Kassebaum-Kennedy Law and Immunization Activities

Ninety-six year old Elsie Rittman of Tucson, Arizona needed the services of a physician, but was told by the doctor she contacted that he couldn’t afford to take on any more Medicare patients. When she offered to pay him out of her own pocket, she was told it was illegal to spend her own money to see the doctor of her choice.

Dear Editor,

Dear Dr. Faria,

This is to clarify the remarks on Medicare private contracting in the News and Analysis section of the March/April 98 issue of the Medical Sentinel.

John S. Hoff of the American Enterprise Institute attempts to elucidate the reasoning and facts surrounding the bureaucratic prohibition of the right to privately contract between a Medicare-enrolled senior citizen patient and his or her chosen physician in this small booklet. Unfortunately, the book itself unknowingly adds to the wealth of errors which surround this subject.

Getting old has its problems. The only real blessing is that it usually happens slowly. For me, at 57 years of age --- I've been fortunate --- it's just really beginning to happen.

A few weeks ago, I visited my periodontist --- gum disease. I have a bad tooth near the back of my left upper teeth, and it needs some serious work. After she described the details of what she was going to do, I asked some appropriate questions including, "How much will it cost to fix that one tooth?" After a few silent moments of calculating, she calmly replied, "Oh, about $2,000."

Dear Editor,