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It's madness! We have to buy insurance but they don't have to certify the hospital.

4/3/2012

 
Picture
On my way back to Chicago today I stopped at the EZMart in Indian River, Michigan.
I stop there for gas and to pick up the newspapers for Petoskey, Indian River and Cheboygan.

Ten days ago the weekend edition of the Cheboygan paper I picked up on my way to Rogers City  featured a story about Cheboygan Memorial Hospital being saved from bankruptcy through a purchase of the hospital by the McLaren hospital system.  That was seen as good news because there are only a few hospitals up in Northern Michigan: Petoskey on the Lake Michigan side, Cheboygan and Alpena on the Lake Huron side.

Well, by Monday according to the news reports the feds had screwed up the deal over recertification and licensure under Medicare.

So, I get in my car and call the Washington, D.C,office for the  Congressman for the area, Dr, Dan Benishak.

The federal government allowing the closure of one of the few hospitals in the region is evidence to me that the homeland security initiatives are a crock.  Emergency preparedness should require the maintenance of the hospital. It’s the closest hospital to the Mackinaw Bridge on the Lower Peninsula.
 
If the elected officials for the area cannot manage to maintain federal support of essential services like medical care and airport service then the good people of Northern Michigan should
(1) toss their elected representatives out of office at the next election
and (2) stop allowing their family members to serve in the Armed Services. IMO no American should be in Afghanistan if we cannot afford to have basic services here,

Oh, the hospital was the largest employer in Cheboygan. Over four hundred jobs in a city with a population of 4,888 (2009).  I wonder who, from where will be buying the land along Lake Huron that will now be for sale with this economic blow.  

Marilyn Tavenner is the acting Administrator for the  Center for Medicare and Medicaid. She manages the $820 billion federal agency, which ensures health care coverage for 100 million Americans, with 10 regional offices and more than 4,000 employees nationwide. CMS administers Medicare, and it provides funds and guidance to all states for their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) programs.  With the passage of the Affordable Care Act in March of 2010, Ms. Tavenner is also responsible for overseeing CMS as it implements the insurance reforms and Affordable Insurance Exchanges included in the health reform law.

Here is her contact info:
Email: Marilyn.Tavenner@cms.hhs.gov  Phone: 202-690-6726 DC  | 410-786-3151 Baltimore 




 




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    Rachel Goodstein

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Content copyright Rachel Goodstein 2011-2012
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