2006 MJC goals are underdevlopment and are expected to be adopted in Decemeber.

2005 Current MJC Goals:

√  Equalizing Medicare Benefits – Make the full range of health plan options available nationwide, providing ALL necessary care -- and NO unnecessary care!

Medicare should provide funding so that the same benefits and range of health plan options are available nationwide - providing ALL necessary care and NO unnecessary care. It is not fair that for people living in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles, Medicare will fund supplemental premiums, eyeglasses, Medicare deductibles and prescription drugs when seniors living in other states including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington have none of these options or must pay exorbitant prices for such coverage.  

We must establish parity and equity between reimbursement for HMOs (Medicare Advantage) and traditional fee-for-service (Medicare Parts A and B). Without such changes, access for Medicare beneficiaries will be increasingly limited, particularly in rural areas.

 √  Moderating Prescription Drug Costs –Make reimportation and federal negotiation of prices legal and eliminate low-income asset tests. For more information about prescription drug reimportation click here.

√  Inform Consumers of Significant Aspects of the Medicare Modernization Act - Be the premier source of independent and objective consumer information on Medicare Modernization Act as it impacts low Medicare reimbursed states. Share National Institute of Health Policy findings on Midwest issues with the public.

2005 Medicare Justice Coalition Objectives

1.      Implement the policy goals of the MJC regarding Medicare Advantage and Fee-for-Service, and Rx drugs.
2.      Conduct major consumer education campaign in 2005.

a.       Develop, fund, and conduct “Medicare Fairness” educational campaign on Medicare equity issues, cost shifting, and equal benefits throughout Minnesota in conjunction with hospitals, employers, unions, and the faith community.
b.      Develop, fund, and conduct a multi-state educational campaign on the changes in Medicare under the Medicare Modernization Act that will provide good objective consumer information allowing beneficiaries to make better personal decisions and to advocate for needed changes in the law.
c.       Begin in Minnesota in the spring of 2005 and expand to additional states as appropriate.

3.      Inform Consumers of the National Institute of Health Policy findings on the impact of the Medicare Modernization Act on the upper Midwest in five key areas:

a.       Act makes worse geographic inequities; upper Midwest payments increased less than 3 percent while national average increase was over 10 percent.
b.      Act’s low income asset tests for those under 135 and 150 percent of poverty are now $6,000 and $10,000, respectively, and severely limits number of enrollees who can be helped.
c.       Act prohibits the federal government as drug price-setter to control prescription drug costs, even though the government continues to set prices for hospital services, physicians, nursing facilities, home health care, and durable medical equipment.
d.      Act allows employers to continue retiree drug coverage while also providing incentives for employers to reduce benefits and shift costs for any benefit that exceeds the Part D benefit to the retirees. 
e.       Act’s complexity (over one thousand pages in legislation, plus tens of thousands of pages of regulations) makes understanding and fair implementation difficult for consumers, providers, and payers.

4.      Broaden the base of the MJC by increasing significant participation and financial support by additional consumers, providers/professionals and including membership from employers, unions, and the faith community in the Twin Cities, Greater Minnesota and additional states.

5.      Develop and broaden the MJC national coalition’s organized efforts by an additional two to three states

6.      Continue legal action as appropriate.