JFActivist

Insurer Ends Health Program Rather than Pay for Services

From the Washington Times (10/14/09):

Insurer ends health program rather than pay out big
By William Ehart

Ian Pearl has fought for his life every day of his 37 years. Confined to a wheelchair and hooked to a breathing tube, the muscular dystrophy victim refuses to give up.

But his insurance company already has.

Legally barred from discriminating against individuals who submit large claims, the New York-based insurer simply canceled lines of coverage altogether in entire states to avoid paying high-cost claims like Mr. Pearl's.

In an e-mail, one Guardian Life Insurance Co. executive called high-cost patients such as Mr. Pearl "dogs" that the company could "get rid of."

A federal court quickly ruled that the company's actions were legal, so on Dec. 1, barring an order by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Mr. Pearl will lose his benefits...

>>> For the Full Article

Action Alert: Sign On to Health Care Letter to Congress

From CCD (10/9/09):

The below letter outlines the CCD Health and Long Term Services and Supports Task Forces' priorities for the Senate health reform bill.  It is consistent with everything we have advocated for over the past year and was approved by the CCD Task Force Co-Chairs.

We would like as many as possible national, state, and local organizations in the disability community to sign on to the letter.  Everyone can sign on easily by completing the short form at this link:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFZQQnU1SkxKUk9nVWgzLThlT0tSTXc6MA

So, please forward this request to your networks and other organizations. This letter is NOT for sign-on by individuals -- only organizations.

***Sign-on deadline: COB Wednesday, October 14.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at
savage@thedpc.org.   

Thanks very much,  Liz

Liz Savage
Director, Health and Housing Policy
Disability Policy Collaboration - A Partnership of The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy

Letter:

October  , 2009

The Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader                             

The Honorable Tom Harkin, HELP Committee Chairman   
                                                 
The Honorable Max Baucus, Finance Committee Chairman                 

The Honorable Chris Dodd, Senator

RE:      Critical Issues for People with Disabilities in Health Care Reform


Dear Senators Reid, Baucus, Harkin and Dodd:

The undersigned members of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD)*, as well as disability organizations that are not CCD members, sincerely thank you and express our appreciation for your tireless efforts to bring about comprehensive health care reform that ensures all Americans, including individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions, have access to high quality, comprehensive, affordable health care that meets their individual needs and enables them to be healthy, functional, live as independently as possible, and participate in the community.

We believe that a bill that meets the needs of persons with disabilities and chronic conditions will truly meet the needs of all Americans.  As you merge the HELP and Finance Committee bills, we urge you to include in the leadership bill that goes to the Senate floor the following provisions. 

Private Market Reforms

1.    All private insurance market reforms should apply to as many health plans as possible as fast as possible, within and outside the exchange, including all employer-based plans. Market reforms of particular importance to the disability community include:

a.    the elimination of discrimination based on health status and disability;
b.    prohibitions on pre-existing condition exclusions;
c.    guaranteed issue and renewal requirements;
d.    elimination of experience rating;
e.    elimination of annual and lifetime caps in benefits; and,
f.    parity in benefits requirements.

2.    The benefit package must include “rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices,” such as durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and related supplies (DMEPOS).  This language appears in the HELP Committee bill.  Clarification that “behavioral health services” are covered as “mental health and substance abuse services” is also very important.  This language appears in the Finance Committee package.  Coverage of these benefits by private health plans is absolutely critical to meeting the needs of people with disabilities and chronic conditions.
 
3.    For purposes of defining health care terms for ease in comparing benefits between health plans, the term “durable medical equipment” (DME) should be clarified in the statute so the Secretary does not adopt the misguided and inappropriate “in the home” restriction used under the Medicare program. The term “DME” should be defined to include wheelchairs and other mobility devices that are used outside, as well as inside, the person’s home to enable community participation.  The term “prosthetics and orthotics” should be defined separately by the Secretary so there is no confusion that these are two separate and distinct benefits.

4.    Private coverage must be truly affordable, especially for individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions, and their families.  Subsidies to purchase coverage through the Health Insurance Exchange as well as out-of-pocket limits for low income individuals and families must be adequate to meaningfully subsidize coverage.

5.    The final bill should offer immediate access to state high risk pools for people who cannot otherwise access private insurance while the Health Insurance Exchanges are being established.

6.    Preemption of state benefit mandates should be minimized when pooling risk across state lines or if national plans are permitted.

Medicaid and Long-Term Services and Supports

1.    Medicaid eligibility should be expanded to cover individuals and families up to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).  This represents a major public investment in health care that will benefit low income individuals with disabilities and their families.

2.    The Community First Choice Option must be included in the bill to finally address the institutional bias in Medicaid. This new state option would provide individuals with disabilities who are eligible for nursing homes and other institutional settings with options to receive community-based services and supports.

3.    Inclusion of the “CLASS Act” is also critical to the needs of people with functional limitations that place them at risk of needing long term care.  The CLASS Act would create a voluntary insurance program to assist in providing people with functional disabilities access to long term services and supports necessary to remain independent. The program will be solvent, affordable, and save Medicaid money.
 
4.    The “free rider” employer fee exemption for individuals on Medicaid must be included in the final bill in order to eliminate financial disincentives to hire Medicaid beneficiaries.

The Medicare Program

1.    The Senate should reject proposals that bundle post-acute care (PAC) services with acute care hospital services, and show restraint when considering proposals that bundle post acute care in a variety of settings.  Any provisions relating to PAC bundling should require CMS to conduct rigorous demonstration projects to test PAC bundling before widespread implementation; require strong consumer protections and validated measurement tools; and exempt from the bundled payment specialty, low prevalence treatments (e.g., traumatic brain injury) and highly customized or relatively expensive items (e.g., limb prosthetics, custom orthotics, complex rehab mobility devices).  In the context of pilot programs, the Senate bill should include consideration of the Continuing Care Hospital (CCH) concept, where PAC bundling would be directed by those with PAC experience, not acute care hospital providers.

2.    Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities below age 65 and those with end stage renal disease (ESRD) should have access to guaranteed issue and renewability of Medigap supplemental policies, the same way that seniors on Medicare do today.  To limit out-of-pocket costs, ESRD beneficiaries should also have a choice to join Medicare Advantage plans.  S. 1669, the Equal Access to Medicare Options Act of 2009, a bill introduced by Senator Kerry, would accomplish both of these goals and we urge inclusion of these provisions in the health reform bill.  It makes little sense to prohibit discrimination based on health status in the private insurance market and then permit such discrimination to continue to occur in the Medigap market.

3.    The outpatient therapy caps exceptions process should be extended for two years to ensure that beneficiaries who need rehabilitation therapy the most receive it.

4.    To preserve access to physicians and therapists for individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions, adequate and appropriate payment levels for physicians and therapists should be maintained.

Prevention, Effectiveness Research and Other Policies

1.    The prevention provisions in the Senate bill should include prevention of secondary conditions, strategies to prevent injuries, and the collection of scientifically verifiable data concerning effective interventions that will prevent secondary conditions and maintain function for persons with disabilities and chronic conditions.

2.    Comparative effectiveness research (CER) should be an important tool in helping distinguish between the effectiveness of both existing and emerging treatment options. However, CER should not lead to inappropriate restrictions in coverage of and access to therapies, treatments, medications, and devices for persons with disabilities and chronic conditions. Outcomes of CER should not be a substitute for the clinical judgment of the physician or health care professional in consultation with the patient.

3.    “Disability” should be recognized as a demographically identifiable category for purposes of research and included in reporting and other requirements related to health care disparities along with other categories such as race, gender, and socio-economic status.  CMS should survey providers to determine where people with disabilities receive treatment, where the providers are located, whether their facilities and equipment are accessible, and whether their employees have received disability awareness training.

4.    Diagnostic and treatment equipment must be accessible to those with disabling impairments. Accessibility guidelines for such equipment should be developed by the Access Board and then adopted as standards by applicable federal agencies.

5.    A Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute should be established with governance derived from the input of patients, providers, government officials and other stakeholders to focus primarily on clinical effectiveness rather than cost-effectiveness.  With a patient-centered process, there is a greater opportunity to provide assurance that this important research will lead to improved patient care and not reduced cost through restrictions in coverage and access to treatment options.

Again, we thank you for your extraordinary leadership to bring about comprehensive healthcare reform which ensures that individuals with disabilities and chronic conditions have access to high quality, comprehensive, affordable health care. We look forward to working with you to enact legislation that not only meets needs of people with disabilities and chronic conditions, but of all Americans. 

If you have any questions, please contact the CCD Co-Chairs listed below.

Sincerely,


CCD Members and other National, State and Local Organizations:

CCD Health Task Force Co-chairs:

Peter Thomas, Brain Injury Association of America
Mary Andrus, Easter Seals
Liz Savage, The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy Disability Policy Collaboration
Angela Ostrom, Epilepsy Foundation
Tim Nanof, American Occupational Therapy Association

CCD Long Term Services and Supports Task Force Co-Chairs:

Marty Ford, The Arc and United Cerebral Palsy Disability Policy Collaboration
Suellen Galbraith, American Network of Community Options and Resources
Lee Page, Paralyzed Veterans of America
Andrew Morris, United Spinal Association

URGENT: Save Long Term Services and Supports in Health Care Reform

From CCD (10/7/09):

URGENT: We understand that the CLASS Act is coming under attack as the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committees begin to merge the two bills into one Senate health reform bill.  Please have lots of people sign and FAX the attached message (Download CLASS Act letter) to their Democratic Senator who serves on one of those Committees (Finance or Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)).  This is urgent.  Please spread the word and get people to FAX these messages ASAP.

The message needs to be FAXed to Capitol Hill offices tonight (October 7) and Thursday morning (October 8). For your Senator's Fax info go to your Senator's website at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Whatever you can do would be great.  The CLASS Act and the CFC Option are complementary and CLASS supports the CFC Option.

ASAN Protests Autism Speaks "I am Autism" Campaign

From the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) 9/24/09:

 Help Us Protest Autism Speaks and Tell Bruce Springsteen to End His Support For Them!

Hello,

As many of you are aware, Autism Speaks sunk to a new low this week - even for them! Their new "I am Autism" campaign repeats the same tired old lies as the NYU Child Study Center's Ransom Notes ads, which our community successfully stopped in 2007, and goes even further, presenting Autistic people as useless burdens on society, on our families and on the world at large. "I am autism. I have no interest in right or wrong. I will plot to rob you of your children and your dreams....And if you're happily married, I will make sure that your marriage fails. Your money will fall into my hands, and I will bankrupt you for my own self-gain," says the video campaign. Full text is available here. As we did in response to the "Ransom Notes" ads, we are preparing a joint letter from the disability community in response to these horrific statements, which we hope to have available early next week. If you are connected to an organization that might be interested in signing on to such a letter, please e-mail info@autisticadvocacy.org immediately.

In addition, we are encouraging people to act immediately by joining ASAN in writing singer Bruce Springsteen, scheduled to participate in an Autism Speaks fundraiser in November, to end his newfound association with this organization that devalues our lives and speaks about us without us. You can contact Springsteen's publicist at mlaverty@shorefire.com or by phone at 718-552-7171.

Finally, as we mentioned in our initial press release this morning, ASAN Activists and allies are preparing to confront Autism Speaks fundraising in their own communities. If you would be willing to organize a protest in your community, whether you are a self advocate, family member or other ally, please e-mail us at info@autisticadvocacy.org. There has never been a more important time for our community to assert our voice.

Thank you and, as always, Nothing About Us, Without Us!

Regards,
Ari Ne'eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/
info@autisticadvocacy.org

>>> For More Information

NOTE: ASAN's Portland chapter is preparing a protest of Autism Speaks' walk in Portland will be held this Saturday. To participate, please contact elesia.ashkenaz@gmail.com. ASAN's Columbus chapter has been granted a permit to protest Autism Speaks' October 11th walk. To participate, please contact myergeau@gmail.com. More protests are being planned. To plan a protest in your local community, please contact info@autisticadvocacy.org

Just In: AAPD Joins Facebook Causes

From the JFA Moderator:

AAPD recently joined Facebook Causes as a way to get the word out about the disability rights movement and to make it easier for YOU, our dedicated activists, to contribute your support.

Take Action TODAY: Join or Donate to AAPD's Cause on Facebook and share these links with your friends.

>>> To Join the Movement

>>> To Support our Work

Epilepsy Foundation: The Facts on Health Reform

From the Epilepsy Foundation (8/17/09):

Get the Facts on health care reform efforts!

The Epilepsy Foundation recognizes that there is a lot of information, research, reports and opinions on health care reform – and this information is only growing as Congress debates this issue and moves further with legislation. While there may be many areas for disagreement on some aspects of health care reform packages, the Foundation has long supported health care reform that will provide access to affordable insurance products that cover the treatment and care needed for all Americans with epilepsy.

There are some myths that deserve to be addressed and understood so that everyone can move on to the most important issue – ensuring that health care reform addresses the needs of our nation in a responsible manner. Some of the top myths are discussed below.

MYTH 1: Health care reform will result in government control of the health care system and universal health care.

1. Health care access for all is a principle supported by the Epilepsy Foundation. This means that all people with epilepsy have access to insurance products that do not discriminate against them based on their health status.
2. None of the proposals put forward in the United States Senate or in the House of Representatives or by the President have proposed a government-run health care system in which the federal government is the single payer. The proposals being considered in Congress build on our existing employer-based system and strengthen it by providing the following:
   • premium subsidies for lower income families with the subsidy adjusted on a sliding scale based on income so that health coverage is affordable;
   • tax credits for small businesses so they can afford to offer health coverage to their employees;
   • prohibitions against preexisting condition exclusions and waiting periods;
   • and the creation of a marketplace for individuals and businesses to purchase affordable and high-quality health plans from private or public insurers.

MYTH 2: Health care reform takes choice and decision-making out of the hands of patients and will lead to euthanasia for senior citizens.

This is a disturbing myth that has been brought up in debates and media stories. The bills being considered in Congress and the ideas being proposed by the President do not put your health care decision-making authority in the hands of government and will not lead to euthanasia by requiring senior citizens to submit to “end-of-life consultations.”

The Epilepsy Foundation encourages all individuals to plan and discuss living wills and health care proxy (someone appointed to make health decisions in the event that you are unable to do so yourself). The health care reform legislation being considered in Congress preserves choice and decision-making for patients, including the choice for seniors to consult with their doctors about the
care they choose to receive if they have an advanced disease. The bills before Congress would provide reimbursement to cover such advanced care consultations for seniors once every five years, and slightly more often if the patient has a life threatening disease. These consultations are not mandatory, and if chosen, would do nothing to promote euthanasia which is in fact illegal in 48 states. Patients regularly consult with their doctors about end-of-life treatment and this provision in health care reform will simply establish a method of reimbursing physicians so they can be paid for the time they spend consulting with their patients. Some reports have supported this initiative because it helps patients and families preserve their end of life decisions, plan for expected health care changes, and save money on health care costs as patients, families and doctors know the patient’s care choices in advance.

MYTH 3: Health care reform will provide coverage to illegal immigrants

None of the health care reform bills would provide any health coverage to the nation’s estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. In fact, section 242 of the House health care reform bill, “America’s Affordable Health Choice Act,” contains explicit language that states that federal payment is prohibited for undocumented aliens and that nothing in the subtitle shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

MYTH 4: Health care reform will put private insurance companies out of business

Many national organizations representing the insurance industry support health care reform. Considering that all of the reform proposals before the Congress are built upon the existing private insurance market, there seems little or no chance that any of the plans would lead to extinction of private insurance companies. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congress’ nonpartisan budget analyst, has analyzed the House health care reform plan and found that it will not force out private insurers, contradicting one of the chief criticisms of health care reform.. The vast majority of uninsured Americans will move into some private health insurance plan either offered by their employer or purchased by them in the new health insurance marketplace created by the reform legislation.

MYTH 5: Health care reform won’t benefit people like me, who have insurance

While reducing the growing number of the uninsured in the United States is a major goal of health care reform, all Americans will benefit – and not solely from a healthier society. Under health insurance reform, every American will have health coverage they can count on, even if they lose their job, change jobs, move, or get sick. Health care reform will prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, cap the out-of-pocket spending on health care for individuals and families so that they do not go bankrupt trying to pay for necessary medical care, and provide consumers with more choice and portability in health insurance coverage.

We encourage everyone to learn more about health care reform legislation and to share their health care stories and needs with policy makers.

The following resources can be very helpful for education and background: http://energycommerce.house.gov/
http://help.senate.gov/
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/MoreInfo.asp?section=52
http://edlabor.house.gov/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/

HHS: How Health Insurance Reform will Help People with Disabilities

From the Department of Health and Human Services:

Stable and Secure Health Care for America
How Health Insurance Reform Will Help People with Disabilities

Greater Choices for Americans with Disabilities

•  Eliminate Discrimination in Obtaining Health Insurance: Health insurance reform legislation will prevent any insurance company from denying coverage based on a person’s underlying health status, including genetic information.
•  Make Health Care Accessible to Everyone: By expanding health insurance to all Americans and providing premium assistance to make it affordable, health insurance reform will significantly increase access to a choice of health insurance plans for individuals with disabilities. This will enable individuals who are employed to keep their jobs rather than giving up employment in order to receive Medicaid benefits.
•  More Affordable Choices: Health insurance reform will create a health insurance exchange so you can compare prices and health plans and decide which quality affordable option is right for you and your family. In addition, some bills would provide a new voluntary insurance program that helps families deal with long‐term care costs if a loved one develops a disability.
•  Expand the Medicaid Program: Health insurance reform will expand the Medicaid program to more Americans, including people with disabilities. This expansion will assist low income adults who have disabilities but do not meet the stringent requirements of the SSI program to receive Medicaid coverage.

Lowering Costs by Rewarding Quality and Cutting Waste

•  Provide Deep Discounts for Medications in the Medicare “Donut Hole”: For individuals with disabilities who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, prescription drug coverage through Medicare Part D leaves them at risk of hitting the “doughnut hole,” or the gap in prescription drug coverage. In an historic agreement, the drug industry has agreed to provide individuals with a discount of at least 50 percent for medication costs that fall in this coverage gap, saving thousands of dollars for some enrollees.
•  Financial Relief for Low‐Income Medicare Beneficiaries: Health insurance reform will simplify the application process for financial support for low‐income Medicare beneficiaries. It will also increase premium subsidies and decrease certain copayments for Medicare’s drug benefit.

Assuring Accessible, Quality, Affordable Health Care for People with Disabilities

•  Preventive Care for Better Health: People with disabilities are less likely to receive preventive care and are more likely to be diagnosed with screenable cancers at a later stage. By ensuring that all Americans have access to preventive care and investing in public health, health reform will work to create a system that prevents illness and disease instead of just treating it when it’s too late.
•  Improve Care for Chronic Disease: One in every 10 Americans experiences a major limitation in activity because of a chronic condition. Health insurance reform will encourage innovations in the treatment of these diseases to prevent disabilities from occurring and progressing.
•  Promote High Quality Care: Health insurance reform legislation will establish medically driven priorities and standards on quality, require quality reporting by hospitals, and provide incentive payments for high quality performance. As a result, people with disabilities will have better information to support their health care choices.

Handicap is NOT a Death Sentence

From U.S.News and World Report (August 10, 2009):

Handicap Is Not a Death Sentence and Should Not Be Treated as One
"Futile" healthcare is in the eye of the beholder, and should be in the hands of the patient
By Laura Hershey

Laura Hershey of Englewood, Colo., is a national advocate for the rights of the handicapped.

When people discuss "end-of-life care," they often invoke scenarios meant to sound ominous: tubes, breathing machines, physical dependency. I'm not scared by those images, having lived for 46 years with increasing reliance on technological and human support. A ventilator aids my breathing. Personal care assistants bathe, dress, and feed me. I operate my wheelchair by blowing into a tube. And my life is far from over. Of course, none of us can know for sure, but I plan on being around for a while.

That plan has not always gone unquestioned. Tactless acquaintances have told me they would kill themselves if they became as disabled as me. More chillingly, the last time I was hospitalized for pneumonia, I had two different nurses ask if I had a DNR—a "do not resuscitate" order. I replied that I had come to the hospital to get better, not to die.

Unfortunately, that expectation of medical treatment can run up against physicians' opposing views and hospitals' rules. In dozens of states, laws allow doctors to unilaterally deny lifesaving treatments that they deem "futile," even if the patient or a surrogate decision maker wants care continued. Some people actually advocate this, as a way to ration healthcare—limiting the resources available to sicker patients, to extend basic care to more healthy people...

Who should make medical decisions? The individual in the hospital bed, with everything at stake? The family, with their complex and sometimes contradictory concerns about love, obligation, and money? The doctor, with a vested interest in achieving rigidly defined "successful" outcomes? Or hospital administrators, with one eye on the bottom line?

The situations that worry me most are those involving different definitions of "futile" and "effective..."

Some prominent bioethicists, seeking easy scapegoats for escalating healthcare costs, increasingly question the value of providing care to people with disabilities, whose lives they (mistakenly) consider undesirable.

>>> For the Full Article

>>> For the Counter-Argument read the case for healthcare rationing from Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute.

Disability Community Denounces Rationing Argument in NYT

From Not Dead Yet (8/14/09):

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         

Media contact: Stephen Drake, Research Analyst, Not Dead Yet

Not Dead Yet and Coalition Denounce

New York Times Magazine Article

Coalition Sends Letter to NYT Magazine Asking for Dialogue on Disability Issues

 

WASHINGTON, DC – August 14, 2009 – Not Dead Yet, along with more than 40 other disability organizations, including the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), has signed on to a letter to New York Times Magazine Editor Gerald Marzorati denouncing a July 15 article by ethicist Peter Singer.  Singer’s article argued for rationing health care by denying treatments to people with disabilities based on the assumption that our lives have less value than the lives of nondisabled people.

“For The New York Times Magazine to publish an article calling for health care rationing that would discriminate against people with disabilities one week before the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act shows how out of touch the leadership at The New York Times Magazine is,” said Not Dead Yet President Diane Coleman. “Peter Singer is a sloppy ethicist who should not be given a forum by a publication as credible as The New York Times. His piece, published at a key time in the health care debate, gives fodder to critics whose goal is to kill any reform by raising the specter of government supported euthanasia.”

The letter, written by Stephen Drake, Research Analyst for Not Dead Yet, states:

“…This is Peter Singer’s most direct assault on the value of the lives of people with physical disabilities past the age of infancy that we have read. His policy proposals allowing for the killing of newborns with disabilities and people with significant cognitive disabilities are already well known.

While this is a bolder assault than we have seen from Professor Singer in the past, it’s hardly surprising. What’s surprising and deeply disturbing is that the NY Times editorial staff have sought him out as a writer on more than one occasion...”

The coalition has requested the following of The New York Times Magazine:

1. The NY Times staff needs to define and clarify its understanding of disability as a basic human rights issue.

2. If the current stance of the NY Times is that the lives of people with disabilities are, in fact, a drain on health care sources, it should be stated on record.

3. Discuss training in the basics of covering disability in news stories – beyond the “human interest” and “medical” angles.

4. Cover the difference between “analysis” and “appealing to bigotry” in public policy discussions.

To read the letter in its entirety, visit http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com. For more information about AAPD’s views on the Peter Singer piece in The New York Times, please visit www.aapd.com.

Not Dead Yet, 497 State St.,

Rochester, NY 14608

Phone: 585-697-1640; Fax: 585-697-1641; Email: sndrake@aol.com

http://www.notdeadyet.org

Debunking Health Care Myths

From an AARP Alert:

My inbox has been flooded with emails spreading crazy rumors about health reform so I wanted to share some facts from AARP about what's really going on. Please join me in forwarding these facts to everyone you know. Print them out and pass them around at your social gatherings and other places where people are discussing the issues of the day.

FACT #1: Medicare will not be ended, and no benefits or services will be cut.

Your services will not be ended, nor will your benefits be cut. AARP's position on this could not be clearer. And we have sent this message loud and clear to Congress. While the current proposals include savings in Medicare by cutting out fraud, abuse, waste, and inefficiency, we're standing up and making sure benefits for Medicare recipients are not only fully protected, but are improved.

FACT #2: No legislation currently in Congress would mandate the rationing of care. Period.

Our staff has read all of the legislation circulating in Congress and there are no provisions in these bills that would ration care for our members. None. If any ever did, we would vigorously fight to stop that legislation.

FACT #3: There is no provision of any piece of legislation that would promote euthanasia of any kind.

The rumors out there are flat out lies. Right now Medicare does not cover counseling for end-of-life care. The portion of the bill in question would simply provide coverage for optional end-of-life consultations with doctors, so that the patient can be aware of all of the treatment options on the table. It is not mandatory and it has nothing to do with euthanasia.

>>> For More

FACT #4: We have not endorsed President Obama's plan.

In fact, we haven't endorsed any plan. We are supporting reform of our health care system, something that AARP has pushed for many years. We're working closely with Republican and Democratic members of Congress to lower health care costs and to ensure quality affordable coverage for older Americans – and we want reform legislation passed and signed by the president this year.

So what is AARP fighting for in health reform?

1. Stopping insurance companies from charging older Americans unaffordable premiums because of their age.
2. Ending the practice of excluding people from insurance because of pre-existing conditions.
3. Holding down health costs and making insurance coverage more affordable for all Americans.
4. Making prescription drugs more affordable by narrowing the Medicare doughnut hole, bringing generics to market faster, and allowing Medicare to negotiate better drug prices.

Find out more and take action at HealthActionNow.org.