From the Road: Journal Entries from the Campaign Trail

Scott Meets With Area Nurses to Discuss Health Care Concerns
2006-05-12

In celebration of National Nurses Week, Scott met with a group of local nurses and nurse practitioners at Pane Bello in Kearney May 11.

"Nurses stand on the front line of our health care system, and so they are in an excellent position to describe what is working and what is not," Scott said.

At the meeting, nurses told Scott that problems in the implementation of Medicare Part D have taken a serious toll on some of the most seriously ill patients. Cancer patients in particular are falling victim to the ‘donut hole’ problem in the bill, they said.

Medicare Part D pays 75% of initial drug costs up to $2,250 after a $250 deductible for most seniors. But then the program pays nothing until drug expenses reach $5,100. This so-called ’donut hole’ in coverage means those with more than one chronic illness requiring medication are incurring thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs, the nurses said.

Nurses also expressed concern about decreasing insurance reimbursement levels that are putting growing pressure on the finances of rural hospitals and clinics.

Finally, nurses said the high gas prices have had consequences for people seeking medical care. Many patients have had to do without necessary treatments because they simply can’t afford the expense of traveling to and from 3rd district medical facilities, they said.

“If elected, I am prepared to make health care priority number one,” Scott said after the meeting. “I’ve been talking to doctors, nurses and hospital administrators, and the trends in this industry are of serious concern.

"The number of uninsured is climbing at the rate of more than 1 million people a year. Employers are starting to get out of the health insurance business, because they just can’t afford it. And working Americans increasingly can’t afford even basic health services.

“We don’t have 10 or 20 years to solve this problem,” Scott added. “And we shouldn’t be electing people to Congress who aren’t even willing to acknowledge that we have a health care crisis.”

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