Hands to Help Seniors

President Barack Obama signed into law a bill last week which will allow many veterans which have been on long waiting lists for medical care to be able to go to a non-VA doctor.  Those who have waited for over a month or who live at least 40 miles from a Veterans Affairs hospital will be eligible to be reimbursed by the government for seeing a private physician under the new law.  Other aspects of the law will take longer to implement such as hiring thousands of doctors, nurses and mental health counselors and building 27 new clinics across the country.  "This will not and cannot be the end of our effort," said Obama.   "And even as we focus on the urgent reforms we need at the VA right now, particularly around wait lists and the health care system, we can't lose sight of our long-term goals for our service members and our veterans," the President said after signing the bill.  I agree.  It's about time more focus is placed on these issues.

http://www.montereyherald.com/health/ci_26291675/obama-sign-veterans-health-care-overhaul

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands To Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.

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We are only a week away from our annual fundraiser at Carmel Valley Ranch.  We get most of our revenue from this event, so we appreciate your support.  At the event, we will have a harpist during the silent auction portion (from 5:00 to 6:30) where wine and appetizers will be served.  This will be followed by a dinner at 6:30, and dancing afterwards.  We have some great silent auction items including rooms at Bernardus Lodge, La Playa, Portola Plaza and dinner for four at Carmel Valley Ranch as well as more than a dozen other gift certificates at local restaurants.  To find our more information and to order tickets, please click here.

http://www.h2hs.org/Gala2014.html

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands To Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.

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The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it will start regulating laboratory testing, something which has been vehemently fought against by laboratories and pathologists because they say it would stifle innovation on new tests.  As a compromise, the FDA has said it will phase in the rules over a nine year period and focus in the short term on tests where a wrong result would have the highest risk to the patient.  "Just as drugs need to be safe and effective for treating diseases, medical devices used to help diagnose disease and direct therapy also need to be safe and effective," FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg told the press.  I agree.  Historically, test kits and systems sold to hospitals, labs, physicians and the public have been regulated but if a test is developed by a laboratory and used there it's not, which doesn't seem to be fair.

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View From A Nonprofit Serving Senior Citizens In Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

The Senate unanimously confirmed former Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald to be the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs just a day after congressional leaders put together a $17 billion funding bill to help reform the agency and expand care.  The latest analysis by the Congressional Budget Office estimates the Senate bill which has already passed would cost $35 billion through 2016 in order to hire new doctors and make it easier for veterans who are unable to get an appointment quickly to arrange for outside care.  Although it's an enormous amount of money, it's clear that the agency needs modernization and reform to bring it into modern times.  "Secretary McDonald is inheriting a VA in crisis, but he also inherits a VA worth saving," John Stroud, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars told the Wall Street Journal.  I agree, although this is going to be a long struggle to fix it.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.

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View From A Nonprofit Serving Senior Citizens In Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

The Veterans Administration continues to be a mess.  Unfortunately, the cost of fixing it is apparently causing Congress to scramble after looking at the cost of fixing it.  The current proposal would allow veterans to go outside of the VA health care system.  However, this would come at a great cost.  The VA's Inspector General has confirmed that 35 veterans died while waiting for an appointment at the agency's Phoenix system alone.  The number nationally, when it comes out, could be astronomical.  The latest analysis by the Congressional Budget Office estimates a Senate bill which has already passed would cost $35 billion through 2016 in order to hire new doctors and make it easier for veterans who are unable to get an appointment quickly to arrange for outside care.  I have served in the military and for me this is a no brainer.  Despite the high cost, veterans should receive the highest level of care when returning home from war.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.

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