham and here are details from: http://www.franklincountypatriots.org/2010/03/missouri-house-passes-heath-care-freedom-act/
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from Michael Boldin at The Tenth Amendment Center:

The Missouri State House has passed House Joint Resolution 48 (HJR48). The legislation, known as the “Missouri Health Care Freedom Act” seeks to make public policy for the state that every person within the state of Missouri is and shall be free to choose or decline to choose any mode of securing health care services without penalty or threat of penalty by the federal government of the United States of America.

Here’s the official summary of the bill:

Upon voter approval, this proposed constitutional amendment prohibits any person, employer, or health care provider from being compelled to participate in any health care system. Individuals and employers may pay directly for lawful health care services without being subject to fines or penalties, and health care providers can accept payment for health care services from individuals or employers without being subject to fines or penalties. The purchase or sale of health care insurance in private health care systems cannot be prohibited by law or rule.

The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution codifies in law that the federal government is one of limited, delegated powers – and that all powers not enumerated in the Constitution are reserve “to the States, respectively, or to the People.”

The founders, during the time of the Constitution’s ratification, made clear that a vast majority of regulatory powers would be left in the states – including social services, agriculture, mining, and more. Click here to read more.

The resolution passed by a vote of 113-40, and is awaiting transmittal to the State Senate.

In an update to supporters, the resolution’s primary sponsor, State Rep. Jane Cunningham, pledged to see the effort through:
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This sham foisted off on the public is most likely unconstitutional. States do not have the right to "nullify" federal programs no matter what the state constitution reads.

This "bill" is part of a reactionary package going to be passed to voters by our fearless leaders. I might note, if your representative voted for this; time for a change.

Once again our fearless leaders in Jefferson City seeks to avoid their duty and pass off garbage to the voters.