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| Denisegilmore Registered user Username: Denisegilmore Post Number: 120 Registered: 10-2000 |
"Medicare Rights Presidential Candidate Questionnaire" From the Medicare Rights Center, http://www.medicarerights.org: Questionnaire for 2004 Presidential Candidates The Medicare Rights Center (MRC) surveyed all Republican and Democratic presidential candidates in December 2003 on key health care issues affecting the well-being of the 41 million Americans with Medicare. This survey, shows the indication of the candidates' stand on health care issues that affect older adults and people with disabilities, and serves as a pledge of support for the improvement of such vital Medicare issues. One page briefings on each of the nine key issues accompany the candidate questionnaire. Both Senators Kerry and Edwards pledged their support for the nine reforms in written response earlier this year. Other Democratic candidates surveyed also provided timely responses, supporting some or all of MRC's initiatives. Repeated efforts were made to elicit a response from the Bush-Cheney campaign. The campaign finally refused to respond, advising MRC staff to deduce the President's position from his campaign web site, http://www.georgewbush.com. We have done so. As President, will you: 1. Support legislation to eliminate the 24-month waiting period for Americans with disabilities to gain Medicare coverage? Kerry: YES Bush: NO 2. Support legislation to make Medicare cover outpatient mental health care at 80% of its approved rate, as Medicare does for all other outpatient medical services? Kerry: YES Bush: NO 3. Support administrative initiatives to expand Medicare's coverage of durable medical equipment (e.g., wheelchairs) to include devices needed to function outside the home? Kerry: YES Bush: NO 4. Support legislation to extend Medicare home care services to individuals who are not homebound? Kerry: YES Bush: NO 5. Support legislation to guarantee people who have Medicare because of disability the same right to access Medigap policies as people who have Medicare because of age? Kerry: YES Bush: NO 6. Support legislation to federalize administration and financing of the Medicare Savings Programs? Kerry: YES Bush: NO 7. Support legislation to permit adults ages 55-64 to purchase health care coverage through Medicare? Kerry: YES Bush: NO 8. Support legislation or administrative initiatives to increase overall annual funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) to at least $3 per person with Medicare? Kerry: YES Bush: NO 9. Support legislation or administrative initiatives to ensure that Americans pay no more for prescription drugs than the median price paid by Canadians? Kerry: YES Bush: NO The Medicare Rights Center is a national, not-for-profit consumer service organization dedicated to ensuring that older adults and people with disabilities get good affordable health care. A copy of this survey is available at www.medicarerights.org/MRC_Candidate_Questionnaire.pdf The Democratic candidates' responses can be found at http://www.medicarerights.org/QuestResults01142004.pdf Background and method: MRC is a non-partisan organization, committed to sharing candidates' policy positions on issues that impact the well-being of people with Medicare | ||
| Hrobinsonw Registered user Username: Hrobinsonw Post Number: 69 Registered: 7-2004 |
No offense to anyonw. But W. Bush needs to go. | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 567 Registered: 7-2003 |
You know, they have made a "deduced" decision, these are not Bush answers. I have a masters in medical administration. Those questions are very narrowly focused and National health policy is not as simple as the few snipit questions asked above. Remember, I have a special needs child. This impacts me here and now, not somewhere in the future. Just to take the last issue on canadian drugs. Do you have any idea about the canadian medical system? Do you know how long the waits are for treatment in the canadian medical system? Do you know about any subsidies from the government for these medications? Canada has a socialized medical system. It is not what we have in the US. MANY Canadians cannot get the treatement they want when they want it, so they come to the US. I know some of these questions move into the other issues in these "deduced" answers that reflect negatively on Bush, but there is just way more to consider than adding a boatload more people to our medicare system without cause. I happen to know that the term "disability" is a broad term in the realm of medicare. I've heard the cases where parents who didn't want to work taught their children how to behave so they could get a certain DX from a psychiatrist and get government assistance...some of those parents make more to sit on their backsides than I make at a 40-hour per week job. Before we run willie-nillie into the night to support socialized medicine, someone needs to look at it very closely. I am not a Hiliary Clinton fan, but the presentation she gave to the congress on health care in America when her husband was president summed up much of my 2-years masters degree. And with all that fine study, Clinton did no more to change medicine in this country because our system is complex. People who read snippits like that above and have no idea how the funding and abuses work in this current system will set in motion something they will eventually regret. If Kerry passed all these initiatives he claims above, where is he going to get the money for all these things? How is he going to reform a huge conglomerate of industries including medical professionals, 3rd party payers (insurance companies) and all the ancillary services to boot? Is he simply going to put them all out of work?? This is not a simple issue. Do not be deceived into thinking it is...even when a democrat is in the white house... and do not take these "deduced" answers that were supplied for Bush as the full picture of the situation. There is no win-win solution to the medical care issues in this country. It's will be painful to make the kinds of reforms that I think need to be made...and either taxes have to go up, while putting a large number of people out of work, and significantly increased wait-times, less choice, more rationing of services, etc. Is anyone ready to sweep in those kinds of changes rashly? The Canadian system is not perfect, everyone may have primary care, but specialist care is a different situation. B's family moved here from Canada years ago because they couldn't get the treatment his mother needed for her disease. I know the drug issue is not necessarily a complete endorsement into the Canadian system, and certainly some things should be addressed with our drug companies, but our drug companies are the ones taking the millions of dollars in risk for the R&D. It's like the flu vaccine. When prices for vaccines dropped to commodity prices, companies stopped making it because they couldn't make any money doing it. That is a Clinton policy in practice. Do we really want that in the future? All I'm saying really is that medicine in America is complex. Socialized medicine gets more complex. Remember, Kerry wants to kill babies only an inch from birth...sometimes BECAUSE of their disabilities. Where's the compassion for those people? I'll step off my soap-box now. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 699 Registered: 3-2004 |
I am not taking one side or the other. I work with disabled people every day and have done so for many years. What I object to is that this is a form for former SDAs to talk about the things that made us leave the SDA church and now it is being used politically. It is for those associated is a close way with SDAs. I really dislike it when politics in any way is introduced. Had to voice my opinion and my 2 cents worth. Diana | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 1063 Registered: 11-2002 |
This very topic on this very forum irritates me. This is the Former Adventist Forum. Several weeks ago it was decided on here that the partisipants would not get into politics. As with respect to this being a discussion area on Christian issues, spiritual issues, issues pertanant to us who are former SDA, church issues, religious topics I will not respond to these sorts of comments on this forum. However, if you want to give a web address where these sorts of issues are the main topic I will look it up and even possibly respond. | ||
| Dd Registered user Username: Dd Post Number: 181 Registered: 7-2004 |
Melissa, You did not mention one possible solution that I, as a RN, feel needs to be made for the medical care issues we face in this country - that is tort reform. Frivolous lawsuits and high malpractice rates for hospitals and physician are pushing health care costs beyond what the system can bare. Yes, there are some very valid malpractice suits out there but we need to have a reform of the entire system that is serving the lawyers while making the rest of us suffer. There's my soap-box... | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 569 Registered: 7-2003 |
Dd, I didn't mention that specifically, but that is most definately a significant part of medical costs issue and part of the overall reform needed. And sorry, Susan. I missed the no politics decision. I was merely responding to what I thought was gross mis-information. | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 59 Registered: 10-2004 |
If one is a Christian, politics and voting should be very important. The SDAs try to discourage involvement in politics and voting, but why do we need to continue such an unBiblical stance on this former SDA forum??? There are many political issues which are moral issues, which have to do with Christian values, etc. As was said above, Kerry supports murder. He is absolutely anti-Christian, and even anti-moral. I don't see how Christians could vote for Kerry, but I know there are some who did. I voted for George W. Bush. I'm so glad we have a true born-again Christian in the White House for another 4 years. Anyway, I think it's sad if former SDAs hold onto the "no politics/no voting" legacy of the SDAs. In fact, even on at least one of the SDA forums, politics are discussed. I don't see why important issues and Christian values cannot be discussed on this forum. Jeremy | ||
| Dane Registered user Username: Dane Post Number: 64 Registered: 4-2004 |
Hi Jeremy, I'm among those on the forum who discouraged the political talk. I'm not anti-politics. I agree with you that as Christians we should be involved with the political process. However, several weeks ago in one of the other threads, a political discussion was started regarding American politics, the presidential race, war on terror, etc. Some of the comments were of such nature that the discussion could have turned very ugly and hurtful. I don't think we need that on the forum. So I suggested that we focus instead on helping each other. I think that it would be OK to discuss social/political issues here if we could all remember to be kind in what we say and how we say it. That can be difficult, but not impossible. Just my opinion, Dane | ||
| Praisegod Registered user Username: Praisegod Post Number: 142 Registered: 3-2004 |
The way I view politics has totally changed after Adventism. Now that I understand there is no division between the secular and spiritual sides of oneís life, I view each person as a minister in his particular marketplace. Iím looking for a candidate who understands that. Iím looking for someone who accepts that they are to do Godís will and seek his face for direction while in office. Their values and morals will match the Bible as closely as possible in their own lifestyle. Even if the opposite candidate may have some views that I agree with even a little better, I prefer to vote for the one who is checking in with God for daily direction. But, I donít like political arguments so if this website or any other one not specifically for politics wants to discuss it, Iíd just like to see it clearly marked so it doesnít create animosity running through other threads. Thatís probably not going to be an issue now that the elections are over. I was greatly impressed while waiting in line for over an hour to vote, that everyone in line seemed to be so excited to have the privilege to vote. They are happy to live in a country with freedom. Every once in awhile someone would kind of hint to a political opinion but no one started arguments, agreed or disagreed. (you could see there were vast differences) There were young first time voters all excited and the elderly waiting on chairs. God seems to be at work softening attitudes. Praise GodÖ |
