Monday, October 19, 2009

Gag Order Against Humana Is Lifted

I wrote earlier about Humana's attempt to write a letter critical of the health care reform and the Obama administration's subsequent gag order.

U.S. health officials announced Friday that private insurers can send seniors information on health-related issues as long as they allow their members to opt out of receiving the communications, apparently ending its probe of Humana.

"While we feel it is important to protect Medicare beneficiaries from potentially unwelcome marketing and other communications, we also recognize plans' interest in contacting their enrollees on issues unrelated to the specific plan benefit that they contract with CMS to provide to those enrollees," Teresea DeCaro, acting director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare Drug and Health Plan Contract Administration Group, wrote in a memo.

The mailer prompted a complaint from Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which passed its health care bill this week and would cut Medicare and Medicaid spending by about $500 billion over 10 years. The Montana Democrat says that would lead to greater efficiency, not reduced benefits.

I ask you people, where in the history of this country has the government been able to slash budgets and increase efficiency at the same time? Or hell, just increase efficiency?

You can find the original article here.

No comments:

Post a Comment