Floor Statement of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

Celebrating the Life of Katie Beckett

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to celebrate the life of Katie Beckett.  Never has the word "inspiration" been used more appropriately in describing someone, and today, I am grateful to be able to recognize the inspirational life of Katie Beckett.

Mary Katherine "Katie" Beckett was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 9, 1978.  Five months after she was born, Katie contracted viral encephalitis followed by grand mal seizures.  The encephalitis caused damage to her central nervous system and her respiratory system, and she was attached to a ventilator.  She would be almost two years old before she could breathe on her own.

Under Medicaid law of the time, Katie could only receive care through Medicaid if she remained in the hospital even though she was able to receive care at home.  Iowa Congressman Tom Tauke heard of Katie's situation and realized that it made no sense to keep a child in the hospital who could be at home with her family.  He worked to convince the Administration that the system should be changed to allow states to provide Medicaid to children receiving care in their homes.

Ultimately, President Reagan took up Katie's cause intervening so that Katie could receive treatment at home and still be covered under Medicaid.  This change in policy became known as "Katie Beckett waivers" and, to date, more than a half million disabled children have been able to receive care in their homes with their families rather than being forced into hospitals and institutions.

But Katie's story doesn't end there.  As Katie grew up, as she battled to establish her own place in society as a young American with disabilities, she realized she had an opportunity to serve others who faced similar challenges.  In her own words, this is from a piece Katie wrote in 2002 titled "Whatever happened to Katie Beckett?"

"I started my advocacy career at age ten.  It was not my choice but rather a path chosen for me. It was not until I was twelve or thirteen that I realized the important work I was able to do because I was who I was and how much this work helped other kids."

Katie graduated with a degree in English from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids.  She lived in the community.  She wanted to be a teacher and write novels for young people.  She was fiercely independent, sometimes to the consternation of her mother, Julie.  She was quick witted and funny and loved a good cup of coffee.  She lived her life as a tireless advocate for the disabled.  She testified before Congress several times and was a contributing voice on numerous groups dedicated to disability policy.  When we took up policy proposals like the Family Opportunity Act and Money Follows the Person, we wanted Katie's perspective, and we depended on her advocacy in the community to get those laws passed.

Katie was the living embodiment of a person with disabilities participating and contributing in society.  Mr. President, on Friday, May 18, Katie went home to be with the Lord.

She leaves behind thousands of lives touched by her presence.  A light may go out, but a light lives on in those of us fortunate to have known Katie Beckett.  We remain inspired to work every day to create opportunities for the disabled to participate and contribute and live the life of service and dedication that Katie did.  Katie remains an inspiration.

May 22, 2012

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Herb Kohl, D-Wis., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., today filed an amendment seeking to combat the costly, widespread and inappropriate use of antipsychotics in nursing homes.

"The overuse of antipsychotics is a common and well-recognized problem that puts frail elders at risk and costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year," Kohl said. "We need a new policy that helps to ensure that these drugs are being appropriately used to treat people with mental illnesses, not used to curb behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's or other dementias."

"This amendment responds to alarming reports about the use of antipsychotic drugs with nursing home residents," Grassley said. "It's intended to empower these residents and their loved ones in the decisions about the drugs prescribed for them."

"This measure is responsive to mounting evidence that antipsychotics are being misused and overused in the nursing homes we trust to care for our loved ones," Blumenthal said. "The amendment will do what is necessary to curb this deeply concerning practice, putting the power to make key health care decisions back into the appropriate hands and eliminating unnecessary costs to taxpayers."

The amendment to S. 3187, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act would require the Health and Human Services Secretary to issue standardized protocols for obtaining informed consent, or authorization from patients or their designated health care agents or legal representatives, acknowledging possible risks and side effects associated with the antipsychotic, as well as alternative treatment options, before administering the drug for off-label use.

While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved antipsychotic drugs to treat an array of psychiatric conditions, numerous studies conducted during the last decade have concluded that these medications can be harmful when used by frail elders with dementia who do not have a diagnosis of serious mental illness. In fact, the FDA issued two "black box" warnings citing increased risk of death when these drugs are used to treat elderly patients with dementia.

Last year, the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS OIG) issued a report showing that over a six-month period, 305,000, or 14 percent, of the nation's 2.1 million elderly nursing home residents had at least one Medicare or Medicaid claim for atypical antipsychotics.

The HHS OIG also found that 83 percent of Medicare claims for atypical antipsychotic drugs for elderly nursing home residents were associated with off-label conditions and that 88 percent were associated with a condition specified in the FDA box warning. Further, it showed that more than half of the 1.4 million claims for atypical antipsychotic drugs, totaling $116.5 million, failed to comply with Medicare reimbursement criteria.

The amendment also calls for a new prescriber education program to promote high-quality, evidence-based treatments, including non-pharmacological interventions. The prescriber education programs would be funded through settlements, penalties and damages recovered in cases related to off-label marketing of prescription drugs.

MAKING MEDICARE MAKE SENSE

Answers To Some of The Most Commonly Asked Medicare Questions

Q: Who Pays First If I Have Medicare and Other Health Coverage?

A: If you have Medicare and other health coverage, each type of coverage is called a "payer." When there's more than one payer, "coordination of benefits" rules decide who pays first. The "primary payer" pays what it owes on your bills first, and then your provider sends the rest to the "secondary payer" to pay. In some cases, there may also be a "third payer." Whether Medicare pays first depends on a number of things, including the situations listed in the chart below. However, this chart doesn't cover every situation. Be sure to tell your doctor and other health care provider's insurance specialist/billing staff if you have coverage in addition to Medicare. This will help them send your bills to the correct payer to avoid delays. Note: Paying "first" means paying the whole bill up to the limits of the payer's coverage. It doesn't always mean the primary payer pays first in time.

If you have questions about who pays first or if your coverage changes, call the Medicare Coordination of Benefits Contractor (COBC) at 1-800-999-1118. TTY users should call 1-800-318-8782. For example, if you need to find out about Medicare's coverage of End Stage Renal Disease and how it works with other insurance the COBC will answer your questions.   Also, to better serve you please have the following information ready when you call: your Medicare number (located on your red, white, and blue Medicare card) and one additional piece of information, such as your Social Security Number (SSN), address, Medicare effective date(s), or whether you have Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and/or Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) coverage.

Below is a summary chart of who likely pays first. If you would like a copy of the Medicare booklet referenced in the chart, titled, "Medicare and Other Health Benefits: Your Guide to Who Pays First," call 1-800-633-4227, (which is 1-800-Medicare), and ask for CMS Product Number 02179, and tell them the title of the booklet.

Please note: In some cases, if you are entitled to, but don't have, the first payer coverage, the second payer won't cover you.  This can be vital information to know in some employer retiree plans and COBRA cases.  For instance, if you are 65 and older, and retired, and you do not enroll in Medicare, it is possible that your retiree coverage won't cover you.  Check with your retiree plan to be sure.

*If your employer participates in a plan that is sponsored by two or more employers, the rules are slightly different.

ART GUMBO CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS FROM INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS OR CREATIVES

[DUBUQUE, IA.] Art Gumbo, a quarterly soup dinner that supports local art projects with community-supported micro-funding, is now accepting applications from individual artists or individual creative ideas for the winter funding cycle.  Applications for Art Gumbo mini grants for the Summer funding cycle are available now through Thursday, June 14. Applications are available at artgumbodubuque.blogspot.com

Submission guidelines include the separation of individual artists and organizations or groups during funding cycles. Arts groups, organizations, or group creative projects are not eligible to apply during the winter funding cycle. The first seven eligible applications received by 11:59 p.m. on June 14 will qualify to compete for funding.

Since its launch in September 2010 ART GUMBO has funded 10 projects raising a total of $5,650 for Dubuque art projects.  Art Gumbo is an independent community-based initiative that funds local arts projects using money collected at quarterly soup dinners. During each Art Gumbo funding cycle, artists or arts organizations are invited to submit a brief project proposal that demonstrates an impact on the Dubuque community. The public is invited to attend and vote for their favorite proposal. A $10 donation at the door entitles the attendee to a locally prepared soup dinner and the opportunity to review all submitted proposals and to vote for their favorite. The Art Gumbo fund's nightly proceeds will be awarded to the proposal that gets the most votes. Art Gumbo sessions will be hosted at new locations each quarter featuring soup by a regional food source.

The next Art Gumbo Soup Dinner is scheduled for Thursday, June 21, 6-8 p.m., at St. Mark Community Center. The evening will feature soup and bread by L. May Eatery, micro brew beer tasting by the Dubuque Society of Brewers, and a progress report from March winners Dubuquefest Fine Arts Festival and Loras College Creatives.

For more information visit artgumbodubuque.blogspot.com or contact Paula Neuhaus or Megan Starr at art.gumbo.dbq@gmail.com.

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