This political football has created a group of people that cannot pay for their drugs because of a crazy program that is based on Social Security that was never supposed to give people enough money to pay for their medical bills. So instead we have a drug industry that makes billions of dollars in profits on the backs of those that pay for research on the pills that we are charged $1000+ a month for. These companies due to keep generic drug makers from creating drugs that can be afforded by all. It is interesting that the costs of the same drug in the US is a fraction of that amount in Canada or even India. Each country pays a different amount but we are too stupid to make these same deals with the drug makers. To add insult to injury Medicare is not allowed by law to purchase drugs from other countries for less than what we are charged for them now. The US pays for all of the research but does not gain any of the benefits of that research. Instead the poor of the country are forced to pay outrageous amounts of money for drugs that they need to stay alive. We need to make some decisions as a country on how we deal with those that are disabled and elderly. Either we are going to pay for their medical care or not – not the bits and pieces we are now. By only allowing these people to take their drugs every 6 months, their health is deteriorating to the point that they are dying before they should because of the damage caused by not taking their medications. Lets close the doughnut hole and give people the medical care that they need to live useful lives.

The medical care bill changes are the least of our problems with an ever increasing disabled population. All these programs are running out of money or are rationing what little money is left. Vocational Rehab which has been helping the disabled get back to work are finding that they can only help those that are presently in the program. Any new people are being put into a queue that may or may not be funded this year or next. So we will have large groups of people that want to get back to work but cannot even talk to a counselor because there is  no money to convert cars or put ramps in a home. Decisions have to be made on what will be done to help the disabled and how will funding be increased over time as workers who have been paying taxes over the last 40 years move over to Social Security and disability payments. Somehow we need to get more workers paying into these programs or we will be in deficit. The government has been in deficit for many years and managed to start to pay things off in the 1990s but economic problems have put all these programs in serious trouble.

Many analysts have said that Social Security and Medicare will run out of money by 2030, forcing people into nursing homes or halfway houses to pay the bills. Many of those people will be disabled by that time and will need specialized care if they are remove from their homes. No one knows where the money for those doctors and nurses that can work with the disabled but they must come from somewhere. It is doubtful that the population of the United States will put up with pushing the elderly and disabled on the streets panhandling for money because the governmental programs that were put in place to help them are now of money for good. No one wants to increase taxes but something has to be done or there will be substantial changes that will make the middle class disappear with a divide of services between the super rich and the ever increasing poor population.

There have been several attempts to change the way medical care is doled out in the United States but is has been shot down every time. This is the closest that anyone has come to creating a omnibus bill for medical care. While it is not perfect everyone can see that we cannot continue to zoom down the way we are going because Medicare and Social Security are both in big trouble financially speaking. Something has to be done in the next 10 to 15 years or many programs that Americans use to live on after working their entire lives will crash and burn. That does not include all those (and we are talking millions) that depend on those programs because of a catastrophic injury that forced them to be disabled. The disabled usually cannot work anymore and without Social Security would be tossed out on the street (along with their family) and without Medicare would also lose their home because of skyrocketing medical bills. It is not unreasonable for many on Medicare to lose their prescription drug program after 5 or 6 months because of the way the law works and then stop taking their drugs until the next year. Many die of heart attacks or worse because they cannot afford to take the drugs they need to stay alive. It is a scary thing to think about but we all will eventually get to that point as we get old and our bodies give out. So if you think that this does not effect you, give it a few decades and we’ll see how you feel about no programs in place to help with paying the bills. Read up and stay tuned, it is going to be a bumpy ride.

Hopefully the state will ask the federal government for help on these programs before large groups of people are effected by the cuts. These may not seem a big deal but if these people don’t take care of simple problems with their feet and teeth, those problems will become worse and will cost more to get fixed. This means going to the emergency room and putting strain on other state budget areas that would not normally have to handle these issues. Perhaps the state can look at all of the areas of the budget and spread the cuts over a larger area so that people are not hit as hard. If Boston were to cut the hours that state agencies were open by a few hours a week that could make a lot of money available to prop up services like the ones needed by the disabled community until either the economy improves or federal money becomes available. While families should be there for the disabled, they cannot always have money available because they have their own bills and children that need to be helped. Medical bills tend to be expensive and many people now do not have the extra money that they used to that could be used to pay for bills that popped up with out notice. Hopefully the work that has been done in the senate will make it easier for everyone to get health insurance and to get medical help. Otherwise hospital emergency rooms are going to be filled to capacity with people that don’t have emergencies, but do not have anywhere else to go to get help.,

Doctors cannot work like the government – run for years in deficit and then print up new  money to pay for the previous losses. They need to be able to pay for bills and salaries as they come in and if they do not get enough money from patients coming in then they have to close down. That is in essence what is happening to the Medicare recipients and local doctors. They cannot afford to take care of us at the rate the federal government pays out so they flat out refuse to see us. So much for the medical coverage handed out by the government. I paid huge sums of money to the tax structure of this country before I was injured. As a software consultant I paid all that was owed so others could be helped and that I would be if something terrible happened. Well that time was three years ago when a hit and run driver ran me down and left me for dead in the street. As a tertraplegic stuck with complex regional pain syndrome I find it all but impossible to hold down a job because I am hospitalised as least once a month for pain or things tied to the pain. The last week of the month is back to back visits to all my doctors so we can figure out how to deal with problems with my spine and infections that are in the bone. So I live off of SSDI and hope and pray that Medicare allows my doctors and hospitals to continue to see me. My pharmaceutical issues would blow most people away and to show how fun things have been I hit the doughnut hole in June, and blew past it in August and am now having Critical Care government payments covering my drugs at 95%. That is until next year when I somehow have to find $2500 to get though the doughnut hole again. I’m hoping my pain doctor can get me on cheaper drugs soon, and that is assuming he will still see me after the new medical bill becomes law.

There are many things to be fixed in our medical system, but the way we are doing it now will guarantee the death of thousands. If we cannot see our doctors and hospitals and get the drugs we need at a rate we can afford, then we might as well throw in the towel and stop pretending that Medicare pays for things. Lets start thinking about how doctors pay for their bills and how they can stay in business and allow Medicare the pay at those rates or we will soon see a time where Medicare is a terrible thing to have to deal with. Here is to our Senate and House members to talk to everyone involved and forget about the insurance companies and lawyers who are killing out medical system. With the bill going through congress we are all running out of time.

Considering the omnibus health care bill that is slowly making it’s way through congress, all, of us needs to tell our congressmen what we need in health care. Protection of personal data is extremely important as more and more companies depend on the Internet to send your data to hospitals and payroll companies. This gives more people access to your data, but without it you could not get the care you need. Call and tell your congressman and senators what you think about security and health care. Are you happy with Medicare or Social Security as it is? Doubtful. Everyone we talk to have major problems with all governmental agencies and that translates into drugs that insurance companies won’t pay for or services that your doctor needs that will not be ok’d. We have said this before but unless out voices are heard you can expect medical coverage to get worse and tyhe disabled to be forgotten about in all aspects of medical care. If you don’t want to be at the bottom of the barrel in the medical system now is the time to open your mouth. Congress wants to hear from you because you are a voter (you vote don’t you??) and as such have power. Once the bill is passed into law we are done. There is little we can do to change things for a long time. Don’t let this time pass by without getting involved.

Americans are used to dramatically overpaying for equipment and services for some time. The all time classic was the military spending over $1000 for a hammer that anyone could purchase at the corner hardware store. It is sad that government contracts allow this type of insanity to continue, but many parts of congress do not have rules to purchase from the lowest bidder or to even try and negotiate with the supplier. It is bad enough when the military buys things that they can get cheaper, but Medicare is costing a fortune as it is so any savings would be helpful. If we are to get a handle on Medicare and Medicaid costs, then we need to start here. There is no reason to overpay on items merely because the government is used to doing business with a particular company. There is no way that we can keep overpaying on medical care and expect our tax structure to keep up with the increases.

All of us have a stake in making medicare care in this country affordable and safe. Doctors need to be able to order procedures and drugs without having to worry about what will be paid and what will not be. No one’s health ca be tied to a price tag and no one should have to worry that someone else will decide whether they will be healed or nor. As is stands now under Medicare Part D, insurance companies can decide what drugs to cover and which they don’t. If you pick a company that covers what you are taking now but get sick, you may not be able to get the drugs you need. This is especially true of expensive drugs that do not have a generic to purchase. Powerful pain drugs like Actiq are not covered so if you have chronic pain there may be no drugs you can take that are covered. So you get to suffer because of bureaucratic red tape. This needs to stop. There is no reason why a drug a doctor prescribes is not made available and covered by insurance. Unless this is fixed we will have a group of have and have nots. WHile that is bad enough in schools, it ks inexcusable for medical care.

Everyone deserves the best that we can properly afford. Please contact your congressman and senators to let them know what you think about this. The new bill going through congress will never be the best it can be unless we all participate and let everyone know what we need. Democracies are not spectator sports. If we don’t participate, don’t complain about what happens with the new Medicare changes.

We have all heard of the hecklers in the town meetings over the last few weeks but it is unbelievable what happened to this woman in New Jersey. Regardless of where you are in the political spectrum, there is no excuse to verbally assault someone who has the floor during a meeting. Plus there is no reason to attack someone personally because you do not want to hear their view. In a democracy we expect different ideas on how things are to be done so we can pick the best one for our country’s needs. No one has exclusive rights to good ideas such that no one else can speak their mind. Those that believe that  need to take an American government class so they can get a grasp on how this republic operates. Everyone has a right to speak their mind, regardless of how horrible it sounds to you.

How many of those that heckled this woman would be willing to drop their cable and Internet connection and live in public housing. If you do not have a chronic medical problem then you truly do not understand how things work for those that rely on Medicare and Medicaid. Many pills and procedures that are used everyday on those with private insurance find they cannot get help with Medicare. The dough nut hole requires people to come up with thousands of dollars of their own money before catastrophic care kicks in. Many live on social security and do  not have thousands to throw around so stop taking their medication until the beginning of the new year. That can be a death sentence to those on heart or cancer medications. Issues like these need to be fixed so that we do not kill our citizens in the name of controlling costs. Those on social security are not people that should not have rights. We have all worked hard and paid into the system and now find ourselves severely injured because of an auto accident or have been forced to retire at 65 and now are trying to make ends meet.

If we don’t deal with this soon, we will truly have two type of people in America, those that have and those that have not. Money should not be the only measurement to determine if someone should live or have constitutional rights. Those that work and are in power have a responsibility to help those that cannot  help themselves. If we don’t then we will not continue to be a world power as social issues will eat away at the basic structure of how our country works. Lets help everyone to be the best that they can be so we don’t have situations like we are creating now. Lets make sure we keep a country that gives everyone a chance to succeed so that everyone wants to emigrate here. If we don’t we will experience the brain drain that many countries experienced over the 20th century.

We have seen or read about the town hall meetings on healthcare and the yelling matches they have turned into. While it is easy to see why everyone is upset at the possible changes that will be made to our medical system, working to get things fixed is a better place to put your energy. We all want medical care that is affordable, safe and effective. Some stores like Walmart have made deals with the drug companies to reduce the cost of their medications and we should have the government do the same. The drug companies need to make money so they can research new drugs, but the spiraling costs are going to make it impossible for an of us to afford them. The disabled are in the worst possible situation because most are on SSDI and cannot afford the more expensive drugs with the already existing plan. Add that to the doughnut hole and we have a need to do dramatic changes so that everyone has access to the drugs and services they need.

Not changing anything is guaranteeing that thousands of people will die because they cannot afford their medication after hitting the doughnut hole. The new plan has worked out a deal for the drug companies to charge 50% of the cost while in the doughnut hole. That is a good place to start, but more work needs to be done. When you need to spend two thousand of your own dollars before you can get out of the hole and into catastrophic care something needs to be done. Most in SSDI cannot afford thousands of dollars let alone hundreds. The doughnut hole needs to be removed so that those that run out of benefits under medicare automatically move into catastrophic care without a giant outlay of money. People on heart medication only take it six months out of the year because they run out of benefits and don’t have the money to pay for it themselves. That is something worthy of being fixed and should be agreeable to everyone. No one should have to die before changes are made so that those that need medical care can get it at a price they can afford. Having world class care that we all can afford is a worthy endeavor we can all work toward.

This was a revelation for the medical community because each year Medicare pays for over 40,000 of these procedures that typically costs around $3,000. Now the medical community needs to figure out what to do with these results. The patients that receive the cement in their spinal bones report dramatic decreases in pain, but the statistics prove that doing nothing does the same thing. Doctors are unwilling at this time to take away this procedure because it works so well for their patients. The real issue will be coming up when changes to the medical system happen later this year. Tests for which procedures work best and are most economical will be demanded of all procedures before they will be allowed to be performed. As part of the price control of Medicare and other programs, all procedures are going to have to prove themselves or the Government will not pay the bill. 

The question we all have to ask is do we keep procedures that appear to work even after studies say they do not? Is it ethical to remove procedures that dramatically reduces pain and gives people back they lives? Do double blind studies always prove the validity of a procedure or how well it performs? These are all tough questions we will have to ask ourselves as we decide how medicine is practiced in the United States. While it is assured that things are going to change, what that change will be is yet to be seen.