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Welcome to all of our new readers! This month we are unveiling our new logo and tag line. Actually, in October we shortened our name, too. We are no longer the Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation. We are Linda Creed.
The changes in the name, tag line and logo were designed to help Linda Creed better communicate its unchanged and ongoing commitment to empower and educate women regarding breast cancer's signs and symptoms.
Linda Creed provides free mammograms and diagnostic tests for women with little or no medical insurance and advocacy for measures and funding to help defeat breast cancer.
This month we are celebrating all things new in Washington as well. The focus on healthcare is long overdue, very controversial and very, very complicated. Tom Daschle's withdrawal as a candidate for the Health & Human Services cabinet post has delayed this effort, but it remains one of the hottest topics in politics and a major concern to all.
We will be visiting some of our legislators' Washington offices next month to remind them how important it is to continue level funding of the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program. With soaring deficits and record spending it is even more imperative to maintain programs that demonstrate efficiency and fiscal responsibility.
When we visit our legislators we will also be discussing healthcare and would like to include your views. We invite you to take our very brief survey.
Again this year, we invited our newly-elected members of congress to give us their views on breast cancer. The questions are the same as always. This month we are pleased that Congressman G.T. Thompson made time in his busy schedule to respond.
President Obama's pledge to find a cure for cancer in our lifetimes is a goal we all support. We plan to help him in any way we can. He could use your help, too! |
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A Discussion on Healthcare |
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President Obama's declaration of his intention to move forward a major health reform effort in his first year was welcomed with prolonged applause in Washington, and I suspect in front of many television sets. "Let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year," Obama said.
For all of us struggling to deal with increasing out-of-pocket co-pays, trying to cope with COBRA's unrealistic monthly premiums, or existing without medical coverage, this was phenomenal news. But we were not the only ones paying close attention to that speech and the ever growing frenzy of activity in Washington that surrounds that issue. The insurance industry, AMA, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare companies are all paying close attention. Lobbying firms will be very busy. With so many disparate points of view, determining a bipartisan solution is a formidable task.
Major committees are holding hearings, many pieces of legislation are being considered, and everyone's opinions are being offered. Is the healthcare system broken? Or can we repair and retool it? And how are we going to pay for this? Healthcare will account for 17.6% of our nation's spending in 2009. It is expected to top 2.5 trillion dollars this year.
The recent stimulus package contained 19 Billion dollars for Health Informations Technology. You can go online and find a record of every song you have purchased for your ipod. Finding out what medical tests you have had and their results requires in-person visits, release forms, multiple follow up phone calls and written requests. Maybe when Steve Wozniak leaves Dancing with the Stars he can shimmy his way into finding a secure, accurate way to move our medical records into cyberspace.
This package also include subsidies for:
These subsidies are indeed long overdue, very controversial, and very, very complicated. Many groups are telling congress what they think about this and they are all saying something different.
Joining that cacophony is a necessity. If we use our many voices to say the same thing, they cannot help but hear us!
On May 2 -5 the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund will hold it's Annual Advocacy Conference. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience.
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Representative G.T. Thompson (R-05) |
Representative G.T. Thompson came to Washington with a great deal of experience in healthcare. He worked for 28 years as a therapist, Rehabilitation Services manager and a licensed Nursing Home Administrator in Lycoming County. He is a strong proponent of fiscal discipline and a champion for bipartisan efforts. Mr. Thompson is also a very articulate voice for the need to address the rural disparity facing so many. (He also has a very nice website.) We are looking forward to working closely with Representative Thompson. We want to thank him again for making time to answer our questions.
Do you support legislative efforts to provide more avenues for the underinsured to obtain adequate treatment?
My background, prior to having the privilege of serving the people of the 5th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, was in healthcare for 28 years. I believe there is a common misconception that our healthcare system in America is broken. However, it is my belief that we have the best health system in the world - we just need to work to improve access and affordability.
What is your position on our current healthcare situation?
Representing one of the most rural districts east of the Mississippi River, my constituents often must travel long distances for quality care. Currently there is one physician for every 1,316 residents in rural areas. Finding specialist care is also difficult in our rural areas, therefore one of my goals is to promote legislation that will assist our rural residents in obtaining the services they need. With regards to breast cancer, I believe in the promotion of policies that will educate women and assist those who have been afflicted with breast cancer with the best surgeons, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy - and of course, support for those survivors. Those women who are uninsured would benefit from the Medicare Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program, which in these times of fiscal constraint, should be maintained. I am hopeful the President's upcoming release of the Fiscal Year 2010 budget will reflect these sentiments.
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| Legislative Update |
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Many of the committees that will help to shape the focus on healthcare have members that are from Pennsylvania. They will not have an easy task. Below you will find links to the committee. They have webcasts and hearing information and much more available. The members of the committees are also listed.
Please, visit their websites to learn more about them and their positions.
They are:
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| As always, this newsletter is a work in progress. We welcome your suggestions and comments. Easy to do that - just hit reply and tell us what you think.
If you know someone that you want to recommend as our Featured Advocate, tell us about them.
We are very easy to talk to and very good listeners.
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Thank you again for all that you do.
until next time....
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