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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: redfish who wrote (14516)	4/25/2005 2:34:17 PM
From: geode00	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 361327

WASHINGTON, April 24 (Xinhuanet) -- A new US federal policy will make it significantly more difficult for Medicare beneficiaries to obtain hearings in person before a judge when the government denies their claims for home care, nursing home services, prescription drugs and other treatments, officials said. For years, hearings have been held at more than 140 Social Security offices around the United States. In July, the Department of Health and Human Services will take over the responsibility, and department officials said all judges would then be located at just four sites, The New York Times reported Sunday. Under the new policy, Medicare officials said, most hearings will be held with videoconference equipment or by telephone. A beneficiary who wants to appear in person before a judge must show that "special or extraordinary circumstances exist," the rules say. But a beneficiary who insists on a face-to-face hearing will lose the right to receive a decision within 90 days, the deadline set by statute. The policy change comes as officials of US President George W. Bush's government are predicting an increase in the volume of cases, with the creation of a Medicare drug benefit expected to generate large numbers of claims and appeals. All beneficiaries of the Medicare are 65 or older or disabled. About 5 million of the 41 million beneficiaries are 85 or older, and some are so sick that they die while pursuing appeals. When claims are denied, beneficiaries and their health care providers can challenge the decisions in an appeal process that has several levels of review. Their best chance to win coverage comes when they appear before impartial, independent adjudicators known as administrative law judges, the report said. Over the last five years, beneficiaries and providers prevailed in two-thirds of the 283,000 cases decided by these judges. In a recent study, the Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress, questioned the heavy reliance on videoconferences, saying that "beneficiaries are often uncomfortable using videoconference facilities and prefer to have their cases heard face to face." The Department of Health and Human Services defended its new policy, saying it was "not economically or administratively feasible" to station judges around the country, and video teleconferences would allow hearings to be provided more timely. Judith A. Stein, director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, which has represented thousands of people in hearings since 1986, was quoted by the Times as saying: "The videoconferences are one of many changes that will reduce the beneficiaries' ability to get fair, favorable decisions." =============== I think we're headed towards a 'do over.' When the AMT hits tens of millions of families and housing prices do their normal roller coaster ride, the reality of outsourcing of professional jobs, regressive taxation, the massive deficit and the incredible corruption in government will finally HIT HOME. Americans will finally GET that it isn't how hard they work that's holding them back....it's the corrupt system. The myth that is Horatio Alger will finally sink in.