BUSH RAISES MEDICARE PREMIUMS 17% (this matters) [View All]

[Joanne98]

SPREAD THIS AROUND PLEASE...........

WASHINGTON - Medicare premiums for doctor visits will rise 17 percent next year, the Bush administration said Friday. The $11.60-a-month increase is the largest in the program's 40-year-history.



Monthly payments for Part B of the government health care program for older and disabled Americans — doctor visits and most other non-hospital expenses — will jump to $78.20 from $66.60.


The premiums are updated annually under a formula set by law. The federal government picks up about 75 percent of the cost of Part B benefits and beneficiaries pay the rest.


The increase reflects rapidly rising health costs and last year's Medicare overhaul, said Dr. Mark McClellan, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. For example, the law blocked a planned 4.5 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians and replaced it with a 1.5 percent increase.


With the 30% rise in drug prices this year and now this. Bush has raised medical costs on seniors 47%. GOP stands for GET OLD PEOPLE.
Florida and Arizona (both swing states) have large retirement communities. Another thing. EVANGELICAL CHRISIANS should be accused directly to their faces, of delibertly voting to KILL old people. This is more proof they're a "greedy death cult".

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20040903/ap_on_go_ot/medicare_premiums

RATE IT A FIVE........