CAREGIVERS USA NEWS

Vol. I, No. 25
April 28, 2003

PETS RESCUED FASTER THAN ELDERLY AFTER 9/11
A report finds that, while pets were rescued within one day after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the elderly, infirm and disabled were left to fend for themselves for a week or more. The report by the International Longevity Center outlines ways New York City can be better prepared to render disaster assistance to the elderly and disabled. It contains information useful to other cities and regions as well.

What about your city? Does it have a disaster plan that safeguards the elderly and disabled? Does your organization have specific disaster plans? Share your plans in the Caregiving Professionals Forum.
atsh.org/phorum/read.php?f=5&i=106&t=106

----------advertisement----------
HOW MANY LEAVES FALL IN THE FOREST?
We don't know but we do know this - caregiving professionals who list their services in the Caregivers-USA.org "Family Tree of Elder Caregiving" database benefit from more than 100,000 hits per day. Advertised on affiliated sites and through the Google AdWords program, Caregivers-USA.org can help clear the brush from your promotional budget.
--------------------------------

GEPHARDT PROPOSES UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
The Iraqi war is over and as Congress returns from its spring break, attention is likely to shift to health care and the economy. Congressman Richard Gephardt struck the first blow with his proposal for a universal health care insurance plan that would replace President Bush's tax cut. Other candidates are expected to present their plans in the next few weeks.

MEDICARE BEGINS WEIGHING COST OF DRUGS, PROCEDURES
Recent actions by Medicare administrators should dispel any lingering doubt that the Bush Administration has succumbed to the demand for Medicare prescription drug coverage. Medicare officials have begun instructing doctors on which drugs and procedures will be approved for payment under existing coverage plans which pay for drug treatments in hospitals and doctors' offices. The procedures are widely seen as a warm-up for administering broader prescription drug coverage. Drug companies are furious and argue vehemently that the government is overstepping its authority.

ASTRAZENECA RESTRICTING DRUG SALES TO CANADA
A second pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca, says it will limit sales of its products to Canadian pharmacies and wholesalers -- hoping to to stop Americans from crossing the border to purchase medications at cheaper prices. "This would not be an issue if seniors could purchase the medicines they need at a price they can afford," said Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans. "The solution is to have a comprehensive prescription drug benefit under Medicare that would bring prices down."

HHS APPROVES LOUISIANA DISABILITY PROGRAM
A Louisiana program gives some beneficiaries and their families greater control over their Medicaid benefits and services. The program expands home- and community-based services for more than 4,200 Medicaid beneficiaries with developmental disabilities to make it easier for them to live in their homes. The new services include a variety of assistance to help beneficiaries find and keep jobs, as well as skilled nursing services, respite care and help coordinating care. It also helps cover some of the costs of moving from an institution to community- based housing.

----------advertisement----------
"THE AGING GAME" NOW AVAILABLE
The trail-blazing University of Minnesota Medical School program that gives medical students "real life" experience as frail seniors is now available on videotape - suitable for use in health care and caregiver training courses and discussion programs.
--------------------------------

PROGRAM SEEKS INCREASE IN ORGAN DONATIONS
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson has unveiled a new "best practices" program to increase organ donation rates in America's 200 largest hospitals to 75% of eligible donors from a current average of 46%. "Achieving this goal would result in saving or enhancing thousands of lives each year. We are committed to significantly reduce the 17 unnecessary deaths that occur each day in this country while people wait for a transplantation," Thompson said. More than 80,000 Americans are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.

WEISS REPORT UPGRADES 72 HEALTH INSURERS
Aetna Health Inc., Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Inc., and Group Hospitalization & Medical Services, Inc. were among the 72 insurers upgraded by Weiss Ratings during its latest review of 494 HMOs and health insurers. SCAN Health Plan, Long Beach, Calif., was downgraded to E- (Very Weak) from C- (Fair) due to significant deterioration in the company's capital position.