HHS WEEKLY REPORT
January 26 - 31, 2004

THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly

IN THIS ISSUE:
1) President Bush Calls for Medical Liability Reforms
2) Medicare Minute
3) First U.S. Tuberculosis Vaccine Trial in 60 Years Begins
4) Five Ways to Increase Eating Pleasure
5) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule:

President Bush Calls for Medical Liability Reforms

President Bush visited Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas to discuss the need to pass medical liability reforms.

For Baptist and other hospitals across the nation, frivolous lawsuits have dramatically increased the cost of medical liability premiums. These costs are passed on to patients in higher bills. These costs are driving doctors from important work, such as delivering babies. And these costs are driving some doctors out of medicine entirely.

In order to protect the doctor-patient relationship, the President and Secretary Thompson called on Congress to pass medical liability reform that removes the threat of frivolous lawsuits and the needless costs they impose on our health care system.

"This administration has outlined a prescription to reduce the rate of frivolous lawsuits and decrease the rolls of the uninsured in this country." Secretary Thompson said. Each of these proposals would remove the limits individuals and families face in the struggle against high out-of-pocket costs in our health care system."

Several proposals were also put forth to improve health care in the United States such as giving small businesses the opportunity to band together and offering low-income Americans a health insurance tax credit to offset the cost of individuals health coverage. The President also encouraged the use of Health Savings Accounts will allow individuals who buy catastrophic health care coverage as part of their new HSA to deduct 100% of the premium from their taxes.

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Medicare Minute

Medicare is an essential health care program for people age 65 and older and people with disabilities. Recently, President Bush and Congress worked together to pass a new law to bring people with Medicare more choices in health care coverage and better health care benefits.

This new law preserves and strengthens the current Medicare program, adds important new prescription drug and preventive benefits, and provides extra help to people with low incomes. You will still be able to choose doctors, hospitals and pharmacies.

If you are happy with the Medicare coverage you have, you can keep it exactly the same. Or, you can choose to enroll in new options described below. No matter what you decide, you are still in the Medicare program.

Drug Discount Cards Start in 2004

Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards will be available in 2004 to help you save on prescription drugs. Medicare will contract with private companies to offer new drug discount cards until a Medicare prescription drug benefit starts in 2006. A discount card with Medicare's seal of approval can help you save 10 - 25 percent on prescription drugs.

You can enroll beginning as early as May 2004 and continuing through December 31, 2005. Enrolling is your choice. Medicare will send you information soon with details about how to enroll.

People in the greatest need will have the greatest help available to them. If your income in 2003 is no more than $12,123 for a single person, or no more than $16,362 for a married couple, you might qualify for a $600 credit on your discount card to help pay for your prescription drugs. (You can't qualify for the $600 if you already have drug coverage from Medicaid, TRICARE for Life or an employer group health plan).

Also new in 2004, Medicare Advantage is the new name for Medicare + Choice plans. Medicare Advantage rules and payments are improved to give you more health plan choices and better benefits. Plan choices might have improved already in your area. To find out more, call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227).

New and Improved Preventive Benefits Start in 2005

New Preventive Benefits will be covered, including:

These benefits add to the many preventive services that Medicare already covers, such as cancer screenings, bone mass measurements and vaccinations.

Prescription Drug Plans Start in 2006

Prescription Drug Benefits will be added to Medicare in 2006. All people with Medicare will be able to enroll in plans that cover prescription drugs. Plans may vary, but in general, this is how they will work:

Some prescription drug plans may have additional options to help you pay the out-of-pocket costs.

Extra help will be Available for people with low incomes and limited assets. Most significantly, people with Medicare in the greatest need, who have incomes below a certain limit won't have to pay the premiums or deductible for prescription drugs. The income limits will be set in 2005. If you qualify, you will only pay a small co-payment for each prescription you need.

Other people with low incomes and limited assets will get help paying the premiums and deductible. The amount they pay for each prescription will be limited.

Medicare Advantage plan choices will be expanded to include regional preferred provider organization plans (PPOs). Regional PPOs will help ensure that all people with Medicare have multiple choices for Medicare health coverage, no matter where they live. PPOs can help you save money by choosing from doctors and providers on a plan's "preferred" list, but usually don't require you to get a referral. PPOs are among the most common and popular plans right now for working Americans.

All of these options are voluntary. You can choose to remain in the traditional Medicare plan you have today.

News for all Americans
Starting immediately, Americans will be able to set aside money each year, tax free, in Health Savings Accounts. The savings accounts can be used to pay for medical expenses, and money not spent would stay in the account and gain interest tax-free, just like an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Your health insurance deductible must be at least $1,000 for a single person and at least $2,000 for family coverage.

Questions about Medicare?
For the latest information about Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

To get a copy of this information in Spanish, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048. Para una copia en espanol, llame gratis al 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Los usuarios de TTY deben llamar al 1-877-486-2048.

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Science in the News

First U.S. Tuberculosis Vaccine Trial in 60 Years Begins

A new vaccine, made with several proteins from the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, will soon enter the first phase of human safety testing. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has supported research on the candidate vaccine from its earliest stages. The trial will be conducted in the United States by Seattle biotechnology company Corixa and GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, a vaccine manufacturer headquartered in Belgium.

"This is the first recombinant tuberculosis vaccine to reach human trials in the United States," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "Indeed, this is the first new TB vaccine to be tested in our country in more than 60 years. This candidate vaccine, as well as other novel products emerging from the TB research and development pipeline, offer hopes for reducing the burden of a disease that claims some two million lives each year."

The vaccine combines two TB proteins known to stimulate strong immune responses in humans. The proteins were initially identified by screening blood taken from volunteers who never became ill with tuberculosis despite long-term infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. Using recombinant DNA technology, the TB proteins were fused and then combined with adjuvants, substances that further boost the immune system's response to the vaccine. NIAID grants awarded in the late 1990s supported research that uncovered the most effective adjuvant-protein combination.

The currently available TB vaccine, called BCG, offers some protection against the form of TB most often contracted by very young children. But the vaccine's effectiveness wears off over time. Also, BCG is not very effective against pulmonary TB, the most contagious form of the disease.

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Five Ways to Increase Eating Pleasure

  1. Add Texture and Flavor to Foods
  2. Stimulate your Sense of Taste
  3. Eat with a Friend
  4. Careful Preparation
  5. Set the Table Attractively

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Secretary Tommy G. Thompson's public schedule:

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Last updated: January 27, 2004
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Contact the HHS Newsletter Team.