What’s Happening in State Senator Doug Berger’s District

Carter Wrenn posted on July 23, 2009 08:53

Our TV Ads, E-mails, and press releases have created a debate in Senator Doug Berger’s district about his bill to cut home care for 20,000 elderly Medicaid patients.

Here are two examples from The Franklin Times that appeared yesterday: A letter to the editor and an editorial cartoon.

July 22, 2009

The Franklin Times

Berger Verses the Evil Seniors

By: Letters

Dear Editor:

Sometimes politics can get, well, a little strange.

State Sen. Doug Berger voted to cut 20,000 elderly Medicaid patients’ home care, then eight days later, turned around and voted to spend $25 million to build a fishing pier at the beach, with a 16,000-foot clubhouse and balloon.

But when the Association for Home and Hospice Care pointed out putting fishing piers before the needs of elderly Medicaid patients might be a case of misplaced priorities, Senator Berger’s response was, well, even more surprising.

He shot back the 20,000 elderly Medicaid patients (and the nurses and nurses’ aides who provide their care) are the real villains. Then he wrote his constituents saying what he was doing in Raleigh was fighting the “special interests.” Then he made it sound like 20,000 elderly Medicaid patients (many over 80 years old and disabled) were the most dangerous pack of lobbyists any politician has faced since President Teddy Roosevelt tackled the Oil Monopoly and the Railroad Trust.

Like it or not, that’s just politics. But here’s what really matters. If Sen. Berger cuts home care, 20,000 elderly patients are going to face a bleak choice: for care they’ll have to go into nursing homes—which will cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

Timothy R. Rogers, CEO
Assoc. for Home & Hospice Care of NC
South Carolina Home Care and Hospice Assoc.

Raleigh

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New Television Ad - "Covering His Tracks"

Carter Wrenn posted on July 21, 2009 16:45

For Immediate Release:

Contact Tracy Colvard or Tim Rogers: 919-848-3450 (office)

tracycolvard@homeandhospicecare.org - Cell: 919-995-0224

timrogers@homeandhospicecare.org - Cell: 919-961-3555

The Association for Home and Hospice Care released a new television ad today, responding to State Senator Doug Berger’s claim that thousands of elderly home care patients on Medicaid aren’t eligible for care.

“Senator Berger made a mistake,” said Tim Rogers, CEO of the Association for Home and Hospice Care of North Carolina. “He said 20,000 elderly patients don’t need the care they receive – but the report he cites doesn’t say that and he’s been told by the Department of Health and Human Services he’s wrong. In fact, the report he cites didn’t include an examination of even a single patient – so it can’t say they’re not eligible for or don’t need care.”

Script of Ad: “COVERING HIS TRACKS…STATE SENATOR DOUG BERGER CUT HOME CARE FOR TWENTY THOUSAND ELDERLY MEDICAID PATIENTS THEN COVERED HIS TRACKS…SAYING THIS REVIEW PROVES THE PATIENTS WEREN’T ELIGIBLE.

BUT BERGER’S REVIEW’S NOT WORTH A WOODEN NICKEL. BECAUSE IT DID NOT INCLUDE A PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF A SINGLE PATIENT. SO NOW, BERGER HAS TO EXPLAIN HOW HE KNEW PATIENTS WEREN’T ELIBLE – WITHOUT AN EXAMINATION.”

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Political Antics

Carter Wrenn posted on July 20, 2009 10:43

Politicians tend to be hum-drum until one of them lands in hot water then watching their antics can be, well, reminiscent of a trip to the county fair as a child and watching the contortions of the marvel known The Amazing Rubber Man.

State Senator Doug Berger landed himself in hot water by voting to cut home care for 20,000 elderly Medicaid patients, then, eight days later, voting to spend $25 million to build the Taj Mahal of fishing piers at Nag’s Head.

Naturally, Senator Berger’s constituents are asking, What kind of sense did that make? and he is going through some odd contortions (not unlike The Amazing Rubber Man) to get himself off the hook.

Except his first answer backfired.

Berger told the newspapers the elderly Medicaid patients (who each have at least two physical handicaps and were recommended for home care by their doctors) were welfare cheats. Then someone asked for proof – which led to Berger’s second contortion; he didn’t have any proof but must have figured he could slip by, by saying he had a report from Governor Perdue’s Administration that proved he was right.

Only he barely got the words out of his mouth when Perdue’s Administration said he was wrong.

On top of that, the Governor’s staff added, the report didn’t include a physical examination of a single patient – so it couldn’t say a patient didn’t need care.

That landed up in a video, too, and Berger landed in more hot water.

Then he came face to face with an even bigger problem: Caring for elderly Medicaid patients in their homes costs the state a lot less than putting them in Nursing Homes;—and Berger had just sent 20,000 patients heading straight for Nursing Homes – which was about to cost taxpayers four hundred million dollars.

So he started scrambling again and this time he tried an old tried and true political standard: He said he was the victim of a vicious smear by the ‘special interests’ and he wasn’t going to be intimidated for one second. So, here’s the record:

Senator Berger called twenty thousand elderly Medicaid patients’ welfare cheats.

Said he had proof they were cheating – but didn’t.

Introduced a bill that could cost taxpayers $400 million.

Branded twenty thousand elderly patients (and the nurses who help them) a ‘special interest’ – just a cut above oil companies.

Announced he was the victim.

And in the meantime – and this may be the height of folly – a pier with a sixteen thousand square foot clubhouse and a ballroom that seats 200 is being built at Nags Head.

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Senator Doug Berger's World

Carter Wrenn posted on July 12, 2009 02:54

Senator Doug Berger probably never dreamed anyone would run TV ads in his district telling his constituents how he voted to cut 20,000 elderly Medicaid patients’ home care then, eight days later, turned around and voted to build a $25 million fishing pier at the beach -- with a sixteen thousand square foot clubhouse and a ballroom.

But that’s what happened and Senator Berger’s gotten himself tied in political knots trying to get out of the mess.

First he let out a bellow he’d been smeared then he started telling everyone he was an innocent victim – a kind of modern day Horatio at the bridge – battling the evil special interests who were dead set on stopping him cutting government waste and fraud.

But, then, he slipped again and said he knew precisely, to the exact percent, how much fraud there was in Medicaid home care: 45%. Of course then he had to come up with proof and he slipped a third time. He said he’d gotten his hands on a report from Governor Perdue’s Administration that showed he was dead right.

Only what Governor Perdue’s Administration said was he was dead wrong.

An official at the Perdue Department of Health and Human Services wrote Berger’s aide, Melanie Bush, and put it pretty bluntly, telling her – in plain English – that Berger’s claim 45% of the home care patients didn’t need care was flooey. (Click Here)

Then Dr. Craigon Gray, another Perdue appointee, weighed in and put it even blunter, explaining to Berger that a ‘review’ like the one he was citing didn’t include an examination of even a single patient – so it couldn’t possibly say a patient didn’t need care. (Click Here)

That didn’t faze Senator Berger – even with his fig leaf in tatters he forged ahead roaring he’d never back down - to hear him tell it you’d think 20,000 elderly Medicaid patients (many of whom will never see eighty again, are disabled, bedbound or in wheelchairs) are the most dangerous pack of lobbyists since Teddy Roosevelt tackled The Oil Monopoly and The Railroad Trust.

Finally, in his latest newsletter, Berger added the pièce de résistance, announcing the legislature has reached an agreement to raise taxes a whooping $1 billion then in the next breath saying that the Senate ‘revenue package actually lowers the sales tax’ – which a blind man could see wasn’t true.

So, here’s Doug Berger’s story (and he’s sticking to it):

Elderly Medicaid patients are a dangerous pack of special interests.

Home care – which keeps people out of Nursing Homes – is wasteful.

A $25 million fishing pier is wonderful.

And a billion dollar tax increase is a sales tax cut.

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