COVID-19 Testing Sites

There are two publicly posted testing sites for COVID-19 in Carbondale. Cedar Court Clinic on the west side of town but someone has to refer you  there for testing. Shawnee Health Care on the east side will take you if you call for an appointment and a provider there determines if you have need based on your description of symptoms 

Bost Statement

Here is Rep. Mike Bost's statement regarding the postponement/collapse of the vote on the ACHA. Would like to point out that it took over a year of crossing the country and talking to people before enough support was generated for the ACA to pass. The congress wanted to pass this act with just of two weeks of discussion:

U.S Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) released the following statement regarding the decision to postpone a vote on the American Health Care Act in Congress:

“Today’s decision to postpone the vote does not dismiss the fact that Obamacare is broken. This law has led to higher costs, fewer choices, and less access to the quality care that people need. These trends just aren’t sustainable. The American Health Care Act was to be the first step in a multi-step process to fix our health care system. I am hopeful that the White House and Congress will continue working to find solutions that restore health care decisions to patients and their doctors and not the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.”

Socialists and the SHAC

Even the Socialists are getting involved with SIUC's proposal to shut down the Student Health Assessment Center.

Jerry C. on Health Care Fraud

Got this email from Rep. Jerry Costello regarding Medicare and health care fraud:

Following the passage of national health care reform legislation earlier this year, many seniors have already taken advantage of the new benefits provided by the law. For example, Medicare Part D beneficiaries in our area who enter the prescription drug coverage gap – the so-called “donut hole” – have already begun to receive their $250 rebate check in the mail. A total of more than 4 million seniors who face the donut hole will get checks throughout the rest of the year.

With these important benefits in mind, I wanted to let you know about new efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration on Aging and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to give seniors the information they need to protect themselves against scams and fraud when it comes to their Medicare benefits. As part of this educational campaign, seniors are being encouraged to keep the following in mind:

• There are no forms to fill out to receive the $250 rebate check once you qualify for it. Medicare will automatically send a check that is made out to you. You do NOT need to provide any personal information such as your Medicare, Social Security or bank account numbers to get the rebate check.

• Don’t give your personal information to anyone who calls you about the $250 rebate check. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to report anyone who does this. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

You can visit www.stopmedicarefraud.gov to learn more about how Medicare is working with law enforcement to stop scams against seniors. The more seniors know about health care reform and the steps they can take to stay on guard against scams and fraud, the easier it will be to take full advantage of the new benefits being made available to them.

For more information about the benefits of health care reform, I encourage you to visit my website at costello.house.gov.

Jerry Costello on Healthcare

Just got this email from Rep. Costello on the healthcare bill. It's a pretty good summary of the contents:
As you know, Congress recently passed and the President signed into law national health care reform legislation. It is expected that this historic law will lower costs, improve coverage and expand access to health care in the 12th Congressional District by:

* Enhancing current coverage for 376,000 residents with health insurance.
* Providing tax credits and other assistance to up to 177,000 families and 12,800 small businesses to help them afford coverage, as well as protecting 1,700 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
* Extending coverage to 28,000 uninsured residents.
* Guaranteeing that 9,000 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
* Extending the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund until the year 2026.
* Improving benefits for Medicare recipients in our area, such as free preventive and wellness care, superior primary and coordinated care, and better nursing home care.
* Lowering prescription drug costs. In 2010, the 9,800 Medicare beneficiaries in our area who enter the Medicare Part D coverage gap – the so-called “donut hole” – will receive a $250 rebate. Starting in 2011, seniors in the donut hole will receive a 50% discount on brand-name drugs, and the donut hole will be gradually closed.
* Securing millions of dollars in additional funding for our 97 existing community health centers.
* Allowing 61,000 young adults in the district to remain on their parents’ policies until they turn 26.


MYTHS AND FACTS

It is important that people understand how this new law will affect them, particularly as there are a number of false claims circulating about what this legislation does and does not do. Some of the most deceptive myths about health care reform legislation include:

SENIORS

Myth: Health care reform will hurt seniors by cutting Medicare and using that money to provide coverage to the uninsured.

Fact: Nowhere in health care reform legislation are any benefits for seniors cut or limited. Seniors will keep the same Medicare coverage they have right now, but their costs will go down and coverage will improve.
(Sections 3601 and 3602, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148)

VETERANS

Myth: Health care reform is bad for veterans and members of the armed services because the legislation will not count TRICARE, TRICARE FOR LIFE, or Veterans’ Health Care as “qualified health benefits packages.”

Fact: Health care reform legislation does not change, alter or impact these three health care plans in any way.
(Section 1501, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148; Letter from Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Department of Veterans Affairs)

SMALL BUSINESSES

Myth: All small businesses will be required to provide health insurance to their employees.

Fact: 96% of all businesses are completely exempt from any taxes or requirements because they have fewer than 50 employees.
(Section 1513, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148; U.S. Small Business Administration, "Employer Firms, Establishments, Employment, and Annual Payroll Small Firm Size Classes.")

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Myth: Illegal immigrants or undocumented individuals will be able to receive coverage under the new law.

Fact: No one can receive any benefits under this law or purchase health insurance on the exchanges until they prove their citizenship.
(Section 1411, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148)

ABORTION

Myth: The Hyde amendment does not apply to the new law, which means that taxpayer money could be used to pay for abortions.

Fact: The Hyde amendment prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortion applies to the law. In addition, the executive order signed by President Obama and the colloquy on the House floor make it absolutely clear that the Hyde amendment applies and taxpayer money will not be used to pay for abortions.
(Section 1303, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148; Executive Order -- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's Consistency with Longstanding Restrictions on the Use of Federal Funds for Abortion, signed March 24, 2010);

STATES

Myth: The expansion of Medicaid will bankrupt the states, and in Illinois, the state will have to pay $2 billion over 10 years to provide coverage.

Fact: The expansion of Medicaid will not bankrupt the states because the new law requires states to pay only a small portion of the cost of covering these new enrollees. Illinois' Medicaid program estimates its annual costs at $200 million in 2020, when the phased-in costs of expansion are complete. The state's estimated contribution is $560 million over 10 years, less than 1% of Illinois' current Medicaid spending over 10 years (roughly $60 billion).
(Section 1201, Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, P.L. 111-152; Theresa Eagleson, Medicaid Director, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, quoted in Graham, Judith. "Health Care Bill's Impact on State Will Be Delayed". Chicago Tribune. 31 March 2010. Web. 15 April 2010)

SPECIAL DEALS

Myth: The legislation is packed with special deals for certain states, such as the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase and Gator-Aid.

Fact: There are no state-specific deals or earmarks in the health care reform law.
(Section 1102 and Section 1201, The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, P.L. 111-152)

IRS AGENTS

Myth: The IRS is hiring 16,000 new workers to audit taxpayers regarding health insurance. They will have the authority to seize your property and put you in jail if you do not have insurance.

Fact: The legislation does not require the IRS to hire any new workers. According to the IRS Commissioner, the IRS will not harass, audit or pursue individuals to verify that they have insurance. Insurance companies will report back to the IRS if you have insurance and what it costs, just like the bank reports your interest to the IRS now. Furthermore, health care reform legislation explicitly prohibits the IRS from seizing any property or pursuing any criminal charges against uninsured individuals.
(Section 1501 and 1502 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148; Testimony of Douglas Shulman, IRS Commissioner, before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the House Ways and Means Committee, March 25, 2010)

To be certain, health care reform legislation is not perfect. Neither were the bills passed 75 years ago creating Social Security and 45 years ago creating Medicare. Just as adjustments have been made to those programs, changes will need to be made periodically to this one. But most importantly, the United States will join every other developed country in offering health care coverage to its citizens.

For more information about the benefits of health care reform, I encourage you to visit my website at http://costello.house.gov

Roland Burris

Senator Burris want's you to know he's revamped his website. Health care reform, or health insurance reform as it's now being positioned, issues are front and center on the site.

Durbin and Callahan

Sen. Dick Durbin brought the story of SIUC baseball coach Dan Callahan's struggles to pay for his cancer treatment to the Senate floor yesterday. Treatments of the drug Avastin appear to help reduce Callahan's melanoma but at a cost of over $13,000 per dose. Callahan's doctors are wanting to administer a dose of the drug every three weeks. So far, treatment has run over $82,000 and Callahn's insurance company, WellPoint, has said it will no longer foot the bill for additional treatments.

Shimkus Gets Bored

Apparently Rep. Shimkus got bored with President Obama's health care speech the other night, as he walked out midway through. Not quite as bad as Joe Wison's "You Lie" shout, and probably better than the twit twittering in the front row during the speech.

H1N1/Swine Flu at SIUC

First case of swine flu in the area reported on campus this morning. Hopefully, the student will be smart enough to stay home for a couple of days. If you're coughing, sneezing or running a fever, I'd really rather not have you in my class or office.

Cash for Clunkers

Looks like the cash for clunkers program did very well for auto dealers here in southern Illinois. However, the fact that the success of the program was so woefully unanticipated gives me pause for concern about the health care debate. If the administration so greatly underestimated the length of time until the money appropriated for the program ran out,how does that impact their credibility on time frames or costs in relation to health care?

Health Care

Swung by Rep. Costello's office to pass along my two cents on health care reform this morning. Interesting experience. You can't get into the office unless you know the passcode or press a button and stand in front of a monitor, I guess to make sure you're not packin'.

The woman in the office said that they were only taking a limited amount of info from drop-ins: name, address and whether you supported or opposed health care reform. They will the mail out info. She also mentioned they'd been getting a lot of phone calls on the topic, with calls splitting about even. However, the people who were calling in opposed to reform were a lot more abusive than the people who supported it. She specifically mentioned a woman who called in twice just before I came who abused Costello's staffer verbally, reminded her that she was" a public servant and you work for me" (I'm certain the Costello staffer had forgotten that and was quite glad the woman reminded her. Not sure what bearing the comment had on the conversation though), and refused to leave a name when the staffer asked for one so she could pass the comment along to Rep. Costello.

For a good round up of reform questions and answers, at a meeting where violence didn't break out, take a look this summary from Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill's meeting

Congressman Costello a No-show

Depending on your point a view, Jerry Costello is either a) wanting to keep the discussion of health care reform on a more civil level by only having phone meetings about the topic or b) hiding from the public so he doesn't have to answer to them for doing the bidding of his evil masters in Washington.

Me, I think anyone who goes to one of these town hall meetings to yell at their congressperson instead of talking with them is doing the bidding of their own set of evil masters.

Health Care

From Sadly No, interesting comparison between US and Canadian healthcare.

And from Nate Silver, why you shouldn't pay much attention to the daily news on health care in Congress.

Health Care Oligopoly

Been doing some reading on health care in the US since Rep. Flowers visit last week. Based on this report, it looks like moving to a single payer system would be that much of a stretch from where we are now. In 10 states, 2 companies cover over 80% of the population with insurance and the AMA views 94% of the country's insurance markets are defined as highly concentrated