remember that guy?

Terrible that so few people know about these issues. He has a horrible record on just about every issue of any importance, and weaseling out on a vote like this is pretty pathetic.

I highly suggest everyone copy and paste this diary and send it to everyone they know.  If you have myspace or facebook, post it as a bulletin, so that it goes out to all of your friends.

This is exactly the type of point we want to make!

Doesnt that mean that we can achieve cloture when Ted Kennedy returns. When he and Reid vote for cloture, we have 60 votes...

This is important information that must become common knowledge among voters. Especially uncommitted voters. Rec'd.

On a somewhat related note...

I think I'm finally 'getting' this site, and for that matter political sites in general. The members on here don't really seem that interested in the issues. I think it is because most are already informed and therefore don't get all excited when they see something about McCain. It looks like people are more interested in the political process than the issues. I've read articles by MSM columnists that say the same thing about political reporters and commenters. That could explain why issues-based diaries like this receive so few comments.

I can already see the ad.

"The 39 Republican senators who lined up behind President Bush to oppose this sensible and humane bill are agents of harm to older Americans," Mr. Hayes said. "People with Medicare, as well as the doctors who care for them, should know that and tell them that as they go home for their July 4th recess. The vote shows a callous disregard for the older adults and people with disabilities in their states and a craven submission to the insurance industry."

President Bush threatened to veto the legislation, objecting to the Medicare benefit improvements in the bill, the payment reductions for insurance companies offering Medicare private health plans and the consumer protections for enrollees in these plans. The bill would have improved coverage of mental health and preventative services under Medicare and removed bureaucratic obstacles that prevent low-income people with Medicare from receiving assistance with premiums and copayments for medical care and prescription drugs.

Reid has committed to bring the bill up again. This is a bill to put on hold, and hopefully overturn regulations that the Director of CMS has already approved. It stops a 10% increase in reimbursement rates to doctors who provide services to people with Medicare. Just this fact alone could make it impossible by anyone on Medicare to actually find a doctor willing to take Medicare as payment. In the interim, reimbursement for doctors and hospitals for any Medicare is on hold for a couple more days. Think anyone is getting any unreimbursed health care now? The root of the problem lies with the Medicare Act itself.  Disreputable small companies are able to sell Part D (the part that covers prescription drugs) plans that can be very deceptive and have caps on certain types of drug classes. Drug companies aren't even the biggest problem in this case. It's insurance companies and pharmacies without scruples.

that this issue is more important than folks realize.  The issue of private insurance reimbursement is tied to the level of reimbursement made by Medicare / Medicaid.

Hospitals appear to work on somewhere near a 4% margin, so a significant cut in funding will mean a significant cut in services.  This means loss of access to healthcare when it's already low due to non insured Americans straining the system.  It means increased loss of services within the ones who remain in business, thru loss of staffing, i.e. nurses, aides, staffers.  

Add this to the list of things that Medicare states they are going to stop reimbursement for (wound care, catheter infections, among the top problematic ones, becuase they have no system in place for defining 'who' is to blame for the 'bed sores', (were they formed prior to the patient coming to the hospital and did not show until they were there 24 hours? it's possible, yes) or who is to blame for catheter infections? (again, the nursing home, the ambulance service, home health nurse, phlebotomist, who?) and how payment for services to address (treat) these problems will be funded if not by Medicare, then who 'litigates' who is responsible, and how can one make that party pay?  In the meantime, what care does the patient get, and how?

Yes, it'a a HUGE mess that the GOP has put healthcare into with their meddling and dishing out of public funds intended to go for healthcare instead going to 'good ole boy's' newly formed 'healthcare service company' in the guise of 'privitization'.

It's all way above the heads of the usual GE voters, but 'we' have to make sure that 'they' can and DO 'get it' before November.