Hmm I saw some people stating that Edwards has not unveiled any new plans this week other than the Hunting/Fishing one. I think he heard you.
Instead of defending lobbyists and corrupt insiders, Edwards will stand up for regular Americans as part of seven-day "Stand Strong" campaignChapel Hill, North Carolina - Today, as Senator John Edwards traveled across rural Iowa, he kicked-off a seven-day "Stand Strong" campaign by outlining proposals to protect health care for rural seniors by standing up to big insurance companies that are overcharging taxpayers, reducing rural health care choices and scamming seniors. Edwards grew up in small, rural towns and is running for president to represent hard-working families, like the ones he grew up with.
Edwards discussed how Medicare Advantage - expanded by the law that created the privatized prescription drug benefit - provides huge subsidies to insurance companies to offer private-fee-for-service coverage for seniors. He explained how the program wreaks havoc on rural health care by overpaying private HMOs, destabilizing rural health care providers, reducing choice for rural Americans, and encouraging questionable marketing and insurance tactics.
Taking on Big Insurance Companies that Hurt Rural SeniorsMisguided Medicare giveaways to private insurance companies are jeopardizing health care for rural older Americans. The Medicare Advantage program - expanded by the law that created the privatized prescription drug benefit - provides huge subsidies to insurance companies to offer private-fee-for-service coverage for seniors. And while the private insurance companies collect billions from taxpayers, they are also squeezing the already-stretched provider network in rural America. The program has been almost designed to wreak havoc - in the form of waste, fraud and abuse - on rural health care.
* Waste: Sending Billions from Taxpayers to HMOs: The government pays Medicare Advantage private plans an average of 12 percent more (and up to 19 percent more for the fee-for-service plans that predominate in rural areas) than it does for the same services in traditional Medicare. In Iowa, the average overpayment is 24 percent. Nationally, these overpayments total more than $10 billion annually. [CBPP, 2007; CBO, 2007]
* Fraud: Questionable Marketing and Insurance Tactics: A review of 91 government audits found that tens of thousands of seniors have been victimized by scam sales tactics or cheated out of benefits by the private insurance companies that operate Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug insurance. One insurance agent scam tricked beneficiaries into signing up for private plans by telling them Medicare was going out of business. Another agent sold a plan to an Iowa senior even though it had no providers in the senior's vicinity. [NY Times, 10/6/07; ACJF, 2007; Iowa Insurance Div., 2007]
* Abuse: Squeezing Rural Health Care Providers and Reducing Choice: Reimbursement rates paid by private plans are sometimes lower (even though insurance profits are higher) than they were in traditional Medicare. By giving private insurers greater bargaining power with rural doctors and hospitals, the Medicare Advantage program has upset an already fragile health care environment and threatens the survival of some providers. In addition, some providers are declining to accept Medicare Advantage coverage. This, combined with the decline in rural providers, means fewer health care options in rural areas. [NACRHS, 2007; KFF, 2007]
The Edwards Plan to Protect Rural Health Care for Seniors
Building on his plan for true universal health care, John Edwards will stand up to the big insurance companies that are ripping off taxpayers, reducing rural health care choices and ripping off seniors.
* Stop the Overpayments: Edwards will end overpayments to Medicare Advantage private insurers by paying rates for the private plans that are similar to traditional Medicare's costs.
* Invest Savings in Strengthening Medicare: Edwards will use savings from eliminating overpayments in part to make sure that low-income Medicare beneficiaries have access to the care they need and address funding and reimbursement formulas that are unfair to rural areas.
* Crack Down on Marketing Abuses: Edwards will empower state and federal regulators to set standards for insurance agents' conduct and enforce them, ending rules that tie officials' hands.
It seems like everytime Edwards does a new tour, he unveils a new plan. He even manages to do it without any song and dance routine, just him, the people of the country who need help and that's it.
Re: Iran and Clinton:
Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Today, Senator John Edwards released the following statement condemning the Bush Administration's approach towards Iran and criticizing Senator Clinton for undermining the American people's opposition to the war:"Today, George Bush and Dick Cheney again rattled the sabers in their march toward military action against Iran. The Bush Administration has been making plans to attack Iran for many months. At this critical moment, we need strong leadership to stand against George Bush's dangerous `preventive war' policy, which makes force the first option, not the last.
"I learned a clear lesson from the lead up to the Iraq War in 2002: if you give this president an inch, he will take a mile - and launch a war. Senator Clinton apparently learned a different lesson. Instead of blocking George Bush's new march to war, Senator Clinton and others are enabling him once again.
"I have called for strong, capable diplomacy to deal with the challenge of Iran, and a carrots and sticks strategy aimed at results--not the Bush/Cheney path, which would escalate tensions, enable attacks, and lead to unintended consequences.
"The New Yorker recently reported that one reason the administration has not yet attacked Iran is because public opinion has turned against such a course. Senator Clinton's actions undermine the American people's opposition to war with Iran. Today's advancement of the Bush strategy on Iran shows how much we need strong opposition on this issue. I learned my lesson the hard way in 2002, but it appears that others still have some learning to do."
Hmmm, see here is the difference between Edwards and Clinton, he admits and learns from mistakes. She does not see getting soldiers killed for a pointless war as a mistake, didn't in Iraq and doesn't now.
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