THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 1, 1995 TAG: 9509010723
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBRA GORDON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 126 lines
Alvina Hulmes leaned forward on her black-handled cane, craning to hear the speaker during Thursday's AARP-sponsored forum on impending changes to the Medicare program.
The 68-year-old Virginia Beach resident had read about the politically charged issue, but she wanted to know more.
``All that rhetoric is just fine for the paper, but it doesn't always answer the individual's needs,'' she said.
``Where do we need to go? Are we in trouble? And if we are, what are we going to do about it? And what can I do as an individual?'' she said, ticking off her questions on her fingers.
Hulmes was one of about 500 older people who turned out for this two-hour assembly, the last of 30 such events the American Association of Retired Persons held throughout the country in August to celebrate Medicare's 30th anniversary.
The Hampton Roads forum, at First Baptist of Norfolk, had a patriotic theme, with a medley of American anthems sung by the Beach Tones to the red-and-blue balloons tied to chairs throughout the room.
But there was more to the occasion than just cake and balloons. It was a time for AARP, the country's largest and most powerful senior-citizen organization, representing more than 30 million Americans 50 and older, to remind its local members of Medicare's current shaky status.
``Our purpose is to show the spirit of Medicare and to help understand how vitally important it is to the health and welfare of our country,'' said Dot Grames, a member of AARP's national legislative council.
At issue is the $178 billion health-care insurance program for elderly and disabled people. Without change, Medicare is projected to go bankrupt in seven years.
Both Democrats and Republicans have vowed to begin ``reforming'' Medicare so as to avoid the predicted bankruptcy.
Hulmes said she'd been lucky so far. With the exception of a bad knee, she's only used Medicare a few times. She is, however, supported by her own daughter because she can't live on a monthly Social Security payment of about $350 a month. From that amount comes the $46.10 she pays for Medicare each month, and another $31 for a supplemental insurance policy to help defray the many medical costs Medicare doesn't cover.
If, as some in Congress are proposing, she has to pay more out-of-pocket, ``I don't know where I'll be.''
Sitting to her left was Binnie McIntosh of Chesapeake. A retired school librarian, McIntosh, at 63, isn't eligible for Medicare. She was here because she wanted to find out as much as possible about the government-insurance program.
She took what she admitted was probably an unpopular position in the AARP crowd: She said Medicare expenditures needed to be cut so the country could cut the federal deficit.
``I think the (AARP) members tend to be a little selfish,'' said McIntosh, who is herself an AARP member. ``It's like that saying, `Not in my backyard,' and I don't appreciate that.''
She picked up an AARP-provided fan with blue lettering reading, ``I'm a fan of Medicare,'' and waved it in front of her face. ``I know this goes against the grain, but that's just the way I feel.''
That's just what AARP wanted to hear from Thursday's crowd. The politically influential organization used the gathering as a way to poll its membership on which plan, of the four primary proposals Congress is considering, AARP should endorse. They are:
Requiring those with incomes of $100,000 or more to pay a higher amount for Medicare Part B, which covers physician and other non-hospital services. Early recommendations have these beneficiaries paying $174.80 per month, instead of the $46.10 they currently pay.
Increasing deductibles and ``co-insurance'' payments, fees that Medicare recipients pay each time they receive services.
Decreasing payments to physicians and other providers.
Giving beneficiaries fixed-payment vouchers that they could use to buy traditional Medicare coverage, HMO coverage or private insurance plans. The traditional Medicare coverage, however, would cost more than the HMO.
Midway through the forum, audience members rose to ask their own questions. Hulmes sat quietly through several speakers, trying to compose her question in her mind before she stood up.
When she finally stood before the microphone, she spoke in a high, wavering voice. She wanted to know, she said, what the benefits of HMOs were, and if they paid for medications. Most do, she was told, and the benefits varied with the plan.
But immediately following her came a woman who, to a round of applause, including Hulmes', bashed the HMO system.
``Most of us seniors can't even remember what we ate for supper last night, and if we have to remember all these doctors in this fragmented system, I don't know what we'll do.''
AARP has not taken a stand on any of the four proposals yet. It held the August forums to solicit feedback from its membership, said Mary Jo Gibson, a senior analyst with AARP's public policy institute.
The organization will get it from Hulmes. She'd planned to go home and read every scrap of information included in the plastic bag with the bright red AARP logo she got at the forum. Of the four congressional proposals outlined, she said, she favors implementing an income-based premium.
``I think that would be a big help to a lot of people,'' she said, as Thursday's program ended. ``But I would have to see more of what is in the fine print before making a definite decision.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
AARP PROPOSALS
AARP's National Legislative Council outlines the four proposals
that Congress will examine later this month as follows:
1. Income-related premium.
Would require beneficiaries with higher incomes to pay a higher
premium for Part B Medicare, which covers physician and other
nonhospital-related services.
2. Increase deductibles and co-insurances.
Possible changes include:
A new co-insurance charge for such services as home health-care,
lab services and the first 20 days in a skilled nursing facility,
which currently do not require co-insurance charges.
Increasing the 20 percent Part B co-insurance that recipients
pay.
Increasing the Part B deductible from $100 to $150.
3. Reduce payments to medical providers, such as physicians and
hospitals.
Currently, Medicare pays them about two-thirds as much as private
insurers.
4. Replace the Medicare benefit with an annual fixed dollar
payment from the federal government.
Beneficiaries would use the amount to purchase coverage from the
HMO, traditional fee-for-service Medicare, or other private plans.
by CNB