Comments on: Time to Sink the SAVE Act

By: mui1

mui1 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:37:46 +0000

Chris Shays is on the Tom Tancredo list as well. He’s also vulnerable.Rep Shays, Christopher [CT-4] – 2/7/2008.

By: mui1

mui1 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:31:55 +0000

According to Thomas, there are also two related bills to H.R.4088, “To provide immigration reform by securing America’s borders, clarifying and enforcing existing laws, and enabling a practical employer verification program.” One introduced by Diaper Dave, S.2366, “A bill to provide immigration reform by securing America’s borders, clarifying and enforcing existing laws, and enabling a practical verification program.” And one introduced by Pryor, “S.2368
A bill to provide immigration reform by securing America’s borders, clarifying and enforcing existing laws, and enabling a practical employer verification program.” Haven’t read the text of the two senate bills, but is this some sort of concerted effort?

By: BobbyG

BobbyG — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:08:10 +0000

Good idea. Thank you.

By: Peterr

Peterr — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:51:58 +0000

If this is an ongoing mess — not just a problem you’ve had over the last week — a call to the “Constituent Services” staffer in the office of your member of Congress can be quite helpful. Even if you have a hardcore GOP rep, their staffers have orders to help out constituents who have problems like this with government offices.

The fact that your dad left a leg in Sicily will also really motivate that staffer to help you out. They love it when they can call some other govt office and say “this guy is a wounded vet, and you’re screwing him over.”

Seriously, good luck!

By: BobbyG

BobbyG — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:50:41 +0000

The infuriating part is that these kinds of charges have been paid before by Medicare for previous episodes of care (my mom has been in and out of various medical facilities with increasing frequency since 2004).

The only thing I can think of is that my parents once — long ago — had an auto insurance policy through Progressive. Some clown bureaucrat got ahold of that and let it get into her Medicare file.

Aggghh!!!!

By: kevinp

kevinp — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:43:26 +0000

I agree, the SS was never intended to act as any kind of gatekeeper. It’s purpose is solely to ensure that Americans have some sort of income in their retirement years. Adding functionality to any bureaucratic system results in exponential complications and results in screw-ups such as you are experiencing.

In your case it seems to me that Medicare should have to do all this fact-checking before they deny instead of deny first and make your track it all down.

Good luck (sincerely) with getting them straightened out.

By: hackworth

hackworth — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:42:21 +0000

I’ve been through that. IMHO, Medicare refuses to pay any ambulance company charges under any circumstances. The ambulance co charged my deceased father’s estate ($650). I phoned them.
“Medicare won’t pay unless the ride was medically necessary.”
“My father died three days after the ride”, I said. “Seems to me that demonstrates a medical necessity if the man died in the hospital”.

They asked me to send a copy of the death certificate (indicating that they would pursue Medicare for payment). I sent it. Three months later upon settlement of the estate, the bill is still unsettled. I paid it. What are you going do? Pay the attorney $200 per hour to chase down $650?

By: kevinp

kevinp — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:32:29 +0000

Here’s a more recent article from Kevin Drum which references this column from our friend, Paul Krugman.

By: BobbyG

BobbyG — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:31:37 +0000

Just one apropos anecdote:

I am in the middle of a huge hassle with Medicare at the moment relating to my power-of-attorney and guardianship duties toward my ailing geriatric parents. I’ve got this $1,400 ambulance charge that got kicked back and not paid. The ambulance company says that Medicare claims my mother’s “primary coverage” is through “Progressive Insureance,” and that since they declined payment, Medicare will as well.

Assholes. My parents have NO insurance policies with Progressive. My mom is Medicare A and B, United Healthcare (my dad’s retirement indemnity policy), and Tricare for Life (military retireees), in that order.

I am thus far unable to get an actual Medicare person on the phone, after several exasperating, l-o-n-g phone tree tries. In the event I ever do, I’m sure I’ll be told that they can’t deal with it over the phone, ‘cuz they won’t be able to verify my bona fides as POA and guardian.

Yeah, verifying multiple jobs via yet another bureaucracy is gonna be swell.

By: hackworth

hackworth — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:30:29 +0000

Enquirer headline says Obama (and the reverend) has a secret plan to Destroy White People.