Update: January 17, 2010

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Medicare Fee Schedule Update

In case you missed it, on December 19, President Obama signed into law legislation that postpones a 21.2% cut in the Medicare physician payment conversion factor for two months. The cut, which had been scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2010, now will be delayed until March 1.  Legislation has been proposed, H.R. 3961, that could make this postponement permanent and even change the way the physician payment schedule is calculated.  H.R. 3961 passed the House on November 19, 2009 and the bill now awaits the pleasure of the Senate.

Tech Stuff.

January 12th was the monthly Microsoft Patch Tuesday.  My Windows XP machines downloaded 3 updates (2 if you don’t use MS Outlook).  Don’t forget to perform you monthly check by having your computer set to (at least) remind you there are updates.  If you are not sure you have the latest updates, go to the Microsoft Update website by opening your Start Menu, then All Programs and you should see either “Windows Update” or “Microsoft Update” near the top of your programs list.

Adobe has released an update to it’s Acrobat reader to version 9.3.  This fixes some security holes in this popular PDF reader.  If you go to the Adobe website to do the download, be sure to UNCHECK the “Free McAfee Security Scan” option just above the Download button on the Reader page. 

While you are at the Adobe website you may want to download the most recent Adobe Flash player version.  Flash is frequently installed on your computer and works with your Internet browser to show videos and other interactive content.  Microsoft has released an advisory that there are security issues with version 6 of the flash player (which is a very old version) and Internet Explorer.

Fact Checking.

I use several fact checking websites when I receive things that appear to be less than truthful or highly inflammatory.  These are the old standby Snopes, Politifact, and FactCheck.  I’ve found these three to be very reliable and would encourage everyone to check one or more of these when they receive items that may seem to stretch the truth.  And now, for those who live in Texas (or those wanna-be Texans) there’s a new one, Politifact-Texas.

I use a couple of different websites to keep track of legislation.  The principal one is the Library of Congress’s “Thomas” website.  This site allows you to search any number of ways for legislation, check the Congressional Record and check on other activities of Congress.  An easier site to use is Govtrack which is a private website that has links to Thomas but is a bit easier to search.  For reports and analyses on legislation, you might want to check the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) website.  There’s a search box in the upper right hand corner but it’s not easy to narrow the search.  

Who Do You Trust?

Maybe not your favorite Political Action Committee!  A recent article in the Washington Post is about how a conservative website has (apparently) been faxing personal information of its donors to senators and congresspeoples.  Here are the introductory paragraphs – click HERE to read more.

“Credit card numbers and other personal information about more than a hundred contributors to a conservative Web site unexpectedly showed up by fax at a Democratic lawmaker’s office.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., said over recent weeks his office has received 139 faxes from ExposeObama.com, a Web site run by the National Campaign Fund, a political action committee. The faxes included the names, addresses, e-mail addresses, credit card information and employment information of donors.”

Military Items

COL (Ret) Bob Fechner passed away on 14 January 2010 in a hospice near his home in Charlotte, NC. Julie and their 2 daughters were with him.

Things to Read?

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) those infamous analyzers of almost everything Congress does has recently put out a 10-page document titled the “The Individual Alternative Minimum Tax” which is a discussion on the AMT and its impacts.  This is important since Congress has apparently failed to extend some temporary changes they made in previous years and the AMT just might affect more people when they do their 2010 taxes.  You can download the document in Adobe PDF format HERE.

One of the reports listed in the “Recent Publications” portion of the CBO homepage is entitled “Estimated Premiums for ‘Bronze’ Coverage under the (Senate’s) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”  It’s a short, 3 page, read and discusses the estimated premiums in 2016 for the minimum coverage allowed by the Senate bill.

From the Library of Congress website there’s a “…brief discussion…” (I guess 67 pages is brief for a Congressional document) titled “How Our Laws Are Made.”  I’ve not yet read this but the person who sent the link to me said that it was a very interesting read and provided him with a much better understanding of the federal legislative process (if process is the correct term).

In addition to the CBO there’s the CRS (no, it does not stand for Can’t Remember Shit), the Congressional Research Service.  Their reports are not as accessible as those of the CBO but they can occasionally be found floating around.  If you are currently receiving Social Security and paying Medicare premiums or you are coming close to being there, you might want to read their report on what the impact of the first ever “No COLA” year has on Medicare premiums.  You should be able to get to is via THIS LINK (it should download a PDF of the report).

The Last Word

 Know Your Opponent.  Much has been written about the Islamist or Arab view of the world.  I’ve served short periods in the Middle East and had the opportunity to (briefly) work with Arabs.  This was many years before the current world situation.  I formed my own personal opinions of their ‘world view’ at that time which, admittedly, has colored my opinions today as I’ve learned more and seen the evolution of our relationship with them.  Suffice it to say, I don’t think, even after all this time, that we know our opponent very well.  That said, here’s a view, written in 2006 in a personal blog, that is at least worth reading.  You can then take it or leave it or just ponder it for a while.  Read “Observations on Arabs.”

There’s some other pithy things I want to pontificate about but I’ve got to pack and head to Maryland for the birth of grandchild #3 so it will have to wait for another time. 

But…in closing, don’t forget to communicate with your congressperson eloquently and often about things you like, or don’t like, about the way things are going.  I do although one does not answer and the other (Democrat) does answer with pat answers.

And…(this really is the last item) if you current or retired military, be sure to keep track of the healthcare ‘reform’ bill and what might happen on your healthcare benefits.  Don’t fall prey to all the garbage that’s going around the internet about your benefits being slashed as most are shameless exaggerations but some come close to the mark.   You may want to check out the latest in the White House Blog regarding TRICARE – although keep in mind this is the party line (is this a bad pun?).  Remember, on this bill nothing is final until all the negotiations are completed and, unfortunately, nothing is available to read yet.

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If you’ve found this update useful, please share it with others.  If you received this as an email from another person, you can subscribe to your own copy at: www.ofnetwork.wordpress.com.  Contact the OFMeister at ofnetwork (at) sbcglobal (dot) net with any questions or comments.

Disclaimers

This newsletter and blog is solely for the enjoyment of its readers.  There is no warranty or guarantee stated or implied in the content by the author.  None of the information contained in this newsletter or on the blog is to be considered as legal or financial advice as the author is neither a lawyer or financial advisor.  It is incumbent on the reader to see competent advice if they see an item that is of interest.  In so far as it is possible to determine the material presented is correct but has not necessarily been fully researched or verified; here’s the bottom line – you use it at your own risk.  The author is not liable for any consequences that results from actions taken by the reader relative to the contents of this newsletter or blog.  Products mentioned in this newsletter and associated blog  have NOT been provided by a manufacturer or reseller and anything remotely resembling a review is actually just a description of personal experience or a reference to comments made by others, with citations as available.  In other words, no compensation has been provided for product comments. Wherever possible the source of the information for a particular article is indicated as a point of reference.

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January 01, 2010

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Health News (Military and Otherwise)

The U.S. Department of Defense’s TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) will extend a contract with Humana Military Healthcare Services Inc. through March 31, 2011, according to a filing on Dec. 18, 2009, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  The contract was set to expire at the end of March 2010.  Humana Military provides managed-care services for 3 million active-duty soldiers and their dependents, along with retired service members and their families, in 10 states in TRICARE’s South region.  Earlier this year, the company lost a bid to continue providing services through the program to UnitedHealth Military & Veterans Services.  Humana filed a protest of the contract award with the U.S. Government Accountability Office. That protest was upheld by the GAO, citing savings Humana likely could provide that were not fully considered when the contract was awarded.  The GAO issued a recommendation on Oct. 28 that the proposals for the South region contract be re-evaluated.

TRICARE Management Activity announced that its beneficiaries can now receive select vaccines with no out-of-pocket expense at retail pharmacies.  For the first time, beneficiaries can visit TRICARE retail network pharmacies to receive seasonal flu, H1N1 flu and pneumonia vaccines at no cost. This expanded coverage is available to all TRICARE beneficiaries eligible to use the TRICARE retail pharmacy benefit.  Other vaccines must still be administered in a doctor’s office or authorized convenience clinic to be fully covered by TRICARE’s preventive health services cost-share waiver.  To receive the vaccines, beneficiaries can call their local TRICARE retail network pharmacy to make sure it participates in the vaccine program and has the vaccine in stock. To locate a participating retail network pharmacy, go to http://www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE or call Express Scripts at 877-363-1303.  (Note:  If you have Medicare then presumably Medicare is the primary payer with TRICARE the secondary payer.)

Politics as Unusual?

Pelosi says rallying votes for troop surge in Afghanistan will be Obama’s job.  President Obama will have to argue his own case to House Democrats as he seeks support for a planned surge of 30,000 troops into Afghanistan, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday, adding that she is finished asking her colleagues to back wars that they do not support. (Washington Post)  Politics are getting stranger and stranger when the Democratic Speaker of the House disses the Democratic President on such an important issue.

Guaranteed 3% COLA for Seniors?  On December 3rd, Rep Eliot Engel (D-NY) introduced H.R. 4193, the “Guaranteed 3% COLA for Seniors Act of 2009 in the House of Representatives.  The introduction to the bill reads: “To require the establishment of a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers to compute cost-of-living increases for Social Security benefits under title II of the Social Security Act and to provide, in the case of elderly beneficiaries under such title, for an annual cost-of-living increase which is not less than 3 percent.”  As of December 18th it has no cosponsors (surprise, surprise).  It, like any bill, has been assigned to a committee for review and further action.  My take on this is that this bill has a snowballs chance of even getting to the floor for a vote.  While it is well intended and a reaction to the ‘no COLA’ situation that seniors find themselves in this year, a guaranteed 3% increase would be yet another budget buster and would only benefit seniors.  Can you imagine the outrage if Federal Employees said they should have the same minimum increase?  On the other hand, this bill proposes “…the establishment of a Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers to compute cost-of-living increases for Social Security benefits under title II of the Social Security Act…”  Now I believe this to be something that needs to be done; the current method of calculating Social Security benefits COLA is based on the index used for working people, not retirees.  So, write your congressperson and put in your two cents on this bill, particularly the part about a CPI for Elderly Consumers.  You can see the status of the bill and read the entire text here.

Earmarks as Usual  From the Washington Post, December 29th:  “…consider that there are 97 pages listing nearly 1,000 congressional earmarks in the 543-page report by the House-Senate conferees on the $626 billion defense appropriations bill signed by President Obama this month.”  Wasn’t there some sort of campaign promise about this sort of activity?

The Senate Healthcare (?) Bill (continued).  “Blanche Lincoln and Evan Bayh must feel like saps. The Arkansas and Indiana Democrats spent months caterwauling about this or that provision in the Senate health-care bill, then at 1 a.m. Monday they voted to speed its passage without getting so much as a lousy T-shirt.

In Harry Reid’s Senate, this qualifies as dereliction of duty, as the Majority Leader said himself on Monday in defense of his frantic deal-making to get 60 votes. "I don’t know if there is a Senator that doesn’t have something in this bill that was important to them," Mr. Reid said at a press conference that offered an unintentional commentary on modern democracy. "And if they don’t have something in it important to them, then it doesn’t speak well of them."”  For more see: “The Price of ‘History’’’ in the Wall Street Journal

Financial Update

Are you paying high income premiums for Medicare Part B?  Has your income gone down in the past year?  If so, you may be able to reduce your premium based on a “life changing experience.”  For more information see “Pay Less for Medicare Part B.”

Tech Stuff

Do you want Free Wi-Fi with (or without) that?  Beginning in mid-January, McDonald’s restaurants nationwide will remove the fee for Wi-Fi Internet access, instantly becoming one of the largest providers of free access in the country.  (See:  McDonald’s Wi-Fi)  Instead of buying that unlimited cup of coffee at the local coffee shop you can now quaff unlimited soda and surf in the comfort(?) of the local McDonald’s.  You can find several tools to use to find free (and paid) Wi-Fi locations here.

Microsoft Office 2010!  Most of you are probably still using MS Office 2003, if not XP – Hey! Why Not?  It works.  Well, MS Office 2007 has been out for a couple of years now (available in the PX for a significant discount).  But, technology and software does not stay stagnant so Microsoft is coming out with a “new” version of MS Office about June of 2010.  It is named, amazingly, MS Office 2010.  Presumably, as part of their marketing campaign, MS Press has released a book, available for free as an electronic book (e-book).  This is to get you all excited about what’s coming down the pike next summer.  You can find this 10.5 MB pdf file at First Look MS Office 2010.  You don’t need to sign in or anything, just click on the icon that looks like a page for your download.

Windows XP Support from Microsoft.  This coming July Microsoft will end support for Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2).  Windows XP SP2, was released in August, 2004.  The most important part of the end of support is that there will no longer be security fixes issued for it.  From that point, if you’re running Windows XP, in order to apply updates you’ll have to be running Service Pack 3, which has been available since April, 2008.  For Windows XP users, the easiest thing to do is to install XP SP3.  If you are not sure which version you are running, find the ‘My Computer’ icon on your desktop and right-click on it.  Select ‘Properties’ and you’ll see the version of Windows XP you are currently running.

Recycling Electronics.  As a person who uses and updates lots of electronics over time I’m always on the lookout for ways to dispose of them other than into the landfill.  Useful computers and computer components I often donate to my church (along with the appropriate software).  Items which are no longer serviceable go to a recycling center in town that specializes in electronics.  If you don’t have such a center you may be able to drop off your unserviceable electronics at a local Goodwill Store.  For more information on the Dell Computer / Goodwill partnership and to find a center near you check out:  Reconnect for more information including a list of items that are accepted for recycling and to find out if there is a drop-off point near you.

Terrorism and Security?

I enjoyed this bit of satire from Rasmussen Reports “Liberal Take on Terror.”  Here’s an excerpt:  “Gosh darn, I feel great to live in a country that gives full constitutional rights to a foreign national who, on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, was tackled by passengers and crew as he reportedly was trying to blow up the plane.”

The Last Word

I still have not installed Windows 7 on any of my computers yet – I’ve not been willing to set aside the couple of days I’m anticipating the first one taking.  But, I did get a Windows Home Server the other day and am trying to figure that out right now.  My wife gave me a Kindle e-book reader for Christmas and I’ve got that pretty much down.  It’s cool stuff and I’ve got about 85 books downloaded – only paid for 2 though!  The rest are available through other websites or are out of copyright books on the Amazon website. 

Finally, this new year darned well be better than the last but I’m not holding out much hope.  I predict a bit more ‘terrorism’ (a no-no word) from those of the Islamic persuasion (it is a religious war, after all – sorry if I’m not PC); more financial problems of various sorts; Congress trying to save the people of the U.S., particularly those who cannot or will not try to care for themselves; a stock market that maybe goes up a bit (it’s supposedly up 58% since the beginning of 2009 – maybe that’s nothing to sneeze at) but it still vacillates a lot; an interesting mid-term election that is really down and dirty by both parties; Sarah Palin continuing to be unfathomably popular, at least until there’s some strong Republican who steps up to the plate (McCain was a sacrifice play of the Republican Party); and maybe not enough inflation to kick Social Security up in 2011.

Y’all have a great New Year, regardless, and make the most of it as best you can.

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If you’ve found this update useful, please share it with others.  If you received this as an email from another person, you can subscribe to your own copy at: www.ofnetwork.wordpress.com.  Contact the OFMeister at ofnetwork (at) sbcglobal (dot) net with any questions or comments.

Disclaimers

This newsletter and blog is solely for the enjoyment of its readers.  There is no warranty or guarantee stated or implied in the content by the author.  None of the information contained in this newsletter or on the blog is to be considered as legal or financial advice as the author is neither a lawyer or financial advisor.  It is incumbent on the reader to see competent advice if they see an item that is of interest.  In so far as it is possible to determine the material presented is correct but has not necessarily been fully researched or verified; here’s the bottom line – you use it at your own risk.  The author is not liable for any consequences that results from actions taken by the reader relative to the contents of this newsletter or blog.  Products mentioned in this newsletter and associated blog  have NOT been provided by a manufacturer or reseller and anything remotely resembling a review is actually just a description of personal experience or a reference to comments made by others, with citations as available.  In other words, no compensation has been provided for product comments. Wherever possible the source of the information for a particular article is indicated as a point of reference.

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Update: December 10, 2009

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Healthcare (Insurance) Reform

Here’s the text of an email I recently received from the American Medical Association’s “Patient Action Network” concerning the Senate Healthcare bill. 

“The U.S. House has passed its version of health system reform legislation (H.R. 3962) and now U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has produced a bill in the Senate: H.R. 3590 (if you are confused because a Senate bill number has “House Resolution” in front of it, don’t worry—it’s not a typo. It’s because there is new spending in the bill, and all spending bills have to technically come from the U.S. House).

Prior to Thanksgiving, the Senate voted to allow the floor debate on H.R. 3590 to proceed. This bill contains a number of provisions the AMA thinks are good for the nation’s health care system, but it also includes some that the AMA opposes and will work to change, as explained in a letter to Senator Reid.

Please note that there will be many, many amendments offered to this bill. For instance, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) reportedly has 10 amendments of his own to offer. If each of the 100 senators has a similar number, you can imagine how long it may take to debate and vote on each one. So the bill in its current form will not be the final bill that the Senate votes on. Because of this, the AMA has chosen to defer judgment on H.R. 3590 until later in the Senate floor debate, based on those amendments. You can follow the daily updates of amendments offered.”

The letter from the AMA to Senator Reid is interesting as is the long list of amendments to the bill to be considered.  Only if you truly have nothing to do would I recommend going to the daily updates of amendments link as it’s tedious and also confusing.

One item of interest – since legislation that generates ‘revenue’ must come from the House of Representatives, the ‘leader’ of the Senate has chosen to ‘steal’ a bill already passed by the House and change the text to become the Senate’s Healthcare bill.  The ‘stolen’ bill, H.R. 3590 is an act “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, and for other purposes.”  It’s unclear whether or not this legislation or its language will reappear elsewhere.

For Texas Veterans

There are a number of benefits offered to veterans in Texas through the Texas Veterans Commission.  Probably the one that has the most financial benefit is the Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans.  There is a graduated scale of exemptions based on disability percentage.  You can find out more at the TVC home page.  Look under State Benefits – More Benefits.

Iraq/Afghanistan deployment tied to respiratory woes.

CHICAGO (Reuters Health) – U.S. military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan face an increased risk for developing respiratory symptoms, including persistent or recurring cough and shortness of breath, a large-scale military study has shown.  Combat stress along with air pollution could be to blame, researchers say.

The findings stem from the Millennium Cohort Study, an ongoing study designed to investigate long-term health consequences related to military service.  Among nearly 39,000 military personnel free of persistent or recurring cough or shortness of breath at the outset, 14 percent of "deployers" to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq suffered new respiratory symptoms compared with 10 percent of "non-deployers" not assigned to those war zones, the researchers found.  (Source: Reuters)

VA to Survey Households

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched a national survey of Veterans, active duty service members, activated National Guard and reserve members, and family members and survivors to learn if they are aware of VA services.   (For more see:  VA Survey)

Military Retirement Pay

If you receive military retirement pay and if you have established an account with the DFAS MyPay website you can view and print your Retiree Account Statement for 2010 now.  I noticed that my monthly pay went down a bit due to an increase in Federal Income Taxes – the comment section has the following statement:  “Due to recent legislation your federal withholding tax has changed.”  No comment as to exactly which ‘recent legislation’ this was, however.

Reminder – there is no pay increase in 2010 because military retirement pay follows the same COLA formula as Social Security, which is also not being increased this year because of the Cost of Living calculation.  Ditto for VA disability pay, in most cases.

The Stories about Christmas

You can find several stories about Christmas, including the History of Santa Claus, Why Christmas is Celebrated on December 25th, and even how to glass ornaments are made on the History Channel website.  Good to share with your kids / grandkids, etc.  I suggest you let the whole set of videos just run…some commercials involved but they are not too bothersome.

Windows 7 Unformation (yes, it’s mispelled on purpose)

If you were thinking of getting Microsoft’s Windows 7 Family Pack upgrade (the one that allows the Operating System to be loaded on up to 3 PCs for a $150 price, you should know that it may be impossible to find.  Here’s the note I found on the Microsoft website:  “Thank you for your interest in Windows 7. The Windows 7 Family Pack offer has ended.”

More Honors!

“A bronze statue of a young Barack Obama in shorts and a T-shirt — and what appears to be a Nobel medal around his neck — has been erected at a park in Jakarta, Indonesia, near the school where the future U.S. president studied as a child, according to news reports.
The likeness of a 10-year-old Obama — his hand extended with what appears to be a butterfly resting on it — cost $10,600 and now stands in a corner of Menteng Park, according to the Jakarta Globe and AP.
A paraphrased quote by Eleanor Roosevelt is inscribed on the statue’s base: "The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams," reports AP.
“The statue is being erected to inspire Indonesian children and help them remember that they can be whatever they set their hearts on,” Ron Mullers, chairman of the Indonesia-based Friends of Obama Foundation, explained to the Globe.
The statue is set to be officially unveiled by Jakarta’s governor Thursday.”

© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC  (Politico.com)

Exercise is Bad for You?

If you’re a middle-age weekend warrior who likes to hit the basketball court or hockey rink, take note: A new study suggests that high levels of physical activity boost the risk of internal knee damage that could lead to osteoarthritis.  The study found that the injuries occurred in middle-age people who showed no symptoms and had a healthy weight. They were more common and more severe in those who exercised more, although lower-impact activities such as swimming and cycling might actually be beneficial, according to the researchers.

The findings "speak to the importance of low-impact aerobic activity, especially in knees that are aging and may not be as resilient as they used to be," said Dr. Joseph Guettler, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at William Beaumont Hospital in Bingham Farms, Mich.

The problem is that bone and cartilage in the knee can develop cracks and fissures that worsen over time, "much as a pothole or crack in the pavement can become significant as cars keep driving over that area," said Guettler, who’s familiar with the study findings but didn’t take part in the research.  When people develop these sorts of problems, "we know that they’re going to have an increased risk for arthritis later on in life," he said.  Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, develops when cartilage deteriorates in joints and causes bones to rub against each other.   (For more see:  Medline)

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If you’ve found this update useful, please share it with others.  If you received this as an email from another person, you can subscribe to your own copy at: www.ofnetwork.wordpress.com.  Contact the OFMeister at ofnetwork (at) sbcglobal (dot) net with any questions or comments.

Disclaimers

This newsletter and blog is solely for the enjoyment of its readers.  None of the information contained in this newsletter or on the blog is to be considered as legal or financial advice as the author is neither a lawyer or financial advisor.  In so far as it is possible to determine the material is correct but has not necessarily been fully researched or verified; here’s the bottom line – you use it at your own risk.  Wherever possible the source of the information for a particular article is displayed  as a reference.

Products mentioned in this newsletter / blog  have NOT been provided by a manufacturer or reseller and anything remotely resembling a review is actually just a description of personal experience or a reference to comments made by others, with citations as available.  In other words, no compensation has been provided for product comments, period.

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Update: November 6, 2009

Note:  If your email software garbles this message you can find the complete text on the OFNetwork website.

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Death of MSC Officer – COL (ret) Todd Reineck

This information was provided by COL (ret) Carol Reineck, Todd’s widow.  Please share with those who might be interested.

Thursday November 12, 2009

10:00-11:00 a.m. Celebration of Life. Concordia Lutheran Church, 1604 & Huebner Rd. 16801 Huebner Rd. San Antonio 78258.  All are invited. Concordia arranged for the service to be live video streamed at http://www.concordialutheranchurch.com

1100-1130 Greeting each other at Concordia. Then travel to Ft. Sam Houston Cemetery 1130-1230 for those who can attend committal with military honors.  Check in/register at cemetery at Ft. Sam near 1230. Please see committal guidance below.

1-1:30 p.m. Committal Service with full military honors. Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. 1520 Harry Wurzbach Rd.  When visitors come into the gate (don’t go through Ft. Sam; rather come into the Harry Wurzbach gate), visitors will be asked to park briefly and go into the office, receive a map to the location, and sign a register before proceeding. Those who can attend the committal should arrive at the cemetery office about 1230. Cemetery office 820-3891. All are invited.

2-3:30 Reception and fellowship at Concordia Lutheran Church, 1604 & Huebner Rd. 16801 Huebner Rd. San Antonio 78258. Above old worship center on second floor. 479-1477. All are invited.

Legislation (Other than HCR – see below)

Well, it seems that the “Cap and Trade” bills are moving to the forefront again.  There is, of course, the difference of opinion on the number of jobs that will be lost/created when/if these bills pass.  Here’s a perspective from FactCheck which I found interesting.  Also, I heard on one of the news programs (Fox, I believe) that there would be between 2-3,000 jobs created for a new wind farm in Texas that is being proposed.  However, the new jobs will be created in China!  Only a few jobs will be created in the U.S.  Here’s an article about this interesting program.

HCR: Health Care Reform (What Else?)

You’ve probably heard that the American Medical Association (AMA), over the objection of many of its members has endorsed the House Healthcare (Insurance) Reform Bill (HR 3962).  In addition, the American Association of Retired People (AARP) has also endorsed it.  I saw an item on the Consumers Union (publishers of Consumer Reports) website that they also endorse it.  Just letting you know.

Also in the House is HR3961, the Physician Payment Reform Act, the House’s version of S1776, the act to change the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) calculations that are currently set to reduce Medicare Physician payments by more than 21% in January 2010.  It will be interesting to see where this all goes as a similar bill failed to pass in the Senate.  At least the House is keeping this and “Healthcare Reform” separate.  This bill has a lot more words in it than the Senate version so maybe it will pass; the other one was probably too simple.  If you want to see the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports on both these bills go to HR3962 for the reform bill and to get the report on H.R. 3961 you will need to search for it by using the search box in the upper right hand corner of the CBO homepage.

TRICARE Contract Information

The second of three TRICARE Managed Care Support contract award protests has been upheld by the General Accounting Office (GAO).  This on is the award to Aetna for the TRICARE North region.  The protest was submitted by the current contractor, Health Net.  No specific details are available yet and the next steps are not yet known.

Express Scripts, the previous contractor, was awarded the new “TRICARE Pharmacy Program” contract that combined the formerly separate retail pharmacy and mail-order pharmacy contracts.  For more information see:  Express-Scripts/TRICARE.  Included in this award is an extension of the Over-the-Counter (OTC) medication demonstration program which allows eligible beneficiaries to get certain OTC medications for a significantly reduced rate thru the TRICARE Pharmacy Program with a doctor’s prescription.  For details see:  OTC Demonstration Project.

Tech Stuff

Updates you might want to consider; remember, most have been made available to correct security issues:

1.  Firefox updated to version 3.5.5.  Use the “Check for Updates” feature on the Firefox Help Menu.

2.  Sun has released an updated version of Java, the basis of lots of things done on the Internet.  This update applies to both Internet Explorer and Firefox (I cannot comment on other browsers).  The newest version is version 1.6.0.17.

3.  iTunes released version 9.0.2 this week.

4.  cCleaner (the utility to clean up the registry and remove old files) has been updated to version 2.25.1025.

5.  Adobe released a new version of it’s Shockwave Player.  The current version is 11.5.2.602.

I may have mentioned this before, but I use the Update Checker at FileHippo to keep most of my common software items up to date.  It runs whenever I start my XP desktop and laptop and I kick it off manually on the Vista laptop as the security tools in Vista won’t allow it to run on startup.  I’d recommend it to those who want to keep their systems up to date.

Don’t forget, Microsoft’s “patch Tuesday” is coming up next week. 

My Windows 7 Upgrade Experience

I’ve not done anything ‘active’ since my last update on this topic.  The boxes sit on the shelf collecting dust while I continue to research the options and proper ways to do the updates. 

The Last Word – Searching for Missing OF’s

COL (ret) Mike McGinley is trying to locate the following retired MSC officers.  My roster is about 4 years old and I don’t have 4 of these 5 listed anyway.  If you know where they are or how to contact them please let Mike know at:  mikemcginley7@aol.com.  They are:  Johnny Walker, Tom Pozniak, Matt Carp, Tom Nalepa, and John Ward.

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Disclaimers

This newsletter and blog is solely for the enjoyment of its readers.  None of the information contained in this newsletter or on the blog is to be considered as legal or financial advice as the author is neither a lawyer or financial advisor.  In so far as it is possible to determine the material is correct but has not necessarily been fully researched or verified; here’s the bottom line – you use it at your own risk.  Wherever possible the source of the information for a particular article is displayed  as a reference.

Products mentioned in this newsletter / blog  have NOT been provided by a manufacturer or reseller and anything remotely resembling a review is actually just a description of personal experience or a reference to comments made by others, with citations as available.  In other words, no compensation has been provided for product comments, period.

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