This website provides readers an historical perspective on the evolution of various healthcare laws and regulations affecting healthcare freedom and privacy.
For updated information about healthcare freedom and privacy issues, visit Citizens' Council for Health Freedom's website www.healthcarefreedom.us
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Medicare & Seniors' Healthcare Issues

One of the most important issues policymakers need to address is seniors' freedom of choice. Many people do not realize it, but government regulations severely penalize seniors who wish to keep their private health insurance, rather than enrolling in Medicare Part A (the government hospital insurance program), upon turning age 65 . . . (continue reading)

Related articles
Aug. 2010 Medicare Chief Actuary Publishes “Alternative Report”
Jan. 2010 Would a Federal Health-Insurance Mandate Eliminate Seniors’ Freedom to Contract Privately for Health Care?
Oct. 2009 Judge Clears Way to Void Rules Mandating Enrollment in Medicare, Part A, As a Condition of Receiving Social Security Retirement Benefits
Aug. 2009 Medicare Trustees’ Report Projects Hospital Insurance Bankruptcy by 2017
Jul. 2009 Is Medicare More Efficient than Private Insurance?
Apr. 2009 Let These Seniors Go
Jan. 2009 Lead Plaintiff in Medicare Lawsuit Asks for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction against SSA and HHS
Oct. 2008 Lawsuit Challenges Coercion of Seniors into Medicare
Apr. 2008 Medicare Faces Inadequate Financing; Spending Grew 44 Percent in Past 3 Years
Mar. 2008 Medicare Roundup: "The way we finance Medicare now is equivalent to taking out a credit card for our grandchildren and slapping our own medical bills on it."
Nov. 2007 Medicare-for-All Would Lead to $21 Billion Shortfall
May 2006 Medicare Costs Projected to More than Double in Next 10 Years
Mar. 2006 National Health Spending to Double by 2015
Feb. 2006 Comptroller General Urges Congress to Re-examine Federal Health Spending
Jan. 2006 New Study Finds Medicare’s Administrative Costs Are Underestimated
Nov. 2005 Cut Federal Spending and Put Medicare Prescription Drugs on Hold
Aug. 2005 Federal Government Proposes Linking Nursing-Home Payments to Vaccinations: Submit Public Comments by August 30
Jun. 2005 President’s Message: It’s Time to Unsocialize Medicare in the U.S. (by Sue Blevins)
Apr. 2005 Medicare Rx Spending to Outpace GDP Growth; Hospital-Spending Growth Not Expected to Slow
Mar. 2005 National Health Spending Trends for 2004-2014
Feb. 2005 HHS Response Ignores Question about “Legal Authority”, Raises New Questions about Restrictions on Seniors’ Freedom “Inside” the Medicare Program
Feb. 2005 Government Imposes a Huge Financial Penalty on Seniors Who Reject Socialized Medicine
2/11/2005 What Every American Needs to Know about Social Security and the Mandatory Medicare-Enrollment Policy: Government Imposes a Huge Financial Penalty on Seniors Who Reject Socialized Medicine.
Jan. 2005 Medicare Officials Might Consider Hiring Toads
10/5/2004 Congressmen Question HHS's Legal Authority to Force Seniors into Medicare Part A: Three congressmen sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson questioning the current policy of forcing seniors into Medicare Part A.
3/26/2004 An Unhealthy Tradition: Ignoring, whitewashing, and covering up Medicare's true cost is a Washington tradition as old as the program itself.
3/11/2004 Is Nationalized Health Care Coming to America? The new Medicare law establishes a Hillary-like health care working group.
2/19/2004 How New Medicare Reform Could Affect All Citizens
2/19/2004 Chiropractors Excluded from Limited Right to Contract Privately Under Recently Enacted Medicare Bill
2/19/2004 Reality Check on Medicare Legislation
1/14/ 2004 Coercion vs. Freedom: Baby Boomers Likely to Challenge Medicare Rules
11/24/2003 Walk of Shame: Republicans Bungle Medicare and Have Their Way With the Law
11/21/2003 Medicare Bill Includes Major Tax Increases
11/20/2003 Beware of Medicare Reformers' Empty Promises
11/19/2003 Medicare Reform Will Strip Away Health Freedom and Medical Privacy
11/13/2003 Critical Time to Speak Up About Medicare Reform
10/29/2003 Medicare Trick or Treat: Why Make 654,000 Seniors Pay More for the Same Medicare Benefits?
8/14/2003 How Medicare Rx Drug Coverage Affects Patient Choice: A Firsthand Account
7/10/2003 Medicare Drug Plan Promotes Dependence on Government: The House version of the Medicare bill passed by only one vote.
6/26/2003 692-Page Medicare Bill Just Developed and Congress Has Just Hours Before Voting: Will Your Congressman's Vote Be Truly Informed?
6/25/2003 Losing Our Independence? Medicare Rx Reform and Health Care Choices
6/23/2003 Medicare Rx Reform: The Road to Medical Serfdom
6/12/2003 Proposed Medicare reform could strip all citizens of their health freedom and medical privacy: It's a critical time to voice your own opinion!
Nov. 2001 Book Forum to Release "Medicare's Midlife Crisis"
2001 Book released: Medicare's Midlife Crisis
10/19/2001 Health Expenditures Consume Ever-Growing Share of Federal Budget - Continued growth in federal spending on health care will most definitely crowd out funding for defense and national security priorities.
6/4/2001 How Seniors and Taxpayer Got Enron-ed - A book review by John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation.
6/4/2001 Medicare Private Contracts: What Happens if Medicare Pays for Rx Drugs? - American seniors have the right to know how a new Medicare program will affect their freedom to choose and pay privately for medicines.
12/8/2000 Debunking Medicare Myths: How a New Prescription Drug Program Could Affect American Taxpayers and Seniors - Do Americans want to create a safety net for the poor, or a federal program that rations prescription drugs for all American seniors?
7/11/2000 Reforming Medicare or Shifting Costs? - Was the Medicare hospital program truly reformed or were accounting gimmicks used to "save" the program?
10/5/1999 Appeals Court Rules in United Seniors Association v. Shalala - Are seniors allowed to pay privately for the health care of their choice?
3/11/1999 Will A "Patients' Bill of Rights" and New Medicare Reform Proposal Guarantee the Right to Contract? - H.R. 958 would also force seniors to share their medical claims' records with government bureaucrats.
12/21/1998 Are You Ready for the Year 2000? You've probably heard a lot about the Year 2000 computer problem, commonly referred to as the Y2K problem. . . Whether you're an optimistic or a doomsayer, there are some common sense steps everyone should take regarding health care information.
12/14/1998 Institute for Health Freedom Joins Legal Brief in Fight for Seniors' (Medicare Beneficiaries') Health Freedom. If, as the Supreme Court held in Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, a person has a constitutionally protected right to refuse unwanted lifesaving medical treatment in order to die, then surely there exists an equal or even greater constitutional right to obtain wanted medical treatment in order to remain healthy and alive.
10/27/1998 ACLU Joins Fight for Seniors' (Medicare Beneficiaries') Health Freedom "A former associate justice of the Supreme Court of Minnesota was refused a tetanus injection at an emergency room during treatment for a severe laceration. The emergency room personnel explained that Medicare might deem the injection unnecessary and would then refuse reimbursement. When Justice Loevinger offered to pay for the injection with his own funds, he was informed that under Medicare, the hospital could not allow him to make personal payment for treatment."
10/19/1998 Should senior citizens be able to contract privately for Medicare services? Hear both sides of the argument from speakers at a recent Cato Policy Forum. Note: This is a link to an audio message.
10/13/1998 The Medicare Commission Says It Wants Your Input. But Does it, Really? Did anyone ever ask you whether we should use scarce Medicare dollars to pay for the training of doctors instead of, say, covering prescription drugs? Probably not. That's because Medicare decisions are usually made by large lobbying groups that have vested financial and political interests in the program.
6/12/1998 Why Doctor Opted Out of Medicare
5/27/1998 Medicare "Scare" Campaign
4/9/1998 New Medicare Law Discriminates Against Certain Providers
3/20/1998 Medicare Limits Senior Liberty
Winter 1997 Medicare's Origin: The Economics and Politics of Dependency
11/5/1997 ...And Restore Seniors' Freedom
10/28/1997 Who's Afraid of Patient Choice? (link to NCPA article)
10/1/1997 Returning Medical Freedom to Seniors
8/5/1997 On Medicare, Congress Makes Wrong Choice
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