Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) Strikes The Last Word

Today, House Republicans brought another bill (HR 1216) to the House floor that does not address jobs and wastes time in a futile attempt to repeal part of the Affordable Care Act. House Democrats are staging a "mini-filibuster" by "striking the last word" allowing them five minutes of time to discuss their strong opposition to the Republican-passed budget which ends Medicare as we know it and forces seniors to pay over $6,000 more a year.

Weiner: I move to strike the last word Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, you may recall I was standing here approximately two hours ago waiting to speak with several other members on the efforts of my Republican friends to eliminate Medicare as we know it and for reasons that are known only to the Chair, I was denied the ability to do that. Well, I’m back. And just to review the bidding, here’s where it was before that order was made. We had the Chairman of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, a good man, a guy I like, stand down in the well and say, ‘Oh, no’ (and this by the way is someone who is elected by the Republican members to represent them in races all around the country) saying that the Ryan plan wasn’t a plan it was and I’m quoting here, “a construct to develop a plan” and he said the proposal is not a voucher program and then he said it was a one size fits all, that Medicare was draining our economy is what he said.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, that might be the rationale for our Republican friends wanting to eliminate Medicare, but none of those things are true. It is not a ‘construct to develop a plan’ it is the proposal of the Republican party of the United States of America to eliminate Medicare as a guaranteed entitlement. If you don’t believe me, go get the book that they wrote, go get the budget that they wrote, go get the bill that they wrote.

The First Guess: Lotto Nation by Keith Olbermann - FOK News Channel

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Keith Olbermann's latest at The FOK News Channel -- The First Guess: Lotto Nation:

Three-time Murrow-Award Winner Keith Olbermann is the "K" in "Friends Of Keith" and "Friends Of Keith" is the FOK in the not-for-profit FOKNewsChannel.

News and Notes from Rep Anthony D. Weiner - NY 9th Congressional District

GOP Budget Would Cut Queens to Its Core

Weiner Study Highlights Impact of More Than $25 Billion

in Funding Cuts To Borough Over 10 Years

Today, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D – Queens and Brooklyn) released a study highlighting how the GOP budget plan to be considered this week would cut funding to Queens by more than $25 billion over 10 years, slashing money for cops, transportation, seniors and education.

Under the Republican budget plan, more than $25 billion in federal aid to Queens would be cut over 10 years. During a time when the City is facing a massive budget deficit, this proposal would force major cuts in programs like Medicare and Medicaid, hurting countless seniors and low-income residents in the borough. Title I education funding would be cut by over $205 million, and federal grants to the NYPD would be cut by $111 million. This could mean that more than 425 cops would be taken off the streets of Queens.

Additionally, if the GOP budget passes, over the next decade the MTA would lose over $667 million that is used to fund vital rail and bus infrastructure and security projects throughout Queens, and the more than 300,000 seniors in the borough would lose their guaranteed Medicare benefits and be forced to pay additional premium costs.

"The GOP budget is not about debt reduction, it’s about increasing the dangerous inequities in our economy and society. It is an assault on the middle class and those struggling to make it.”

Weiner’s study found the following:

CUTS TO QUEENS OVER 10 YEARS: MORE THAN $25 BILLION

Medicare

· The over 300,000 seniors in Queens would lose their guaranteed Medicare benefits and be forced to pay premium costs that the new proposed subsidy doesn’t cover. (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and U.S. Census)

Medicaid

• Medicaid costs would be shifted to Queens residents as state and local taxes revenue would need to cover the over $20 billion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years contained within this budget proposal. (NYC OMB and Center for Budget and Policy Priorities)

SNAP Program

• The SNAP Program will now be tied to a block grant program with benefits contingent upon on work or job training. Over 96,000 Queens residents would lose their SNAP benefits and Queens would see $1.7 billion cut in funding over 10 years. (U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Census)

Education

• Title I funding, which provides funding for primary and secondary schools, would be cut by over $205 million over 10 years.(NYC Independent Budget Office (IBO)
• Pell Grants which provide grants for lower income college students would be cut by $1 billion over 10 years and the maximum Pell Grant award would be cut by $819 per student. (NYC Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Census)

Law Enforcement

• Federal grants to the New York Police Department for Queens would be cut by $111 million over 10 years. This could mean that 425 cops are taken off the streets of Queens. (NYC IBO)

Housing

• The Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) which helps the lowest-income New Yorkers stay warm would be cut by over $68 million over 10 years. (NYC OMB)
• Section 8 vouchers which provide vouchers for low-income families to locate decent, safe, and affordable housing would be cut by over $83 million to NYC over 10 years. (NYC IBO)
• The Public Housing Operating Fund, which provides subsidies to public housing agencies, would be cut by nearly $310 million over 10 years. (NYC IBO)
• The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which funds local Queens community development activities such as affordable housing, anti-poverty programs, and infrastructure development, would experience over $53 million in cuts over 10 years. (NYC IBO)
• The HOME investment partnerships program, which works with nonprofit groups to build, buy, and rehabilitate affordable housing would be cut by $4 million over 10 years. (NYC IBO)
• The Public Housing Capital Fund, which provides funding for the development and modernization of public housing, would be cut by $22 million over 10 years. (NYC IBO)

Transportation

• MTA would lose over $667 million over 10 years that is used to fund vital rail and bus infrastructure and security projects throughout Queens. (Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA))

Human Services

• The Child Care and Development Fund which provides subsidies for child care for low-income families so that parents can work would be cut by nearly $20 million over 10 years. (NYC IBO)
• Community Services Block Grants which provides funding to assist with employment, education, nutrition and emergency services for the homeless, migrants and the elderly would be cut nearly $10 million over 10 years. (NYC IBO)

Infrastructure

• The Drinking Water Revolving Fund which works to ensure that local residents receive clean and safe drinking water would be cut by $150 million for Queens. (NYC OMB)
• The Clean Water Revolving Fund which works to ensures that local communities can provide clean and sanitary wastewater treatment services for their residents would be cut by $778 million over 10 years for Queens. (NYC OMB)

Job Training

• Queens job training and workforce investment which provides adult workforce training, job-related activities for young adults, and dislocated workers programs would be cut by over $94 million over 10 years. (NYC IBO)

Weiner on President’s Budget Speech: “Today, We Go on Offense”

With President Obama set to give a major speech today outlining his plan for the budget, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D – Queens and Brooklyn) released the following statement:

"Now it's our turn. For months, we have heard the one-note attacks by the GOP on the middle class and those struggling to make it. Medicare, student loans and women's health have all been under attack.”

“Today, we go on offense.”

Weiner Announces $281 Million in Pell Grants for Local Students

More Than 67,000 Will Receive Vital Education Aid in Queens Alone

Today, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D – Queens and Brooklyn) announced that more than 67,000 Queens students will receive $281 million in Pell Grants this year to help cover the rising costs of a college education.

Federal Pell Grants provide need-based assistance to low-income students to help promote access to college and postsecondary education. This year, students across the nation are eligible to receive up to $5,550 each in Pell Grants, which are not required to be repaid.

In Queens alone, over 67,000 students will receive more than $281 million in aid – with an average grant of $4,136 per student. The announcement, however, comes in the midst of attempts by Congressional Republicans to cut the important grant by $1 billion over the next ten years in Queens.

Republicans in Congress, led by Rep. Paul Ryan, are proposing to reduce the maximum Pell Grant award by $819 per student beginning next year. If successful, the maximum Pell Grant will be slashed to $4,731 – a reduction of more than 14 percent. With the cost of higher education rising every year, the GOP proposal would devastate a vital lifeline for students in the borough.

"During a time when colleges are raising tuition, Pell Grants are an important tool in helping students get the education they deserve and the education they need to succeed in the 21^st century workplace,” Weiner said. “$281 million in Pell Grants for Queens is great news, but it’s also a reminder of what’s at stake next year if the draconian budget being pushed by Republicans actually passes.”

Rep. Towns Announces That “Donut Hole” Checks Are Now On Their Way to Tens of Thousands of Seniors...

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Health Reform Law Will Help About 4 Million Seniors To Receive

$250 Checks Over Next Several Months

Today, Rep. Edolphus " Ed" Towns announced that, starting today, Medicare will begin mailing out to tens of thousands of seniors $250 ‘donut hole’ checks. Under the recently enacted health reform law, seniors who fall in the donut hole coverage gap in 2010 will receive this one-time tax-free $250 rebate check. These checks will continue to be mailed monthly over the next several months as seniors enter the coverage gap.

The checks are just the first benefit from health reform for seniors in the Medicare Prescription Drug program. Beginning in January 2011, seniors in the donut hole will receive a 50% discount on brand name drugs. By 2020, the donut hole will be completely closed.

“Prescription drugs cost many people thousands of dollars a year and this check is a down payment on reducing prescription drug costs for seniors and eventually closing the donut hole altogether,” Rep. Towns said. “This is the first example of how the health care reform bill will strengthen Medicare and help seniors.”

Congressional Republicans created the donut hole – leaving thousands of seniors to choose between buying the prescriptions they need and putting food on the table – and now they refuse to help close it. The ‘donut hole’ coverage gap is the period in the prescription drug benefit (once their prescription drug costs exceed $2,830) in which the beneficiary pays 100 percent of the cost of their drugs until they hit the catastrophic coverage threshold.

Last year, roughly 246,000 Medicare beneficiaries in our state of New York fell in the donut hole and received no extra help to defray the cost of their prescription drugs. Now, under health reform, help is on the way.

Under health care reform, the $250 checks are just the first step in reducing seniors’ prescription drug costs. Beginning next year, there is a 50 percent discount on prescription drugs in the donut hole, and by 2020, the donut hole is completely closed.

Medicare recipients don’t have to do anything to get the $250 check – once their drug costs for the year hit $2,830 the one-time check will be issued automatically. But Rep. Towns warned seniors to be on the lookout for fraud.

Making prescription drugs more affordable for seniors is only one of the many benefits for seniors included in the recently enacted health reform law. Other benefits for seniors include:

• Provides free preventive care services under Medicare, beginning in 2011.

• Strengthens Medicare by extending its solvency by an additional 12 years, from 2017 to 2029.

• Improves seniors’ access to doctors.

• Continues to reduce waste, fraud and abuse.

• Improves care by helping doctors communicate and coordinate.

• Expands home and community-based services to keep seniors in their home, instead of in nursing homes.

“Congressional Republicans calling for health reform repeal oppose this progress for seniors, and would return us to a system of higher drug costs, shrinking benefits, and insecurity for our seniors,” said Rep. Towns. “They would protect insurance company profits at the expense of the care our seniors need and deserve. Democrats in Congress won’t let that happen.”

Rep. Anthony Weiner: Giving Single-Payer a Second Look - Huffington Post

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As President Obama prepares to address the nation about his vision for health care reform, we should not overlook the last, best truly transformative change to our health care system: Medicare. We have been staring so intently at the lessons of 1993 that we may have forgotten the universal rule of successful lawmaking: "keep it simple."

During the eleven town hall meetings I've held around my district, I've had some direct experience with the anxiety this debate has produced. Much of the fear comes from two groups: those who have Medicare and don't want it changed and those who have never had a government-run reimbursement system like Medicare and are worried about the impact it will have on their quality of care.

In both cases, a calm, reasoned and vigorous defense of the American single-payer plan is just what the doctor ordered.

The truth is that the United States already uses single-payer systems to cover over 47% of all medical bills through Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Administration, the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Understanding that these single-payer health programs are already a major part of our overall health care system should help us visualize what an actual public plan would look like. These institutions also provide health care to millions of satisfied customers in every community who would heartily agree that the government can build and run programs that work quite well.

Medicare also provides us with a case study in the hypocrisy of our Republican friends who have built their party on a 44-year record of undermining this popular program. And now their Chairman sees no irony in ripping "government run" healthcare while publishing an op-ed opposing changes to Medicare.

If Medicare has been such a success, why not extend it? Why not have single-payer plans for 55 year olds? Why not have one for young citizens who just left their parents or college coverage?

So far, the answers we hear to these questions have simply not been very convincing.

At one town meeting the President responded that that he was worried about its "destructiveness."

Really? Americans would still go to the same doctor and the same neighborhood hospital. Sure, they would be able to delete the 1-800 number of their insurance company from their cell phones. And doctors would have to get rid of all those file cabinets full of paperwork while their assistants who spend time fighting with insurance companies would be able to actually speak to patients.

But everyone would adjust, I'm sure.

The real reason we haven't seen the Democratic Party embrace the obvious and simpler idea is that it boils down to pure beltway politics.

We've been reluctant to tackle the real inefficiency in the current system, namely, the very presence of the private insurance companies. Too many in Washington would rather stay friends with the insurance and drug companies when real reform probably can't be achieved in a way that makes these powerful institutions happy.

That's not to say we should vilify the industry. When they pocket up to 30% in profits and overhead (compared to 4% for Medicare) or when their executives take multimillion dollar salaries, insurance companies are doing what their shareholders want them to do.

But let's leave it to the Republicans to defend those actions. I, and most Democrats, should not join the chorus that sounds like we care more about insurance companies than taxpayers.

The same is true for Big Pharma. If Wal-Mart can pool its customers to be able to offer the $4 prescriptions, why shouldn't the federal government drive the same hard bargain on behalf of the tax payers so they too get the best prices under Medicare? I pose this exact question at every town hall meeting I attend and if my colleagues and the President did the same on Wednesday night, they would mix good policy with good politics. Instead we have watched a puzzling dance as policymakers have effectively limited the savings we would find in the enormous drug expenditures that are a fixture in our current system. Is it any wonder citizens are confused?

I have no delusions about the muscle needed to overcome resistance from the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. But I believe that for every American we may lose to a slash-and-burn TV ad funded by these businesses, we will gain five among those who are looking for a clear rationale for what we are trying to accomplish and an example for what it may look like.

We also achieve something else: realignment of the political universe. Democrats understand the role of government and are proud of our signature achievement: Medicare. The Republicans care most about big business.

I'll take that fight any day. And I'm hoping that the President will tell us on Wednesday that he is willing to do the same.

Anthony D. Weiner is a Democrat representing New York's 9th Congressional District.

Why We Need Government-Run Universal Socialized Health Insurance

A cartoon explanation of why we need a public health insurance option.

If you agree that a public option should be part of the health care reform bill, make sure you let your representatives know!

And take action at http://www.YoungInvincibles.org

Animated by Andy Lubershane. More comics at http://www.earthlycomics.blogspot.com

Note: The data in this cartoon is supported by this report: http://www.ourfuture.org/healthcare/, which includes a lot more detail on current proposals for a public option.

Watch Sicko - A Michael Moore Documentary on Healthcare...

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A must watch film to understand the health-care reform debate..

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Sicko is a documentary film by Michael Moore. The film investigates the American health care system in 2007, focusing on its health insurance and pharmaceutical industry. The film compares the for-profit, non-universal U.S. system with the non-profit universal health care systems of Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Cuba.

According to the movie Sicko, almost fifty million Americans are uninsured and those who are covered with insurance are often victims of insurance company fraud and red tape. Interviews are conducted with people who thought they had adequate coverage but were denied care, as well as former employees of insurance companies who describe cost-cutting initiatives that encourage bonuses for insurance company physicians to deny medical treatments for policy holders.

In this documentary, the director / writer Michael Moore exposes the dysfunctional North American health care system, oriented to huge profits and not for their mission of saving lives. Further, Moore shows the corruption in the political system, with members of government and congress “bought” by the corporations and the situation of the average American citizens.

Watch Sicko online...

New Investigation: NYC Women Waiting Up To 4 Months for Mammograms...

Weiner, Maloney Push for Increasing Reimbursement Rates

Brooklyn women can wait up to four months just to access basic, cancer-detecting mammograms, a new investigation from Representative Anthony Weiner (D – Brooklyn and Queens), a member of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Health, and Representative Carolyn Maloney (D – Manhattan and Queens) showed.

The investigation of mammogram accessibility surveyed 33 randomly selected public and private health clinics and found that 14 screening facilities had at least a month of wait time – despite the fact that some breast cancers can more than double in size in that time.
Highlights of the Study:

• Citywide average wait for a mammogram is 1 month.
• Wait time for Queens hospitals averaged 4.3 weeks.
• Bronx facilities posted the longest average wait time for a screening – 5.4 weeks.
• Facilities in Manhattan had the shortest time, with an average 1.2 weeks.
• Wait times increased by 1 week at Staten Island facilities since 2008 – from 4.2 weeks to 5.2 weeks.
• Wait times decreased by two weeks at Brooklyn facilities – from 7.4 weeks to 4 weeks since 2008.
• Two facilities posted same day wait times while Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn had over a four-month wait for a mammogram – up 9.5 weeks from 2008.

While the current nationwide average costs for a film mammogram screening is around $125, the 2009 Medicare reimbursement rate is only about $81.51 – leaving health centers to cover a $44 gap. That rate is down from $83.03 in 2008. For a digital mammogram screening, the current average cost is around $175, while the 2009 Medicare reimbursement rate is only $129.84 – leaving health centers to cover a $45 gap.

From 2006-2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reduced Medicare reimbursement rates by 4.8 percent as a result of a 2005 bill passed by the Republican-controlled Congress. The projected 2010 reimbursement rates are at approximately $79 for film screening and $127 for digital screening, leaving facilities with a $46 to $48 overrun.

Rep. Weiner, who passed legislation to increase the Medicare reimbursement rates in 2003, plans to re-introduce legislation to increase reimbursement rates 15 percent in 2010 to $95 for film screenings and $150 for digital screenings – and index the rate in later years. The step will help financially burdened health clinics.

“New Yorkers have the second highest rate of breast cancer in the country – but some of the longest waits for mammograms. Early detection makes all the difference. If you catch breast cancer early, you have a greater chance of living. It’s that simple,” said Rep. Maloney. “I thank my friend Congressman Weiner for releasing this vital report and for his advocacy for increasing mammogram reimbursement rates. When providers lose money performing mammograms, we all lose.”

Rep. Weiner said, "Increasing access to mammograms clearly saves lives. Raising the reimbursement rate will ensure that women have increased options to protect their most important asset – their health.”

To calculate wait times, Rep. Weiner’s staff called 33 mammogram facilities to inquire the earliest appointment for a mammogram.

Weiner Urges Paterson to Increase City Medicaid Funding

Says State Plan Shorts City Up to $900 Million in Stimulus - Letter to Governor Says It Is ‘Simply Unsatisfactory’

Representative Anthony Weiner (D – Brooklyn and Queens), the New York City Democratic Whip, today sent the following letter to Governor Paterson:

March 5, 2009

The Honorable David A. Paterson

Governor of the State of New York

State Capitol

Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Paterson:

As a member of Congress who helped write the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and, most importantly, as a member of the New York City delegation, I write to express my concern that the state’s plan to allocate Medicaid savings shorts New York City.

In New York State, the federal government covers 50 percent of the Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP) program costs, while the state and counties cover the other 50 percent. The State then pays roughly 66 percent of the non-federal portion of FMAP, with the localities paying the other 34 percent. Yesterday, when you announced the local shares under the FMAP program for New York City and all the counties, there is a clear discrepancy in funding allocations. The State is not keeping 66 percent, the percentage it pays into the program, of the FMAP funds, but instead is keeping between 76 and 80 percent.

The FMAP program provisions of Public Law 111-5, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are clear in providing that localities that bear the burden of Medicaid costs see their share of fiscal relief. If properly allocated, the City of New York should receive up to $2.8 billion. Under the announcement by your staff, the City would be shorted up to $900 million. This is simply unsatisfactory.

I look forward to your prompt compliance with the intent of Public Law 111-5.

Sincerely,

ANTHONY D. WEINER

Member of Congress

Midwives Applaud House Introduction Of Medicare Equity Legislation - medicalnewstoday.com

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The American College of Nurse‐Midwives (ACNM), the nation's oldest women's health organization, applauds Rep. Ed Towns (D‐NY) and Rep. Fred Upton (R‐MI) on the bipartisan introduction of their legislation, the "Midwifery Care Access and Reimbursement Equity Act of 2009," (H.R. 1101). This legislation will improve access for Medicare beneficiaries to the vital women's health services offered by certified nurse‐midwives (CNM) and certified midwives (CM) by remedying a long‐standing reimbursement rate inequity between midwives and other licensed health care professionals within the Medicare program.

"Providing equitable reimbursement for the high quality primary care services provided by certified nurse‐midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) will help ensure that their services are available to women," according to ACNM President Melissa Avery, CNM, PhD, FACNM. "Health disparities in the US continue to be a critical problem. Midwives have historically cared for those populations at greatest risk for health disparities in areas of maternal and infant mortality, breast and cervical cancers, and HIV/AIDS infection among women."

Avery adds that, "The House of Representatives took a big step to pass this legislation as part of the Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act during the 110th Congress. We look forward to the day when President Obama can sign this legislation into law, with the support of the 111th Congress." Avery recognizes the significant grassroots effort by midwives and their supporters that led to House approval.

Representative Ed Towns says, "As a fervent champion of quality women's health services, I am both honored and proud to reintroduce this fine piece of legislation. The Midwifery Care Access and Reimbursement Act will not only advance women's health services -particularly among those most disadvantaged - but it will give midwives the recognition and equitable reimbursement they have long deserved."

Since 1988, the Medicare program has authorized midwifery care to address the maternity needs of disabled women of childbearing age who qualify for coverage. In 1993, Congress authorized midwives to provide additional services outside the maternity cycle for all women under Medicare. While the majority of states reimburse midwives at the same rate as physician counterparts under state Medicaid plans, a 35% disparity in reimbursement exists within the Medicare program. This payment inequity is a barrier to women's access and choice of provider within the program.

Certified nurse‐midwives and certified midwives provide primary and gynecologic care to women of all ages, as well as prenatal and delivery services. Certified nurse midwives attended 317,168 births in 2006 - a 33 % increase since 1996.

For more information about the new legislation, midwives or midwifery in America, visit http://www.midwife.org.

With roots dating to 1929, the American College of Nurse‐Midwives is the oldest women's health care association in the U.S. ACNM's mission is to promote the health and well‐being of women and infants within their families and communities through the development and support of the profession of midwifery as practiced by certified nurse‐midwives and certified midwives. Midwives believe every individual has the right to safe, satisfying health care with respect for human dignity and cultural variations. More information about ACNM can be found at http://www.midwife.org.

American College of Nurse‐Midwives