/PRNewswire/ -- Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) today proposed a new amendment to the current healthcare reform bill which will preserve access to care for millions of Medicare patients seen by a medical specialist.
Senate Amendment 3163 would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to delay for one year implementation of its decision to eliminate consultation codes for specialists. A survey of its members recently conducted by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) indicated that if the consultation codes were eliminated four out of five endocrinologists would be forced to drastically reduce or eliminate the number of Medicare patients seen in their practices.
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) fully endorses the Specter Amendment. AACE has opposed the CMS ruling since it was originally announced. In a letter sent August 26, 2009, AACE cautioned CMS that the result of the ruling "will be a significant reduction in the quality of care received by older Americans when they need it the most." The CMS rule, which goes into effect on January 1, 2010, would no longer allow endocrinologists and other specialists to bill for consultations provided for patients referred to them by primary care physicians.
"The Specter amendment will enable Medicare patients, the major segment of our population that is most vulnerable to serious illness, to continue to have access to specialists," AACE President and Chief of Endocrinology at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Dr. Jeffrey R. Garber said. "It will also give CMS and Congress a chance to critically re-examine this flawed proposal."
In addition to AACE, the amendment is being endorsed by: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), American Medical Group Association (AMGA), American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI), American College of Cardiology (ACC), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American College of Rheumatology (ACR), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), American Medical Association (AMA), American Psychiatric Association (APA), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), American Urological Association (AUA), Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations (CSRO), Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (JCAAI), North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS), Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and The Endocrine Society (TES).
AACE is encouraging all medical specialists and their patients to write their Members of Congress asking them to support the Specter Amendment and to sign an online petition to reverse the elimination of these codes at www.keepthecodes.com.
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Showing posts with label specter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label specter. Show all posts
Friday, December 11, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Specter Promises to Oppose Health Care Reform That Covers Illegal Aliens
/PRNewswire/ -- During a town hall meeting Tuesday on health care reform, Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) stated his opposition to legislation that would cover illegal aliens. Specter has been a long-time champion of amnesty for illegal aliens, he was the author of the 2006 amnesty bill (S. 2611) that was widely rejected by the American people. Specter's opposition to including illegal aliens under the proposed reforms is a clear indication of how strongly the public opposes the idea.
Facing constituents in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, yesterday, Specter said he "wouldn't support a bill that extends coverage to illegal immigrants." However, Specter went on to state erroneously that "none of the bills in Congress would provide health insurance to illegal immigrants."
A detailed analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) of the America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2009, H.R. 3200, reveals that illegal aliens would be eligible for government provided insurance, and could easily obtain government "affordability credits" to buy private insurance. An amendment that would have effectively prevented illegal aliens from receiving these benefits was blocked by Democrats on the House Ways & Means Committee. FAIR's analysis of the provisions of H.R. 3200 that pertain to illegal aliens can be found at www.fairus.org.
"FAIR commends Sen. Specter for opposing this costly benefit for illegal aliens," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Illegal aliens and their dependent children account for as much as one-third of the medically uninsured in the U.S. Including them under the plan is unwarranted and would add billions to the price tag. We hope that the senator will use his influence in Congress to ensure that deliberate omissions and loopholes, like those in the House bill, that allow illegal aliens to benefit from taxpayer funded health care, will be corrected in the Senate."
The concerns raised by constituents at the Lebanon town hall meeting reflect the growing costs of illegal immigration both nationally and in Pennsylvania. According to a new report by FAIR, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Pennsylvanians, state taxpayers spend nearly $49 million annually to provide health care to illegal aliens.
"In Pennsylvania and all across the nation, the public is understandably upset about the staggering costs of illegal immigration and adamantly oppose providing a full range of health benefits to illegal aliens," said Stein. "We hope that others in Congress join Sen. Specter in opposing any provisions that would require American taxpayers to provide the full spectrum of health benefits to illegal aliens."
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Facing constituents in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, yesterday, Specter said he "wouldn't support a bill that extends coverage to illegal immigrants." However, Specter went on to state erroneously that "none of the bills in Congress would provide health insurance to illegal immigrants."
A detailed analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) of the America's Affordable Health Care Act of 2009, H.R. 3200, reveals that illegal aliens would be eligible for government provided insurance, and could easily obtain government "affordability credits" to buy private insurance. An amendment that would have effectively prevented illegal aliens from receiving these benefits was blocked by Democrats on the House Ways & Means Committee. FAIR's analysis of the provisions of H.R. 3200 that pertain to illegal aliens can be found at www.fairus.org.
"FAIR commends Sen. Specter for opposing this costly benefit for illegal aliens," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Illegal aliens and their dependent children account for as much as one-third of the medically uninsured in the U.S. Including them under the plan is unwarranted and would add billions to the price tag. We hope that the senator will use his influence in Congress to ensure that deliberate omissions and loopholes, like those in the House bill, that allow illegal aliens to benefit from taxpayer funded health care, will be corrected in the Senate."
The concerns raised by constituents at the Lebanon town hall meeting reflect the growing costs of illegal immigration both nationally and in Pennsylvania. According to a new report by FAIR, The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Pennsylvanians, state taxpayers spend nearly $49 million annually to provide health care to illegal aliens.
"In Pennsylvania and all across the nation, the public is understandably upset about the staggering costs of illegal immigration and adamantly oppose providing a full range of health benefits to illegal aliens," said Stein. "We hope that others in Congress join Sen. Specter in opposing any provisions that would require American taxpayers to provide the full spectrum of health benefits to illegal aliens."
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Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Senator Specter: Switching Parties or Coming Home?
/PRNewswire/ -- Today Senator Arlen Specter (?-Penn) switched political parties from Republican to Democrat.
Tom McClusky, Senior Vice President of FRC Action, the legislative arm of Family Research Council, had this to say:
"Senator Specter's actions today come as no surprise. To paraphrase an old saying, 'if it looks like a donkey, quacks like a donkey and votes like a donkey - then it is probably a donkey.' This holds true for Senator Specter and the Democrats in the Senate.
"As a Republican, Senator Specter voted for taxpayer funding of destructive embryonic stem cell experimentation, for taxpayer funding of organizations that promote and perform abortions (including coercive abortions), for partial-birth abortion, for federalizing 'hate crimes' and for cloning.
"During this same time Senator Specter voted against covering unborn children in government insurance programs, against parental involvement when children seek an abortion, against school choice, against protecting marriage and even against the Boy Scouts of America!
"All these anti-family votes earned Senator Specter a lifetime average of 37 percent in FRC Action's annual scorecard. The only Republican senators scoring less were Maine's Susan Collins (28 percent) and Olympia Snowe (25 percent.)
"I look forward to working with Senator Pat Toomey in the 112th Congress."
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Tom McClusky, Senior Vice President of FRC Action, the legislative arm of Family Research Council, had this to say:
"Senator Specter's actions today come as no surprise. To paraphrase an old saying, 'if it looks like a donkey, quacks like a donkey and votes like a donkey - then it is probably a donkey.' This holds true for Senator Specter and the Democrats in the Senate.
"As a Republican, Senator Specter voted for taxpayer funding of destructive embryonic stem cell experimentation, for taxpayer funding of organizations that promote and perform abortions (including coercive abortions), for partial-birth abortion, for federalizing 'hate crimes' and for cloning.
"During this same time Senator Specter voted against covering unborn children in government insurance programs, against parental involvement when children seek an abortion, against school choice, against protecting marriage and even against the Boy Scouts of America!
"All these anti-family votes earned Senator Specter a lifetime average of 37 percent in FRC Action's annual scorecard. The only Republican senators scoring less were Maine's Susan Collins (28 percent) and Olympia Snowe (25 percent.)
"I look forward to working with Senator Pat Toomey in the 112th Congress."
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