BUSH RAISES MEDICARE PREMIUMS 17% (this matters)

[Joanne98]

SPREAD THIS AROUND PLEASE...........

WASHINGTON - Medicare premiums for doctor visits will rise 17 percent next year, the Bush administration said Friday. The $11.60-a-month increase is the largest in the program's 40-year-history.



Monthly payments for Part B of the government health care program for older and disabled Americans — doctor visits and most other non-hospital expenses — will jump to $78.20 from $66.60.


The premiums are updated annually under a formula set by law. The federal government picks up about 75 percent of the cost of Part B benefits and beneficiaries pay the rest.


The increase reflects rapidly rising health costs and last year's Medicare overhaul, said Dr. Mark McClellan, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. For example, the law blocked a planned 4.5 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians and replaced it with a 1.5 percent increase.


With the 30% rise in drug prices this year and now this. Bush has raised medical costs on seniors 47%. GOP stands for GET OLD PEOPLE.
Florida and Arizona (both swing states) have large retirement communities. Another thing. EVANGELICAL CHRISIANS should be accused directly to their faces, of delibertly voting to KILL old people. This is more proof they're a "greedy death cult".

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20040903/ap_on_go_ot/medicare_premiums

RATE IT A FIVE........

[displacedtexan]

1. Gouge Old People is a better description imho. eom

[Joanne98]

2. Yeah Gouge Old People by Greedy Old Preachers n/t

[displacedtexan]

3. Excellent, Joanne98!

:yourock:

[liberalnurse]

5. They can't afford their medicine as it stands now.

Oh, I seriously believe they want them dead......cost effective.

One by one, the drug companies are eliminating the discount drug cards. I just heard Pfizer will drop theirs....


You see, Medicare does not pay for brandname drugs, just generic ones. Many of the new life-saving drugs are brand name; thus discount cards are essential for purchase:

http://www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com/PfizerFriends.aspx

What Pfizer medicines are available?
With Pfizer Pfriends, you can save on most Pfizer medicines including:

Accupril® (quinapril HCI)
Accuretic™ (quinapril HCI/hydrochlorothiazide)
Antivert® (meclizine HCI)
Arthrotec® (diclofenac sodium and misoprostol)
Bextra® (valdecoxib)
Caduet® (amlodipine besylate/atorvastatin calcium)
Cardura® (doxazosin mesylate)
Celebrex® (celecoxib)
Celontin® (methsuximide)
Covera-HS® (verapamil hydrochloride extended-release)
Cytotec® (misoprostol)
Detrol® (tolterodine tartrate)
Detrol®LA (tolterodine tartrate extended release)
Diabinese® (chlorpropamide)
Diflucan® (fluconazole)
Dilantin® (phenytoin)
Dostinex® (cabergoline)
Feldene® (piroxicam)
Fragmin® (dalteparin sodium)
Geocillin® (carbenicillin indanyl sodium)
Geodon® (ziprasidone HCI)
Glucotrol® (glipizide)
Glucotrol XL® (glipizide extended release)
Glyset® (miglitol)
Inspra® (eplerenone)
Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium)
Lopid® (gemfibrozil)

Minipress® (prazosin HCI)
Minizide® (prazosin HCl/polythiazide)
Mycobutin® (rifabutin)
Nardil® (phenelzine sulfate)
Navane® (thiothixene)
Neurontin® (gabapentin)
Nicotrol® (nicotine)
Nitrostat® (nitroglycerin)
Norvasc® (amlodipine besylate)
Procardia® (nifedipine)
Procardia XL® (nifedipine extended release)
Relpax® (eletriptan HBr)
Rescriptor® (delavirdine mesylate)
Sinequan® (doxepin HCI)
Terramycin® Ophthalmic Ointment (oxytetracycline HCl with polymyxin B sulfate)
Tikosyn® (dofetilide)
VFEND® (voriconazole)
Viagra® (sildenafil citrate)
Vibramycin® (doxycycline hyclate)
Viracept® (nelfinavir mesylate)
Vistaril® (hydroxyzine pamoate)
Xalatan® (latanoprost ophthalmic solution)
Zarontin® (ethosuximide)
Zithromax® (azithromycin)
Zoloft® (sertraline HCI)
Zyrtec® (cetirizine HCI)
Zyrtec-D 12 Hour™ (cetirizine HCI/pseudoephedrine HCI)
Zyvox™ (linezolid)

[Joanne98]

7. Pfizer ALREADY dropped theirs. As of two days ago.

Seriously. If you know anybody who can't afford their prescriptions. Google Benefit Check. You can apply for free drugs thru your doctor. It's a program put out by the drug companies. All you need is your last tax return forms. You doctor submits your application to the drug companies and if they approve, they send the pills to your doctors office each month. You have to re-apply every three months. I did this for my mother and she saved three hundred dollars a month.

http://www.benefitscheckup.org/

Her it is. We have to keep our liberal old people alive so they can vote against Bush.

[liberalnurse]

9. Thanks......

I know quite a few.......this information can save their life.

[Joanne98]

13. please use it. It really works.

Some of the most exspensive drugs are on the list. Sugar and blood pressure and heart. :)

[clydefrand]

4. But this ONLY hurts the poor, old people.

There are many well-to-do people who receive Medicare through SS benefits that won't even know they've been assessed these higher premiums.

[FloridaPat]

6. Now this will piss off the people in Florida, A way to get all that

money he's sending down here for hurricane relief.

[rullery]

8. Yes, my Pfizer Share Card expired Aug. 31

I was able to get a 3-month refill of my Lipitor prescription before the card was discontinued. However beginning in 2005 I will need to go to a generic statin drug, as I cannot afford the high price of Lipitor. Just my own personal observation.

We really need to get this news out to retired people. I have lived in Florida since I retired four years ago. Once folks down here get the news of this significant increase for Medicare, we can count on Florida going for Kerry. We'll just have to be careful that brother Jeb, our governor, doesn't steal the election again!

[liberalnurse]

10. Lots of work/watching and activism needed there

by our beloved retired mentors.

[Joanne98]

14. Try this web site

http://www.benefitscheckup.org /

You can get free prescriptions from the drug companies if your eligable. i did it for my mom she saved three hundred a month.

[louis c]

11. By the way

you duped my thread


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2307466

[Joanne98]

15. Yeah i know. i wanted to put it in the campaign section.

Thankyou louis c :)

[louis c]

17. That's OK

we're on the same page. but in different sections.

[molly]

12. It's at 3.97 after my vote

[PA Democrat]

16. And seniors got a mere 2.1% COLA for Social Security this year

How do they figure that when for many of the poorest seniors health care costs represent a huge chunk of their income?