THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Secretary Thompson Applauds Final Passage of Medicare Bill
2) 21st Century Medicare: More Choices - Better Benefits
3) Cancer: Ounce of Prevention Worth a Pound of Cure
4) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule:
Secretary Thompson Applauds Final Passage of Medicare Bill
"We finally delivered for seniors," Secretary says
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson on Tuesday commended the U.S. Senate for sending President Bush landmark legislation to provide seniors and people living with disabilities with a prescription drug benefit, more choices and better benefits under Medicare, the most significant improvement to senior health care in nearly 40 years. The House passed the measure Saturday. "We finally delivered for seniors," Secretary Thompson said. "Thanks to President Bush's bold leadership and an historic, bipartisan vote in Congress, we delivered the most significant improvement in health care for seniors in nearly 40 years. Seniors will now have access to modern medicine delivered in a modern way."
Seniors and people living with disabilities in each state will benefit from the legislation passed Tuesday through a new prescription drug benefit and a Medicare system that adapts to modern medicine - particularly in rural areas. Beginning in 2006, all Medicare beneficiaries will have access to a prescription drug benefit for the first time in the history of the program that will mean significant savings for seniors and people living with disabilities. For example, seniors currently without drug coverage and monthly drug spending of $800 would see their spending cut by 61 percent, or $5,868. Seniors who spend $400 a month would save 50 percent, or $2,404.
While HHS is working to implement the drug benefit, seniors will get a discount drug card providing 10 to 25 percent savings on purchases. Low-income seniors would get an additional $600 credit on this card. HHS is currently working to have this card available in the spring.
Additionally, this legislation creates equity in the way rural areas are funded under Medicare to improve reliable access physicians, hospitals, ambulance companies, labs, hospices and home health agencies in rural America. "At HHS, we're rolling up our sleeves and getting to work for America's seniors," Secretary Thompson said. "There is a lot to be done to create a modern Medicare, and this vote is the first step in delivering a prescription drug benefit, more choices and better benefits."
------------------------------
21st Century Medicare: More Choices - Better Benefits
Prescription Drug Coverage for Medicare Beneficiaries
A recently developed bipartisan agreement will give all Medicare beneficiaries access to prescription drug coverage and the buying power to reduce the prices they pay for drugs. The proposal provides enhanced coverage for the lowest income beneficiaries and an immediate prescription drug discount card for all beneficiaries until the full plan is available nationwide. Additionally, the proposal includes savings for many state governments; increased coverage for preventive services; and provisions for modernizing the drug delivery infrastructure.
Medicare Drug Benefit
Beginning in 2006, Medicare beneficiaries will have access to the standard drug benefit described below. Although drug plan sponsors may change some of the specifications below, the benefit offered must at least be equal in value to the standard benefit. Standard coverage includes:
Those beneficiaries with limited savings and low incomes will receive a more generous benefit package, as described below: Beneficiaries with limited savings and incomes below 135 percent of the federal poverty line ($12,123 for individuals, $16,362 for couples) will receive:
Beneficiaries with limited savings and incomes below 150 percent of the federal poverty level ($13,470 for individuals; $18,180 for couples) will receive:
The Medicare-Endorsed Prescription Drug Discount Card
Medicare beneficiaries without drug coverage will be eligible for the Medicare-endorsed Prescription Drug Discount Card, which will begin operation six months after enactment and continue until the full benefit is implemented. The card program is estimated to save beneficiaries between 10 and 25 percent on most drugs. Those with incomes below 135 percent of poverty will be given immediate assistance through a Medicare-endorsed prescription drug discount card with $600 annually to apply toward purchasing their medicines.
Savings for State Governments and Employers
In addition to providing help to beneficiaries, the bipartisan agreement would help states by paying an increasing percentage of current state costs for prescription drugs for those who are enrolled in both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The percentage increases from 10 percent initially to 25 percent in ten years. In 2002, states spent nearly $7 billion on prescription drugs for dual eligibles.1 States would continue to share in the responsibility of providing this coverage to these low-income beneficiaries.
In addition, states already operating drug assistance programs for seniors who do not qualify for Medicaid-including Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts-could see their spending on drugs reduced by coordinating with the new Medicare drug benefit. For employers that offer their Medicare-eligible retirees prescription drug coverage, the bipartisan agreement also provides a 28 percent subsidy for each enrollee's annual drug spending between $250 and $5000.
New Preventive Benefits
Beginning in 2005, all newly enrolled Medicare beneficiaries will be covered for an initial physical examination, and all beneficiaries will be covered for cardiovascular screening blood tests, and those at risk will be covered for a diabetes screen. These new benefits can be used to screen Medicare beneficiaries for many illnesses and conditions that, if caught early, can be treated, managed, and can result in far fewer serious health consequences.
Modernizing Drug Delivery Systems
The bipartisan agreement also calls for the use of electronic prescribing in the delivery systems that will bring prescription drugs to Medicare beneficiaries. Such systems should sharply reduce the substantial number of prescribing errors that occur each year, by helping to better identify and thus prevent potentially adverse drug interactions. In addition, such changes can foster further use of data-driven disease management programs.
To View the Savings for Seniors Under The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit table------------------------------
Cancer: Ounce of Prevention Worth a Pound of Cure
by Carol E. Torgan, Ph.D.
Cancer - just hearing the word can make you anxious. Chances are you know someone with it, and worry about getting it. The statistics are frightening; one of every four deaths in the United States is due to cancer, and this year more than 1,500 people will die from it each day.
However, about a third of these deaths will be due to cigarette smoking. Another third will be related to lifestyle factors such as nutrition, physical activity, and obesity. Added together, the numbers reveal a clear message: By making simple changes in some of your daily habits, you can greatly reduce the odds of being among the grim statistics.
What Causes Cancer
Changes in genes that control cell growth and death are the underlying causes of cancer. Genes, the basic physical and functional units of heredity, are specific pieces of DNA that contain information to make proteins. A misspelling (or mutation) in certain genes can increase the risk of getting some cancers. Our bodies have a repair system that normally recognizes damaged DNA and fixes it, like an automatic spell-checker. However, some DNA misspellings can go uncorrected and, as mutations accumulate, the chance of a cell losing control of its growth goes up.
Cells are the building blocks of the body, and the majority of cells continually divide and grow - which is, for example, why you need to trim your toenails and cut your hair. When you break a bone or cut yourself, new cells are made to heal the fracture or wound. However, if new cells are made when they aren't needed, or old cells don't die when they should, the result could be cancer. The extra cells can form a mass, called a growth or tumor. Tumors can secrete chemicals that interfere with other processes in the body and destroy normal tissues.
In benign tumors, the cells don't spread; often the tumor is removed, and it's not considered cancer. In malignant tumors, the abnormal cells divide and multiply like rabbits. They can invade surrounding tissues and travel to other parts of the body to form new tumors. This process, termed metastasis, usually occurs over many years.
Cancer can run in a family when an abnormal gene is passed from one generation to the next. But having a family history of cancer (for example, an aunt and sister that have been diagnosed with breast cancer) doesn't necessarily mean you're next in line to get it. It's just one factor that can interact with others such as age and lifestyle habits to influence your likelihood of getting it.
While the link between genetics and cancer has received a lot of attention, it's important to remember that only about 5-10% of cancers are inherited. It's the interaction of genes with the environment and lifestyle that typically causes cancer to develop. You have the power to alter your risk of getting cancer by the lifestyle choices you make.
Increasing Your Cancer Risk
If you'd like to increase your odds of getting cancer, sit in the sun and puff on a cigarette while sipping cocktails.
Sun exposure is a major risk factor for skin cancer, which is the most commonly occurring cancer in the U.S. Sitting in the sun subjects you to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can cause DNA damage to the cells in your skin and lead to cancer. To reduce UV exposure, wear protective clothing (long sleeves, long pants, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses with UV-absorbing lenses), use sunscreen, try to avoid exposure to the midday sun (10 am to 4 pm), and don't use tanning booths or sunlamps, which also expose you to UV radiation.
Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff and cigars contain dozens of chemicals called carcinogens that can cause genetic damage to cells and interfere with normal cell development and growth, leading to cancer. To avoid this risk, avoid tobacco products, including exposure to second hand smoke.
Heavy alcohol consumption has also been linked to a number of cancers. Alcohol can impair a cell's ability to repair DNA, and can enhance the carcinogenic effects of other chemicals. Alcoholism may suppress the immune system, which attacks and eliminates abnormal cells. If you drink, limit your intake to no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits.
Decreasing Your Cancer Risk
Exciting new findings are shedding light on many lifestyle habits you can adopt to help protect against cancer. Researchers are discovering that being physically active can help you reduce the risk of getting a number of different cancers. Regular exercise helps control levels of various chemicals such as growth factors and hormones that encourage cancer. It can boost the immune system, and it can help you maintain body weight, which is important since obesity is an important risk factor for cancer.
"Maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding weight gain during adult life, a very common occurrence in the US, may reduce risk for a number of cancers," according to Dr. Rachel Ballard-Barbash of NIH's National Cancer Institute (NCI). "Research suggests that avoiding excess weight may reduce cancer mortality in the population by 14% in men and 20% in women, and have an even greater benefit in reducing the initial occurrence of cancer."
General recommendations for overall health are to strive for at least thirty minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. Emerging evidence suggests that up to an hour a day of physical activity may be needed to control obesity and some types of cancer. The activities should be vigorous enough to raise your heart rate, and may cause sweating. Exercises such as brisk walking, swimming, yoga, bicycling or dancing are all good choices. Routine activities such as taking the stairs, pushing a stroller, washing a car, and cleaning windows are beneficial as well.
In addition to exercise, one of the best things you can do to reduce your cancer risk is eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. They contain phytochemicals with names like lycopenes, flavanoids, and zeaxanthins, that may decrease cancer risk by protecting DNA from being damaged. The phytochemicals come conveniently packaged alongside vitamins and minerals to provide a one-stop buffet of cancer-fighters. Since many of the chemicals work best in combination, they offer an advantage you can't get in many supplements. "In fact," Dr. Ballard-Barbash says, "recent reviews have found no evidence of any benefit for cancer or heart disease prevention for several types of vitamin supplements."
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables not only decreases your risk of some cancers, but also heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. View the vegetable crisper in your refrigerator as a medicine cabinet full of disease fighting, age-defying nutrients.
It's Not That Hard
Unfortunately, many of us don't follow our mother's advice to eat our veggies. This holds especially true for men, who typically eat only about four servings of fruits and vegetables a day. While the old 'strive for five' adage still applies, it's now recommended that women try to aim for seven servings and teenage boys and men shoot for nine servings of fruits and vegetables.
This information is from the National Institutes of Health Web site.
------------------------------
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson's public schedule:
------------------------------
FOIA¬Privacy ¬Disclaimers¬Accessibility
Last updated November 25, 2003
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Contact the HHS Newsletter Team.