Table of Names As of June 29, 2008 

Out Of The Pockets Of Our Seniors: Our Service Members, Too!

Over the last several weeks, our Congress has once again taken a giant step... in a direction I wish they had not gone. On the 12th of June the Senate fell 6 vote short, while on June 26, by a mere two votes legislation that would have prevented a potential Medicare disaster was stalled in the Senate. What is realized by almost everyone that what is harmful to Medicare is harmful to our seniors. What very few people realize is that it is also harmful to our active duty service members and those who have retired from military service - more on that below. One side point. I realize that "cuts in payments" do not directly come out of the pockets of our seniors. However, if these cuts result in physicians not taking on Medicare patients, isn't the results just that. It will cost our seniors; it will come out of their pockets.

June 26 and June 12

By a vote of 58 to 40 (60 votes were needed), the Senate affectively rejected a bill that would have avoided deep cuts in Medicare reimbursements to physicians. Because of this and effective July 1, a 10.6% cut in payments to physicians is set to take place. Ironically, just two days prior the House voted significantly in favor (355 to 59) to prevent this cut-back from occurring.

The actual Senate vote was:

             Yea     Nay     Not Voting     

D         47        1          1         

R          9          39        1         

I           1          0          0         

ID        1          0          0         

Totals   58        40        2         

Similarly back on June 12 the Senate again failed to pass a bill that would have canceled the cuts in physician reimbursements. Regardless of what had happened in the Senate, the current Administration had promised to veto this attempt to prevent the cuts in position reimbursements.

And Why Is This so

The Medicare (and military health care, read that TRICARE) budget for 2008 was based on these cuts going into effect.

Our Military

As mentioned above, there is much concern that with these cutbacks doctors will not take on any new Medicare patients. As our military's TRICARE payments are treated the same as the Medicare payments, this could easily mean our active duty military, their families, and all who have retired from the military (!) and their families (!!!) might find themselves in a similar situation; unable to find a physician who will take their case.

And what is TRICARE

TRICARE is the U.S. government sponsored health insurance plan for all active military members, their family, and all retirees and their families.

The 'Wall' In Hicksville

As I've been mentioning, at the beginning of June (and for those of you who were so fortunate to be both available and able to fight off the heat), the Town of Oyster Bay, for the second time in three years, brought in to the Town the Dignity Memorial "Vietnam Wall," a three-quarter replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall, Washington, DC. This time to the Sears in Hicksville.

I'll have some photos next month. In the mean time, what many of you might not know is the history of how the Town of Oyster Bay came to bring in the "Wall," in the first place.

The Spring of 2004

In January 2004, the Town of Oyster Bay began a process that resulted in the formation of the: Veterans Services Division of the Town of Oyster Bay in November of that year (the Town, by the way, being the only town of the 12 plus towns in Nassau and Suffolk County to have a division dedicated entirely to veterans).

By the spring of 2004, it was apparent that the Veteran Services Division was 'a go' and discussions began about an event to 'launch' itself. It didn't take much thought to realize that April 2005 would be the "30th Anniversary" of the last American personnel being withdrawn from Vietnam.

Realizing that, a search was then undertaken to identify and learn more about the three or four 'mobile walls' that toured the country and were available to provide the Town of Oyster Bay's residents with the opportunity to visit the "Wall," locally.

After more than just a few phone calls, after more than just a few meetings, after coordinating with more than just a few town departments and local organizations, at the end of April 2005, the Dignity Memorial Wall was made available (in Marjorie Post Park in Massapequa) for all the residents to visit. Despite 2 1/2 days of rain over the three days the Wall was available, those who did visit were not disappointed, regardless of whether it was raining or the sun was shining.

The Fall of 2007

Back in May of 2007, a seed was planted by a simple question asked as to when the Town of Oyster Bay would once again bring in the "Wall". At that time no decision was made.

In October of that year, another question was asked... another simple question: what would it take to bring the "Wall" back to the Town of Oyster Bay?

The answer to that question was... a simple phone call, which set in motion the events that would bring the "Wall" back to the Town.

June of 2008

Once again meetings were held between the Town and local organizations. Once again Vietnam veterans and other era veterans were invited to take part in the remembrance of the 58,260 brothers and sisters (there are the names of eight women on the "Wall") who gave their "last full measure of devotion" to our country and to their fellow service members.

Using words from the wall itself: In Honor Of The Men And Women Of The Armed Forces Of The United States Who Served In The Vietnam War. The Names Of Those Who Gave Their Lives And Of Those Who Remain Missing Are Inscribed In The Order They Were Taken From Us. Our Nation Honors The Courage, Sacrifice And Devotion To Duty And Country Of Its Vietnam Veterans.

This Week's Almost Not Commented on Story - And What If She Hadn't Kept...

RETIRED MARINE HAS TO FIGHT TRICARE FOR DAUGHTER'S LIFE-SAVING TRANSPLANT -- Four years after she retired from the Marine Corps, Bessie Miller had to fight the same military she was a part of for three decades. TRICARE, her military insurance, had refused to pay for a procedure for her daughter, Sloan Hunter. Hunter is 18 and suffers from a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Miller, 57, felt as if she and her daughter were getting "slapped in the face every time we turn around." After she gave the Marines 30 years of her life, she said, she expected its insurance to provide the care her daughter needed. When it didn't, Miller went to battle. She fought to get Hunter admitted to VCU Medical Center in Richmond, even though the hospital is not in TRICARE's network. Then she fought TRICARE when it refused to pay for a bone-marrow transplant for her daughter. By the time her claim reached the third and final level, Miller had contacted The Free Lance-Star and her local Representative, whose office lobbied for her. In addition, Miller called the hospital and insurance company regularly to confirm that each had the needed paperwork. TRICARE announced on 'Thursday' that it would pay for Hunter's $110,000 operation. Officials said she qualified for care under a rare-disease regulation. "I guess just bugging all these people, not giving up, refusing to accept 'no' for an answer, made the difference," Miller said. "That's the only thing I can think of, and I am totally thrilled and happy."

My Hicksville Trivia: Circa 1964, Mrs. Rome taught Bio, as did Mr. Faust. On more than one occasion, the two would bring their classes together to watch a film. Therein lied the birth of an idea. One day when one of them was showing a film in their class, but HAD NOT invited the other, I and another - can't remember who -- who really didn't want to do any work that day decided to ask our respective teachers something along the lines - (let's say it was me speaking): Mrs. Rome, Mr. Faust is showing his class the film 'ABC' and wanted to know if you would like to bring our class to his to see the film?" We pulled it off... sorta. At one of the reel-breaks our respective teachers both asked the two of us to join them for a moment in the back lab room. We weren't invited back there to share in a cup of tea. Still, we did, not do, any work that day. And if my 'associate' from all those years ago is reading this, drop me a line.

Lest We Forget: Currently there are (at least) 5,032 (57 more since last month) Veterans of Modern Warfare who no longer will be "asking" our government for a dime . . .

Till next month be well... and remember, "Let No Veteran Ever Stand Alone!"