National Oral History Project Coming To Columbia

February 8 through 22 would be a great time to record the stories and recollections of an older family member for posterity, all with the help of trained professional sound engineers and all for free, when the "StoryCorps" national oral history project stops in Columbia next month.

The South Carolina Humanities Council, working with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, is bringing the project to South Carolina, according to an article in this week's Columbia-based freetimes alternative weekly newspaper.

From the freetimes article:

The idea behind StoryCorps is simple: Give people a chance to tell their own story or interview a loved one and record it for posterity. Created by Dave Isay — a MacArthur Fellow and founder of the award-winning radio documentary house Sound Portraits Productions — StoryCorps aims to “instruct and inspire Americans to record one another’s stories in sound.”

Read more on the freetimes website at: www.free-times.com, or on the Humanities Council web site at www.schumanities.org.

You can also listen to other participants stories or sign up for a timeslot during the project's Columbia visit at www.storycorps.net. Participation in the project is free, and the individuals who participate can receive a CD of their own story to keep.

No Medicare Part D Late Fee For Low-income Enrolless, CMS Says

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced January 9 that Medicare Part D late penalties would be waived in 2007 for individuals who qualify for the Low Income Subsidy (LIS) from Social Security.

CMS Acting Administrator Leslie V. Norwalk announced the elimination of the 2007 late enrollment penalty for any beneficiary eligible for the low income subsidy for a Part D plan even if they failed to sign up by the program’s initial deadline. Generally, Medicare beneficiaries who are qualified to join a prescription drug plan, or Part D, but choose not to enroll during their initial enrollment period, may be subject to a late enrollment penalty (LEP). These fees were intended to encourage Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for the drug coverage plan when they first become eligible, but may cause some low-income beneficiaries to avoid seeking coverage.

“It is very important that we remove whatever barriers may be preventing low-income beneficiaries from taking advantage of this great, cost-saving program,” said Ms. Norwalk. “This is our most difficult population to reach and the one for which we continue to focus our efforts. By continuing to remove the fear of a late fee for those who may not be able to pay, we are taking a positive step aimed at broader coverage for everyone.”

By taking this action, CMS is continuing the same protection against the LEP for low-income Medicare beneficiaries as it did during last year’s launch of the massive new program. Under the initiative announced today, certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries can enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan with no penalty through December 31, 2007. The program is aimed at seniors who qualify for extra help paying for their Medicare prescription drug coverage. Certain other groups are also exempt from the late fee, such as those who qualify for Medicare for the first time in 2007 and enroll in a prescription drug plan during their initial enrollment period.

There are two simple steps that a potential low-income beneficiary can take to secure Part D coverage. First, they can check with the Social Security Administration to determine eligibility for extra help paying for Medicare prescription drug coverage. Second, once the person is declared eligible for the low income subsidy, they can apply for drug coverage, with the late enrollment penalty waived.
Those who qualify for the low-income subsidy can join a prescription drug plan anytime throughout 2007. If they do not enroll on their own, Medicare will enroll them in the prescription drug plan that is most suitable for them.

For more information, contact CMS Public Affairs Office at (202) 690-6145, or visit them on the web by clicking on the Icon to the left of this story.

CMS Releases U.S. Health Spending Estimates Through 2005

Health care spending growth in the United States slowed for the third consecutive year in 2005, increasing 6.9 percent compared to 7.2 percent growth in 2004 and 8.1 percent in 2003, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services (CMS) reported today.

The 6.9 percent growth in 2005 marks the slowest rate of growth in health spending since 1999, when growth was 6.2 percent. Health care spending reached almost $2.0 trillion in 2005, or $6,697 per person, up from $6,322 per person in 2004.

The findings can be found in a report by CMS’ Office of the Actuary, released today in the Journal of Health Affairs (subscription required).

Acording to the report, the health spending share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased only slightly, from 15.9 percent in 2004 to 16.0 percent in 2005. This constrained spending growth is due in part to the anticipated lagged effects of the 2001 recession, as well as to weaker growth in prescription drug spending.

Growth in retail prescription drug sales decelerated for the sixth consecutive year, increasing just 5.8 percent in 2005 following 8.6 percent growth in 2004 and 10.6 percent in 2003. This slowdown was primarily due to a dramatic decrease in Medicaid prescription drug spending, along with increased use of generic drugs. In addition, growth has been held down in recent years by the proliferation of tiered-co-payment benefit plans, which slowed the use of brand-named drugs, and a decrease in the number of new drug introductions. Total spending for prescription drugs for the year was $200.7 billion, compared to $189.7 billion in 2004. Private sources of funding, which include out-of-pocket and private health insurance spending, accounted for 73 percent of spending for prescription drugs in 2005 and grew just 6.0 percent in 2005 compared to 7.2 percent in 2004.

Spending for hospital care accounted for the largest share of overall health care in 2005, reaching $611.6 billion, with growth stable at 7.9 percent in both 2004 and 2005. The recent stabilization in hospital spending growth in recent years is due in large part to hospitals’ stronger negotiating positions and their ability to pass costs on to private payers. Private payers accounted for 43 percent of hospital spending and grew 7.6 percent in 2005, whereas public payers, which accounted for the remaining 57 percent, increased 8.1 percent in 2005.

Spending for physician and clinical services reached $421.2 billion in 2005, an increase of 7.0 percent over 2004. Payments by public sources for physician services, including Medicare and Medicaid, grew more slowly in 2005.

Read the full release from the CMS News Division here.

More CMS News: Updated Guidelines for Low Income Subsidy Resource Limits

On December 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released updated resource standards for individuals who apply and qualify for the low-income subsidy (LIS) for Medicare Part D. to the companies that offer Part D plans.

The 2007 resource limits are $7,620 ($12,190 if married) for the full low-income subsidy and $11,710 ($23,410 if married) for other low-income subsidies.

Read the full CMS memo to plan sponors.

Town of Branchville Re-opens Congregate Meal Site With State Supplemental Funding

The $2.9 million in supplemental funding for community-based services appropriated by the General Assembly in 2006 has seniors in the Orangeburg County town of Branchville smiling in 2007. Working with the Orangeburg County Council and the Orangeburg County Council on Aging, town leaders have reopened a community center and began serving daily hot meals to seniors there on January 2, according to a story in today's Orangeburg Times and Democrat.

T&D staff writer Donna Holman reported from the center's reopening:

After being closed for nearly a decade, the Branchville Community Center reopened yesterday to begin providing meals and hosting activities for seniors in the local area.

“People need to get motivated to get out and get involved,” said 71-year-old Barbara Barnwell, who was excited about the center’s reopening. Barnwell was a manager of the center for five years in the late 1980s and praised the old center for being a very good place which offered activities and trips for the elderly.

“It’s a great day in Orangeburg County, as (County Council Chairman Harry) Wimberly and his colleagues say, and it’s a real great day in Branchville,” said state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter.

“We have the facility here and meals coming to serve you, so we need you, Branchville seniors, to use this facility. I ask you to make it your business to bring a friend or neighbor with you to eat a hot meal,” she said.

“We are delighted to see the Branchville site open again,” said Sheryl Jeffcoat, director of the Orangeburg County Council on Aging. She said 77 people have signed up to participate in the program.

Read the entire story on the paper's web site, thetandd.com .