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| The NYSUT response to the Bush Medicare law Your union's agenda, and ways you can help Summer 2004 Workers and retirees want real healthcare security through Medicare, with affordable prescription drug benefits. They want Medicare to be allowed to use its group buying power to lower prescription drug prices. NYSUT's political objectives
NYSUT policy objectives
How you can help It's not too late to fix this Bush Medicare Law! If we can't fix it, we want the Congress to repeal it! Talk to your local union members
Hold your White House and your Members of Congress accountable by:
Work in Medicare allied and tactical coalitions Speak out to the general public by:
Sample Letter to a Newspaper Editor
Dear Editor: I'm a (worker / or senior citizen) who opposes this terrible new Medicare Law. The new law will raise my health care premiums because it does nothing to control future healthcare costs. The new law will pressure me into an HMO or private insurer. Meanwhile, the new law offers a pitiful prescription drug benefit, and endangers New York 's EPIC program. According to Citizen Action of New York, under the new Medicare Law, more than 700,000 New York seniors will pay more for drugs; and the State will have to overhaul New York 's EPIC drug program -- which serves 350,000 New York seniors. Further, the new law will cause low-income seniors and disabled on Medicaid to pay more too. Does the public know that 229,000 New York retirees are projected to lose their employer-sponsored drug coverage contribution? HMOs, nationally, have already dumped 2.4 million seniors out of Medicare because they couldn't make high enough profits. But now President Bush is offering $87 billion in bribes to HMOs and insurance companies to offer private Medicare drug plans. At the same time, the new Medicare Law will provide an inadequate Medicare drug plan. And who will benefit? You guessed it, HMOs, drug and private insurance companies. Under this new law, drug companies will reap billions of dollars in profits, in a large part because the law closes the door on importing American made drugs from Canada and Europe, and it will prohibit Medicare from controlling drug prices here at home. Why did the White House and Congress adopt this sham Medicare Law? They did it because the law favors big campaign contributors, such as drug and private insurance companies, over workers and retirees. It's just plain obvious: HMOs, drug and private insurance companies continue to have too much say about my healthcare choices. I am angry and disappointed that the White House and congressional leaders continue to place HMOs, drug and private insurance companies ahead of 40 million seniors who relied on the traditional Medicare structure being there when it was needed. This awful Bush Medicare Law ends Medicare as seniors knew it and its guaranteed benefits are now gone. It must be changed to restore its guaranteed benefits, or we must scrap it outright. Just like in 1988 when the White House and Congress adopted an ill-conceived catastrophic health care law, this new Medicare Law must be repealed outright or changed for the better to protect workers and retirees health care! The White House and Congress hope it pulled the wool over the eyes of New York 's workers and seniors. But I'm one (worker or senior) who won't be fooled by it. I'm going to use my voice to make my congressional representatives justify their vote. And, I'm going to use my vote to hold my members of Congress accountable. Signature:____________________________. (Language for sample letter excerpted from a letter by: Citizen Action of New York Public Policy and Education Fund of New York) |
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