Boyda on Tankers & Medicare

Snippets from press releases from Boyda's official office.

On the Senate bucking the Bush Admininstration and blocking disastorous cuts to Medicare reimbursement to doctors:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the lead of the United States House of Representatives, the Senate today voted by a wide margin (69 – 30) to pass the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA).

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Kansas Second District) said "This is an extremely important piece of legislation. I am glad that, at the end of the day, the Senate put partisan politics aside and voted to protect health care in America."

[...]

The passage of H.R. 6331 reverses a 10.6% cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors and other providers that went into effect last week after the Senate failed to take action. It helps ensure patients' access to therapy services and protects pathology laboratories and ambulance service in rural areas.

Senator Sam Brownback voted against it- again- and the President has previously promised to veto the legislation.

On the Pentagon's decision to reopen bids on the Air Force's new tanker:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Kansas Second District) issued the following statement in the wake of today's announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to reopen the bidding process for a $35 million tanker contract:

"I am so pleased the Pentagon has decided to heed the decision of the Government Accountability Office and reopen bidding for the tanker contract. This is the right thing to do. I have said from the beginning that it just makes no sense for America to outsource our ability to defend our nation. With every contract we send overseas, we lose our capacity to build for our own military. This concern of outsourcing our national security remains at the forefront. It is important to get this right – for the protection of our country and America's economy."

You & I aren't the only ones who should buy American.

Letter to the Editor: Medicare Cuts

A letter to the editor in the Sunday edition of the Topeka Capital-Journal from Congresswoman Nancy Boyda:

Medicate Vote
Sunday, June 29, 2008

If you needed a reminder of how important elections are, it comes this week. Tuesday, Medicare is going to get a lot worse for almost everyone. Last week, Congress had a chance to do something about it. In the House, where every member is up for re-election this November, the fix-it bill passed by a vote of 355 to 59 despite opposition from the president.

Unfortunately, only one-third of the Senate is up for re-election this year. When the Senate voted, the 50 Democrats (Sen. Ted Kennedy is still away fighting cancer) were joined by all of the Republicans facing tough re-election races in the fall. However, almost all the rest, including Sen. Sam Brownback, stuck with the president, and the bill fell one vote short of the 60 needed.

Doctors and other providers will see their payments cut by 10.6 percent. Those in rural areas will see their payments cut even more. The bonus payments that allow rural areas to keep their laboratories and ambulance services will expire. Patients who need rehab therapy will face tight caps on their number of sessions.

The bill we voted on blocked all of these changes. It also made some improvements, including help for pharmacies, rural clinics and low-income seniors, and it did it without increasing the debt.

The president opposes the bill because we pay for the improvements by cutting an insurance company subsidy, called Medicare Advantage, that will cost taxpayers $65 billion over the next five years.

I think Americans think it's good policy. That's why everyone who has to answer to the voters in November supported this bill.

Democracy is a team sport. This is a great example of why you need to be part of the debate.

REP. NANCY BOYDA, Topeka

Boyda Fights to Stop Medicare Reimbursement Cuts

Every single member of the Kansas delegation to Congress, all of them- save one- voted last week to prevent massive cuts from Medicare from going into effect- and to prevent very real hardship from hitting folks back at home and all over the nation.

Medical care options may be reduced after lawmakers packed up and left Washington, D.C., this week without stopping a 10.6 percent decrease in Medicare reimbursements made to physicians.

Primary care physicians with the Cotton-O'Neil Clinic will stop accepting new Medicare patients on Tuesday as a result of the cuts that go into effect that day.

"We urge citizens to communicate with your elected officials and ask for their support to repeal cuts to their Medicare benefits," said Kent Palmberg, chief medical officer for Stormont-Vail HealthCare, of which Cotton-O'Neil is a division.

Legislation was needed to block cuts that otherwise occur automatically under a formula. Congress has blocked similar cuts in the past.

The bill to prevent Bush Administration supported cuts passed the House overwhelmingly- 355-59. It was the Senate that become the problem, with responsibility resting directly at the feet of Senator Sam Brownback.

But in the Senate, the legislation fell just short of mustering the 60 votes needed to pass the measure under expedited rules. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, fell out of line with other members of the state's delegation, voting against shutting down debate so senators could vote on the measure. Phone calls and an e-mail sent to Brownback's office on Friday weren't returned.

If Brownback had joined his fellow Republican from Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, the bill would have had enough votes to get passed the Republican filibuster and could have gone on to an up-or-down vote. But, instead, he voted in lockstep with the Bush Administration and prevented any action. His one vote cost thousands of Kansans, and millions of Americans, their medical coverage.

Don't like it coming from us? Take it from Pat Roberts, then:

"I urge my colleagues to put politics aside to pass this bill for seniors and our health care providers," Roberts said in a statement released by his office. "I hope the Congress and the administration can work together to adopt these reforms as soon as possible."

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda was, rightfully, "shocked" when she got the news the Senate had refused to act.

"I think this is where I'm hoping there is nothing short of outrage on this," Boyda said. "Public policy follows public opinion."

In addition to eliminating the planned reduction, Boyda said the legislation would have addressed problems that are driving small pharmacies out of business and leaving some rural counties with no pharmacies. The legislation would have continued to make bonus payments to physicians working in rural areas, kept caps off of physical therapy and increased Medicare payments to doctors by 1.1 percent in January.

Boyda said she worries about seniors losing out on medical care options.

"They don't need one more thing to worry about," she said.

It's nothing shy of sad Sam Brownback let politics get in the way of protecting the health and well-being our our senior citizens. We agree with Boyda- we hope Kansas is outraged.

Boyda Hopes the Senate Follows the House's Lead on Preventing Cuts to Medicaid

As this blog reported in April, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda and her Kansas colleagues in the House of Representatives voted to prevent President George W. Bush's proposed massive $13 billlion cuts to Medicaid- a bill that passed 349-62 with the support of every single Democrat and two-thirds of the Republicans.

Slashing spending on a program that is designed to make sure the very poorest Americans can afford medical attention when they need it is one of those fundamentally bad ideas that even the viciously partisan House can come together on.

It isn't definite that the cuts have been stopped, however, because the bill now much make it's way through the Senate. We don't yet know for certain how both of our senators will vote (Sen. Pat Roberts seems to indicate he will vote to prevent the cuts).

Now, even after the House rebuked the Bush Administration on Medicaid cuts, there is the potential for equally devastating cuts to Medicare, which opens the door to a horrifying new problem for the very poorest and most needy Americans:

As reimbursement rates dwindle, doctors and other health care providers must decide whether to reduce the number of Medicare and Medicaid patients they treat to cover their costs and make a profit.

Congresswoman Boyda certainly makes it clear she doesn't think that's a situtation that can be allowed to occur:

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., said primary care physicians and other doctors haven't seen an increase in Medicare reimbursement rates since 2001 and are now facing a 9.9 percent decrease.

"Medicare never reimbursed very well to begin with and now there's this decrease," Boyda said.

What is alarming to Boyda is the amount of government subsidies received by the health insurance industry — which she says totals $65 billion over five years. She said those subsidies should be halted and the money used to reimburse primary care physicians and other health care providers.

She said the power wielded by the health insurance industry influences the decisions — and lack of action — by Congress to reform the health care system.

"That's why nothing changes," Boyda said. "I can't describe to you how powerful they are."

She, of course, knows first hand the power of the healthcare industry- Boyda was an executive in Big Pharma before running for Congress. It gives her a particularly useful perspective as this fight continues.

We'll hope Republicans join together with Democrats again and prevent irresponsible cuts to Medicare and, when the President vetoes their bill, enough of them will hold together and override his mixed-up priorities.

Jenkins & Ryun: "We promise to cut funding to Social Security, Medicare, Education"

Today, Americans for Prosperity, one of the most radical anti-governement organizations active in America today, held a rally in Topeka, and two of the featured speakers were the two Republicans vying to replace Congresswoman Nancy Boyda. Characteristically, they ripped each other limb-from-limb.

You know, actually, it's funny that AFP wanted Lynn Jenkins and Jim Ryun to speak at their event. Neither one of them are what you'd call paragons of fiscal responsibility. Much to our glee, they both pointed that out.

We're just partisan bloggers, so we understand if you don't want to take our word for it. Would you prefer, instead, to take it straight from Jenkins & Ryun themselves?

[Jenkins] also blasted Ryun, accusing him of being part of the former Republican majority that ratcheted up pork-barrel spending.

"Republicans like our own Jim Ryun, voted yes and sat back and watched as our spending and debt skyrocketed," Jenkins said.

[...]

[Ryun] also criticized Jenkins for supporting what he called "irresponsible" tax hikes and for failing to commit herself to rejecting tax increases while in the Legislature. His comments echo criticisms lodged by a national anti-tax-hike group that attacked Jenkins' record last year.

Those things are so true! Club for Growth has indeed already run TV commericals in Kansas reminding voters Lynn Jenkins voted to increase taxes again and again when she was in the state legislature.

And, well, like this blog pointed out only a few weeks ago, Jim Ryun certainly never shied away from requesting earmarks when he was in Congress- and he was content to watch the number of earmarks increase 10 fold while he was in office (they've gone down since Boyda took the seat, by the way).

In the end, we shouldn't be surprised. This was just another display of two desperate politicians looking for any constituent group they can sell themselves to in order to win the nomination of their party- even if they have to deny their own realities to get it done.

Honestly, while all that wallowing in Fantasyland is beneath a federal candidate, it's actually horrifying Jim Ryun and Lynn Jenkins would even be willing to speak to an organization as radical as AFP (who, if they got their way, would eliminate ALL funding for social programs- that includes Social Security, Medicare, student loans- the list goes on and on). It's shocking to see anyone running for office tie themselves to a group who are actually dedicated to making people's lives harder.

Luckily, we have a better option in November, and while Jim Ryun and Lynn Jenkins side with radical groups who want to make all of our lives worse, we can be sure Nancy Boyda will do her best to prevent ridiculous cuts to social programs, and that she will do everything in her power to make sure the sort of irresponsible policies being proposed by Jenkins & Ryun, Inc. will never go into effect.

Boyda holds forums, helps senior citizens

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda held a series of forums dedicated to answering questions relating to Medicare across the district this week, including one in Columbus (in the extreme southeastern corner of the state) that was covered by The Joplin Globe.

It's a long article, and a good one, detailing many of the problems our senior citizens face while trying to facilitate a basic need: getting their medicine.

Here's an excerpt:

Boyda said President Bush and many Republicans in Congress want to cut funding for services to senior citizens, but she said he would fight to prevent it.

“In December, you’re going to see some showdowns on the House and Senate floor,” she said.

Boyda said that in comparing plans that are offered, one should keep in mind that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. She said 52 plans are offered to Kansas residents under the Medicare drug plan.

“The marketplace can be pretty brutal, honestly,” she said. She said a company’s profit motive doesn’t always coincide with what is the common good.

Boyda also reiterated her belief Medicare should be able to negotiate with drug companies for cheaper prices- a no-brainer solution to a massive problem that the Republicans in Congress and the White House continue to ignore.

According to the official site, a total of five forums were held.