VA HEALTH CARE

President Barack Obama recently
signed the Veterans' Emergency
Care Fairness Act of 2009. The
new law will enable the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reimburse
veterans enrolled in VA health care
for the remaining cost of emergency
treatment if the veteran has outside
insurance that only covers part of the cost.
Previously, VA could reimburse veterans or
pay outside hospitals directly only if a
veteran has no outside
health insurance.

Census 2010

In Malden we have a large population
of Chinese and Vietnamese to the
Malden Senior Community Center and
many Foreign churches (groups) The
Immigration Learning Center in Malden
that should become involved.
The Great Wall Inc should be involved.
I am interested in seeing Mass
Senior Action involved in the
public housing units
Census 2010: Key Dates
Ideas for Partners
. Volunteers help paint a census
mural in neighborhood of Malden
.
U.S. Census Bureau Boston Regional
Census Center
One Beacon Street, 7th Floor Boston,
MA 02108
Phone: (617) 223-3610 E-mail: Boston.
PDSP@census.gov

Speak up Contact the Governor

Thank you for sharing your thoughts
with Governor Patrick. The Governor
values your opinions and enjoys hearing
from people across the Commonwealth.
Please know that your views are always
welcome in this administration.

The Governor and his staff strive to
review every piece of correspondence
in a timely manner. If appropriate,
we will forward your message to the
appropriate staff member, department
or the state agency that can best
address your concerns.

If you need an immediate response,
please call the Governor's Office
at 617-725-4005 to speak with a
Constituent Services Aide. Again,
thank you for taking the time to
share your ideas with Governor Patrick.
Stay involved and engaged...
this is your government!


Subject: Pledge of volunteer time
to fight for health reform

On Saturday I attended the Caucus
of the Democratic committees in
Malden and passed the word(to those
who would listen) on why the
Demcratic Party at the convention
in June should keep Health Care on
the "Front Burner" No backing off
on our support of our elected
officials fighting for Health Care
for all
This is a start of my pledge to
support and ask others for those
candidates that support our effort.

Medicare and the Elderly

President Obama hopes to finance a health care overhaul in part by squeezing hundreds of billions of dollars in savings from Medicare through a crackdown on fraud and waste. An oft-cited example: Medicare Advantage, run by private insurers reimbursed by Medicare, costs the government 14 percent more per enrollee than traditional Medicare.

Republicans claim that Democrats will ultimately be forced to reduce Medicare benefits to seniors in order to finance health care for more citizens. Are the elderly being asked to shoulder the burden for universal coverage? Should Medicare, or something like it, be available to an even greater number of Americans?

Congress is debating how to cover the uninsured

First, Congress is debating how to cover the uninsured, as if that is the principal
problem of our health system.
Should we have a public plan option? Should we expand Medicare? Medicaid?
Should there be a mandate to buy health insurance? Obama believes that health
system reform will require a massive infusion of tax money to cover the uninsured,
also his primary issue.
Both Congress and Obama are wrong. The issue is not coverage, it is cost control,
or more specifically, waste elimination. Per-capita taxation for health care is higher
in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world. More than one-third of the $4 trillion
collected in state and federal taxes this year will go to health care.
If we limited health spending to just those tax dollars we would be spending more
than any other nation on health care. Yet we add another $1 trillion to our health

spending through private payment of employer premiums and family co-payments
. Per-capita health spending is twice as high as it is in any other nation, and rising faster,
because we waste half our health spending on inefficiency and poor quality.

The Health Care Reform

Lets let the Republicans PUT UP OR SHUT DOWN !!! Pass meaningful
legislation THE HEALTH CARE REFORM UP FOR VOTE
Lets let the Democrats get on with the peoples
business BRING THE
HEALTH CARE REFORM UP FOR A VOTE

The administration seems to fear a threatened
Republican senatorial
filibuster of health care reform. The Democrats
should call the
Republicans’ bluff and bring a reconciled bill
to a vote. It will pass
or be filibustered.

There is no political cost to threatening a
filibuster, but producing
one is a different thing altogether, especially
if it slows down or
stops other important work. The electorate,
which by and large has
never experienced a filibuster, will get a
great civics lesson about
the arcane and outmoded operations of the Senate and may press for
reforms.

Obsessive media attention to the filibuster will illuminate Republican
obstructionism and the importance of health care reform.
--
Howard McGowan
MaldenSenior

Resolution Howard McGowan

As a member
of Mass Senior Action Council
Malden Chapter Metro North

Whereas: We have a rule at the City Council
that no taxpayer,citizen can address
the council during the formal session
Whereas: Many vital issues affecting the lives
and concerns of Malden Residents need
to be addressed in an open forum
Whereas: Current interests should be presented
to the electorite in open Forum
Whereas: Malden is operated as a democracy
with the city council elected and
expected to follow the wishes of
their electorate
Resolved: It would be feasiable for any
resident taxpayer to address
the Council for three minutes
(strictly enforced)prior to the
formal sessions of the council
meeting on any current issue.
Limit Four per formal session