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In response to emails Insurance Advisors Agency, Inc. sent Congressman Ken Salazar, he had this to say:

“Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. I appreciate your comments on this important issue.

On July 15th, the Senate and the House of Representatives both voted to override the President’s veto of H.R. 6331. The Senate voted 70-26 in favor of overriding the veto, and I am very pleased that my colleagues and I came together in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that H.R. 6331 would become law.

As you know, due to an outdated Medicare formula that must be permanently corrected, Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors were scheduled to drop over ten percent on July 1st. As a result, over half a million Colorado seniors on Medicare were at risk of finding that their doctors could no longer afford to treat them. The cut would also affect tens of thousands of the service members and their families stationed in Colorado at places like Fort Carson and Buckley Air Force Base who are serving our country and rely on Tricare for their health needs.

To the relief of Medicare and Tricare patients and providers across our state and country, H.R. 6331 replaced the drastic 10.6 percent Medicare reimbursement rate cut for physicians with a modest increase. In addition to this reimbursement rate fix, H.R. 6331 also included important Medicare improvements, such as an extension of the therapy cap exception, a plan to reduce mental health co-payments from 50 percent to 20 percent, and coverage of both cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and more preventative care.

H.R. 6331 also included a number of measures that will help health care providers across our state, including rural hospitals, independent pharmacies, community health centers, and others. Many constituents shared with me how important these measures are to their lives, and I am proud that my colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee and I were able to successfully work towards the passage of this bipartisan bill.

I supported the need to enact changes early on and you can be assured that I will continue to work to strengthen the Medicare program, and address the broader reforms to our health care system that are so desperately needed.

For more information about my priorities as a U.S. Senator and about issues of importance to Colorado and our nation, I invite you to visit my website at http://salazar.senate.gov/.”

In response to emails that Insurance Advisors Agency, Inc. sent our Colorado congressmen, Wayne Allard had this to say:

“Thank you for contacting me about Medicare. I appreciate your taking the time to write about this issue. Medicare for seniors is an important issue to me and I have worked diligently to maintain quality Medicare coverage. During my tenure in the Senate I sponsored a number of pieces of legislation that aim to ensure the continued stability of the Medicare program. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues in the Senate are more interested in temporary, minor fixes to our current Medicare system, even if it is to the detriment of millions of seniors who take part in the Medicare Advantage program. I believe it is wrong to take options away from seniors and place greater control of their health into the hands of bureaucrats. Choice and competition are necessary to fit the needs and desires of beneficiaries and ensure long term solvency of the program. The funding cuts to the Medicare Advantage Program in House Resolution 6331, the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008″, will put many Colorado seniors at a disadvantage. That is why I supported different bi-partisan legislation which contained identical physician reimbursement language to HR 6331. I had hoped a bi-partisan solution to this issue could be reached. I am hopeful that in the future Congress will work to pass legislation that enacts long- term reform and fixes the physician reimbursement formula for longer than a few months. I am very appreciative of your comments. We share a common goal: access to quality Medicare benefits for seniors. I will continue to work towards that goal on the behalf of all Coloradans and seniors. For more information regarding this and other important issues, please feel free to visit my website at http://allard.senate.gov . I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

President Bush vetoed this bill and sent it back to Congress who in turn quickly overrode it.  Bush said he supports the objectives of the bill (one of which is to avoid the rate cuts to doctors), but the funds shouldn’t have to come out of the private health plans available for Medicare Beneficiaries.  In effect, the bill will deter Medicare Beneficiaries from being able to find a private plan to “supplement” or replace their Medicare Benefits.  FEWER CHOICES FOR SENIORS.  Be sure you know the facts of this bill. 

YES, It will eliminate the Medicare cuts to doctors — AT THE EXPENSE of seniors’ choices.  Fewer choices in insurance add up to more out-of-pocket costs.  This bill may effectively eliminate choices - especially in the arena of Private-Fee-For-Service plans that so many people in rural areas - non-Metropolitan - rely on for comprehensive health coverage.  We do not support reducing reimbursement for Medicare services to doctors, but we do want to see choice and competition remain in place for seniors who need or want extra supplemental or other insurance coverage in conjunction with their basic Medicare.  If not, we estimate that more and more out-of-pocket costs will become the norm.  When Medicare beneficiaries struggle with these additional costs and possibly are unable to pay their medical bills, healthcare rates rise to make up for it. 

Colorado lawmakers passed about 50 bills dealing with healthcare this year.  We have posted some information on a couple of them (see below).  Some of the bills add additional regulations for insurance companies in Colorado which could cause additional administrative costs for the providers and the insurers.  These bills are intended to make health care more readily available to people and promote consumer protection in the insurance industry.  Democrats & Republicans are at odds as to whether or not these bills will actually improve coverage options and healthcare for the average consumer.