Insurers criticized on Medicare tactics

May 7, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Insurance companies have used improper hard-sell tactics to persuade Medicare recipients to sign up for private health plans that cost the government far more than the traditional Medicare program, government officials and consumer advocates say. Enrollment in federally reimbursed Medicare Advantage plans has soared in the last year, but Medicare officials say beneficiaries often do not understand the plans and the costs to themselves and the government. (New York Times News Service)

House minority leader John Boehner, Republican of Ohio, said yesterday that GOP support could waver if President Bush's Iraq war policy does not succeed by the fall. Boehner said the troop increase deserves a shot and funding should continue even if benchmarks for success are not met. Democratic Representative Charles Rangel of New York, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said, "It would be ridiculous to think that we're going to just drop this fight." (AP)

Entrance fees are due to rise at national parks over the next three summers, though a public outcry could prompt the government to reconsider. The National Park Service plans to phase in higher rates for annual passes and fees paid per vehicle or person at about 130 of the 390 parks, monuments, and other areas the agency manages. Park superintendents can recommend that certain increases be rescinded. (AP)

WYOMING

CHEYENNE -- About a third of the officer jobs at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins are unfilled, making the remaining officers work extraordinary hours in a high-security environment. Correction officials say the shortages haven't affected safety at the prison, which holds about 600 inmates. The head of the guards' union says the many hours are affecting workers' judgment. (AP)

LOUISIANA

BATON ROUGE -- The nation's largest historically black university system has suspended its president with pay and ordered him to cooperate with an investigation into the way sexual harassment charges against a fellow administrator were handled. Ralph Slaughter, president of the Southern University System, was suspended through July 5 by the Board of Supervisors during a special meeting Saturday. (AP)

NEW YORK

YONKERS -- A pipe leak that sent 7.5 million gallons of raw sewage spilling into the Hudson River north of New York City has been fixed, but officials warned people to stay out of the water through today. Yesterday, workers created a bypass to keep sewage from leaking out of a broken pipe. (AP)