Medicare bill is really a bad deal for the elderly
Published November 17, 2003
Re: The Medicare bill.
I have been reading about the tremendous push that President Bush has been making to get his Medicare bill passed. He even touted it to old age audiences here in Florida to make them cheer for what he was promising, but it seems that not everyone is aware that the main purpose is not to give prescription plans for the needy as its main focus but to attempt to bait and switch and use this plan to start to privatize Medicare.
Ultimately it will mean that Medicare will be replaced by private insurance companies, and people who are among the sickest might find themselves uninsurable. The burden for these folks will fall on their children, and if no one can help them they are going to fall by the wayside.
If this is a plan to help our older (oldest) citizens who have counted on receiving assistance in their old age, we are being tricked out of it and we should encourage our senators not to compromise on this legislation but leave our old age free of fear and worry about having health care. I think that this is a terrible thing to do to older people who are managing to remain independent and who have paid into this program all their working lives. Is this compassionate? What do you think?
-- Janet Sears, Palm Harbor
Reimbursement system needs reform
I'd like to take the opportunity to clarify the position of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) regarding the cancer care provisions in the current Medicare legislation, as reported in the article, Concern for patients, for profit, (Nov. 12).
As the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who treat people with cancer, ASCO's highest priority has always been ensuring that cancer patients have access to the quality, lifesaving care they need to best battle their disease.
As acknowledged by both Congress and Medicare, the current reimbursement system for cancer care over-reimburses oncology practices for chemotherapy drugs, but reimburses less than 25 percent of the cost for administration and essential patient services. As Medicare does not provide adequate coverage for these practice expenses, oncology practices have had to use the excess reimbursement from the drugs to make up for this shortfall.
ASCO's position on this issue has always been clear: The current reimbursement system for both clinical therapy and cancer care services is in need of reform, and ASCO has advocated fixing this faulty reimbursement system for nearly a decade.
Right now, Congress is considering enacting Medicare legislation that could result in drastic cuts to funding for cancer care - cuts of up to $14- to $16-billion over 10 years. Simply put, if these cuts go through, it will have a devastating impact on the best cancer care system in the world.
ASCO wants to make sure that patients continue to receive chemotherapy in a supportive setting close to their homes, cared for by doctors and nurses they know. People with cancer deserve no less.
-- Margaret Tempero, MD, president, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Alexandria, Va.
Making her cancer battle public
Re: Justice fights breast cancer from the bench, Nov. 10.
I read the Times' recent article on Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente's battle with breast cancer with mixed emotions. On the one hand, no one who knows anything about the process of being given a diagnosis of breast cancer and then going through treatment could help but feel sorry for what she has gone through. However, as an attorney and a volunteer who has spent many years working to help end the disease, or at least increase the chances of survival, I am thankful for her decision to make her condition public. Breast cancer does not respect title, race or age. As was observed in the article, even a woman following a healthy lifestyle such as the justice can be stricken.
While Justice Pariente could have elected to keep her condition to herself, her decision to make it public and discuss the details of her case will do much to help other women who are not so famous deal with the fears they will no doubt feel when their doctor tells them those three little words. As the justice's message makes clear, there is hope and the opportunity for a full life after treatment, and I am thankful for her willingness to share that message. In this, perhaps more than in her judicial work, she has been a true public servant.
-- Robert M. Eschenfelder, Esq., president, Florida Suncoast Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Look more critically at food issues
Re: Think before looking down on the farm, Nov. 8.
Blake Hurst's column attributes the rise of modern farming to the desire for cheap food. But the problem is that only recently have consumers become aware of the hidden costs of cheap food: our waterways becoming poisoned, strains of bacteria becoming resistant from overuse of antibiotics, our bodies changing due to addition of hormones, and pollution increasing from transporting food that might cross thousands of miles to reach our table.
It might surprise Hurst to know that there are a growing number of savvy consumers taking the time to learn about where their food comes from and about alternatives that go beyond leaving these issues up to the "experts." The fact is that being a farmer makes Hurst no more an expert on the future of agriculture than being an auto mechanic makes one an expert on the future of transportation.
No argument that what we are doing now is working makes sense if you happen to be one of the more than 1-billion people on this planet who are suffering from hunger and malnutrition at this very moment. I urge readers to learn more about the issues of sustainable food production and population growth, and make up their own minds.
There is community supported agriculture and organic farming going on here right here in the bay area. A simple Web search for community supported agriculture in Tampa will get you started. What you eat and how it reaches your table are too important to leave to those whose only interest is in maintaining the status quo.
-- Irwin Rudolph, Tampa
A welcome light on AIPAC
Re: Trip to Israel: facts, friction, Nov. 11.
Lots of applause and thanks to Susan Taylor Martin who is among the few who have the courage to open this taboo topic. For decades, millions of Americans have complained about the incredible power of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) over our representatives on Capitol Hill in shaping our foreign policy, only to find deaf ears in the media.
For those who are interested to know shocking details, please read They Dare to Speak Out, by former U.S. congressman Paul Findley of Illinois.
It's a shame that our politicians accept such bribes and it's more disturbing that no one calls for investigations. Imagine for a second the reaction if an organization arranged for free trip to those elected officials to, say, Saudi Arabia or Pakistan.
Rep. Ginny Brown-Wait's comment about her free trip, which cost $10,202, as "truly enlightening" was "truly" funny, because I would certainly be truly enlightened about Hawaii if someone paid for my trip there.
-- Ezzat Zaki, Lithia
Keeping our lawmakers informed
Re: Trip to Israel: facts, friction, Nov. 11.
-- It should be made perfectly clear, perhaps even overemphasized that the cost of the trips to Israel for the House members were paid for by AIPAC. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is freely supported by free will donations from many individuals from many walks of life. The fact-finding mission paid for by AIPAC alone did not cost the American taxpayers a dime.
Susan Taylor Martin implies that the House members were influenced while in Israel because of Israel's "facts on the ground." Well, I certainly hope so! Israel, the country that is one-sixth of 1 percent of all the Arab lands in the world, most likely wined and dined the House members and took them in armored vehicles to the Palestinian areas to meet with what is left of a Palestinian delegation.
Is she implying that the House members cannot make their own determinations and decisions? Are they blind? No, there in Israel, the members, no doubt, walked the Old City in Jerusalem, and saw the natural beauty. They visited the finest and best tourist sites in the world. They took a boat ride on the Sea of Galiee. They learned firsthand that Israel is leading the world in many high-tech industries. The desert blossoms like a rose, with the flowering date palms and the drip irrigation systems. No doubt, standing at the top of one of the pivotal lookout points near Mount Hermon, they could see that Damascus was only 36 miles away. Does Israel have the right to defend itself?
Thanks, AIPAC. Sign us up for the next tour.
-- Hela Crown-Tamir, Tarpon Springs
Politicians are out of control
Re: Bush's quip picks on the other bay, Nov. 13.
Dirty politics have become a way of life. Each and every one of us is guilty. We have stood by, listened and watched as the politicians have been slinging barbs and insults to the point of acceptance. We have allowed this to continue by electing these people into office. Just as we do when spoiling a child, we have lost control of the situation. We need to take it back.
Gov. Jeb Bush's comment about San Francisco was completely unnecessary. His explanation was another insult to his own party, insinuating that they are endangered but expendable. I watched a news conference just after Katherine Harris had decided that George Bush was the winner and the governor was asked his comments on the "chad" fiasco. I sat stunned as he replied, "It is not my fault that Democrats do not know how to vote." Did I miss something? Was it only the Democratic ballots that were in question? He insulted half of the state he was lucky enough to be elected in.
Have we all grown so used to dirty politics and political barbs that we are going to allow it to continue? They talk the talk. Someone needs to walk the walk. They chip away at our Constitution and our freedoms. Health care, unemployment, humanity and our very existence are at stake. Special interests should take a back seat. It's time to take our government back.
No matter what your "label" is, Republican, Democrat, gay, straight, we all need to stand up and scream that we are human beings, we need help, and we need real people to get it done. Take a stand. Get involved. Let's stop this abuse at the hands of the people who "rule" our lives.
Gov. Bush, you have insulted us again as human beings. Shame on you, again.
-- K. Frioli, St. Petersburg
Another Bush embarrassment
Re: Bush's quip picks on the other bay.
Jeb Bush may brush off his foolish comment about San Francisco "endangered species" as humor, but once again he reveals his ingrained bigotry. Bush consistently embarrasses our state with his ignorant and/or pandering views that divide our citizens, one against another.
This, however, seems to be a family trait regularly used by the governor's brother. I hope to live to see the end of the Bushes in positions of power and influence that have so negatively impacted our state and country.
-- Roy Mearns, St. Petersburg
Share your opinions
We invite readers to write to us. Letters for publication should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.
They can be sent by fax to 727 893-8675 or by e-mail to letters@sptimes.com (no attachments, please).
They should be brief and must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Please include a handwritten signature when possible.
Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length. We regret that not all letters can be published.
