Jack Kingston

CONGRESSMAN KINGSTON ANNOUNCES MEDICARE PART D TRAINING & OPEN ENROLLMENT WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
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Washington, Nov 26 -

Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA/01) announced today that he will sponsor a series of workshops during the open enrollment season for the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.  Those who are enrolled or wish to enroll in the program must sign
up or make changes during the open enrollment period which began November 15 and ends December 31.  The following workshops are scheduled:

Date              Time                            Location

12/08              9 am – 12 pm             Armstrong Atlantic State University
                                                         RM 107, 11935 Abercorn St, Savannah

12/08              2 pm – 5 pm              Savannah Technical College
                                                         RM 107, Airport Rd. and Technology Dr,  Hinesville

12/09              9 am – 12 pm             Altamaha Technical College
                                                         RM 132, 1334 Golden Isle West, Baxley

12/09              2 pm – 5 pm              Altamaha Technical College
                                                         RM 435, 1777 W. Cherry St, Jesup

12/10              9 am – 12 pm            College of Coastal Georgia
                                                        Computer Lab, 8001 Lakes Ave, Kingsland

12/10              2 pm – 5 pm              College of Coastal Georgia
                                                         Jericho Computer Lab @ Continuing Ed�
                                                         3700 Altama Ave, Brunswick

12/11              9 am – 12 pm             South Georgia College
                                                         Ball Room, 100 College Park Dr, Douglas

12/11              2 pm – 5 pm              Okefenokee Technical College
                                                         RM 804, 1701 Carswell Ave, Waycross

12/15              9 am – 12 pm             Valdosta State University
                                                         University Center, 1215 N. Patterson St, Valdosta

Anyone eligible for this plan is encouraged to attend.  Staff from Georgia Cares, a program of the Georgia Department of Human Resources and Division of Aging Services and Area Agencies on Aging, will also be on hand to answer questions.

“Each year there are many changes to the prescription drug plan, namely the cost and coverage,” said Congressman Kingston.  “Now is the time for people with Medicare to review those changes to make sure they still have the plan that best fits their needs or the needs of their loved one.  Prescription drug coverage is crucial to many older Americans and we want to make sure that all of their questions are answered.”

To find out more about Medicare Part D, those interested may contact the Medicare offices at 1-800-MEDICARE or visit http://www.MEDICARE.gov or contact Georgia Cares at 1-800-669-8387 to find a plan that best suits their needs.  For those who have questions about the training workshop schedule, please call 912-367-7403.

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This month, we try to bring increased awareness and attention to the seriousness of diabetes, its deadly complications, and the importance of proper diabetes control.

 Each year, Diabetes costs the First District $382,700,000 in medical and indirect costs.  It costs the State of Georgia more than $5 billion.

To learn more about what you can do, click here to visit the American Diabetes Association.

Recently, Jack was interviewed by the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.  To see the interview, click below:

Jack Kingston (R,GA) on American Healthcare Reform from CMPI on Vimeo.

Jack has an op-ed up today in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on why he voted against the SCHIP re-authorization.

In other developments, Roll Call (subscription required) is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced Democrats are “not going to compromise” on SCHIP with the President. “If he’s hoping for that, he better hope for something else, like getting our troops home from Iraq,” Reid stated.

So if this is all about “the children” as the Democrats claim; then why postpone a veto override vote? Why refuse to sit down with the President and work something out? Because in reality, it’s about one thing and one thing only: politics. So much for the children.

Last night, Jack addressed the House during the debate on HR 976, the “Childrens Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007″.

In his remarks, Jack points out that Democrat leadership stifled the minority’s ability to offer an alternative plan.  In addition, the Democrat plan expands the program to cover adults and includes a massive tax increase that, in order to cover the increased cost of SCHIP, would require an additional 22 million smokers in the United States.

The bill passed but is expected to garner a veto from President Bush.

To view a clip of Jack’s remarks, click below:

Watch Video

With all of the political wrangling happening on the Hill, you may have gotten a mixed message regarding the achievements in the Global War on Terror. Just in case you have mistakenly fallen into the “We can’t win this war” category, here are some of the GWOT successes:

Here are just a few of the key al-Qaida leaders and associates that have been detained or killed: -Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Khalid Shaykh Muhammad, Hamza Rabia, Abu Faraj al-Libi, Mohamed Atef, Ramzi Binalshibh, Abu Zubaida.

-milipundit.

Post Script: We are winning!

Herschel Walker still looks like he plays football. He’s a living example of perfect health and taking care of yourself.

While most of us can’t be Herschel Walker or a professional athlete for that matter, we can do a better job of physical fitness. The idea for a physical education for life is to get kids to learn about phys ed early so that they’ll turn off the X-box and go outside and climb a tree.

Not only will the kid have a healthier, fuller life, but it will save us billions of dollars in healthcare costs due to the obesisity crisis in America.

-Jack

Congressman Kingston and his staff have been working hard to help seniors in Georgia’s First Congressional District work through some of the confusion of the new, voluntary Medicare prescription drug benefit. In fact, to date, the Congressman and his staff have held 48 Medicare workshops to do just that.

Congressman Kingston knows that the program is working for America’s seniors because he hears it straight from them. In case you missed it earlier this month, the Congressman wrote an editorial for a Washington newspaper where he lays out why the program is doing exactly what Republicans said it would - give seniors on Medicare who choose to participate in the program better access to improved health care.

In fact, one of his district staffers wanted to share the story of Bennie and Katheryn of Vidalia who will have an improved quality of life thanks to the miracles of medicine and their new prescription drug plan.

Here’s their story - complete and unabridged. (Please note, Bennie and Katheryn are not pictured above.)

Bennie and Katheryn live in Vidalia, Ga. He is 68-years-old and suffers from severe scirosis of the liver. Katheryn is 62 and on disability due to heart disease and insulin-dependent diabetes. They live on a low fixed income and struggle to make ends meet. Their annual cost for prescription drugs would have been over $26,000 per year, but, as many seniors and low-income people do, they rely on doctor’s samples or they do without their medications.

Bennie takes Cipro, Flagyl, Lasix, Aldactone, Lactulose, Vistoril, Urso, Lopressor and Nexium. The total cost of these drugs is $1,070.05 per month.

Katheryn must take Ampicillin, Tetracycline, Atacand, Zoloft, Celebrex, Lopid, Lopressor, Lorcet, Neurontin, Flexeril, Ambien, Plavix, Nexium, Lipitor, Lasix, Humulin and Lantus. The total cost of her medications each month is $1163.09.

“I asked the doctor if there are any of them I can do without, but he said, ‘no,’” Katheryn said.

Their combined drug bill each month is $2,233.59.

A member of Congressman Jack Kingston’s staff, who is a friend of the family, heard about their situation and traveled two hours to help them.

Using the Medicare plan finder website, he discovered that they had been approved for “extra help” and found each of them a plan to cover all of their medications at their local pharmacy.

The total cost for these two plans: $104.57 per month; a savings of over 95 percent.

“This is great,” Bennie said. “People like us have had to pay too much for drugs for too long.“

When she saw that the cost of their medications would be reduced by more than $2,000 per month, Katheryn was overjoyed.

“There have been a lot of times when we had to choose between buying groceries and buying our medications,” she said. “Now we can do both. It has been so long since I’ve had one, I might be able to afford to go out and buy us some T-bone steaks.“

Bennie and Katheryn are now calling their friends to tell them about the Medicare Part D program and how it saved them money on their prescriptions.

Bennie and Katheryn’s story is very special. But fortunately, this same story is becoming familiar in towns across the nation.

And even though some Democrats would rather try and score political points by leading a Coordinated Campaign of Confusion — the snowball of success is rolling down the hill — picking up more speed, steam, and success along the way.

Oh. And before we forget: Congressman Kingston’s staffer not only helped Bennie and Katheryn find the program that worked for them which will help ensure that they NEVER have to choose between a meal and their medicine again, before leaving town he stopped by the grocery store and picked them up a few T-bone steaks!

The Bottom Line

• The Cost Of Congressman Kingston And His Staff Taking The Time To Learn The Complexities Of The New Medicare Prescription Drug Program: FREE
• The Cost Of Working With Seniors To Find The Program Best For Them: FREE
• The Cost Of Two T-Bone Steaks For Bennie And Katheryn: $13.19
• Helping Improve The Quality Of Life For Older Americans One Step At A Time: PRICELESS!

This post was originally posted on Majority Leader John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) blog, Majority Matters.

By the end of this month, Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) and his office will have held 48 town hall meetings to help senior citizens sign-up for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. This is happening in Georgia�s first Congressional district — NOT in Washington, D.C.

Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK) holds 50 town hall meetings a year. These happen throughout his 32-county Congressional district — NOT in Washington, D.C.

The most important work a Congressman does isn�t hanging around Capitol Hill cranking out new laws and new regulations — it is visiting the world outside of Washington, helping constituents, hearing first-hand what voters care about, and then applying those lessons to their work in Washington, D.C.

An article in this morning�s USA Today suggests otherwise, and leaves the impression that the only time Members of Congress work is when they�re in Washington, D.C. The article laments a schedule that “only” has Congressmen in Washington for 97 days — gone unmentioned are the 435 Congressional districts covering the United States from sea to sea where they spend the rest of their time.

Congress doesn�t dictate an agenda to voters from the marble halls of D.C.; voters tell Congress what to do from each of their districts, cities, and towns across America. It is outside of D.C. � beyond the “beltway” - where Members of Congress learn the issues of concern to constituents, and the more time spent there, the better and more responsive the federal government can be.

Congressman Kingston penned an opinion piece for Roll Call’s policy briefing on the “Health of our Nation.

Here are the first few paragraphs:

Despite the naysayers, there are 22,084,710 reasons why the new Medicare prescription drug program is working for America. As of Feb. 11, that is the exact number of seniors that had already signed up for the new voluntary benefit.

Politicians sometimes forget that there are real folks outside of Washington, D.C. They lose touch with reality and play petty political games by grandstanding and sniping. But this year�s debate about the success of Medicare has been changed by the simple fact that it is working.

In fact, despite the Democratic-coordinated campaign of confusion, seniors who have signed up now are spreading the good news that the program is very real and providing a very real benefit. Whether Democrats like it or not, they can�t stop the good news about this program from spreading.

According to data released by the Health and Human Services Department in February, more than 51 percent of Medicare-eligible seniors already have signed up for the program. And independent analysts predict that nearly 75 percent of Medicare-eligible seniors will sign up in the program�s first year alone.

Read the full piece here.

Congressman Kingston posted part II of his American Renewal Project. You can read it HERE.

Today I blogged on redstate.org about the need for Republicans to really focus on an agenda this year because I believe America is ready for big ideas. Here is my opening paragraph:

Friends-
As some of y’all know, one of my colleagues I admire most is former Nebraska head coach Tom Osbourne. We will miss Tom in the hallways of Congress (and in bible study) when he becomes Nebraska’s next governor, but his presence will never be forgotten. My friendship with Tom has taught me a few things about team work and how those relate to Congress. When it comes to having a successful team, one thing is clear — you need a solid coach. The coach is the guy who is always looking at the big picture, calling plays for the good and glory of the team, and unifying the team. Tom Osbourne’s a humble man - in fact when he spoke to a group of Members at a Theme Team breakfast he said that the only time he ever let himself celebrate after a victory was during his walk off the field. Tom Osbourne’s players respected him because of his love and respect for the game and the team.

That’s a leader. Humble with victory, and always looking toward tomorrow’s challenges.

I encourage you to read the rest of my post HERE.

This past week, Congressman Kingston sent a letter to his GOP colleagues outlining eight items he believes the American people want Congress to deal with in the coming year. He is calling the agenda the American Renewal Project.

From the letter:

Dear Republican Colleague:

In December we were on offense and had a strong finish. In fact, our team came on strong in the second quarter to pass a strong border enforcement bill, pension reform, legislation to reform federal programs to save taxpayers billions of dollars, appropriations bills that made real reductions in federal spending, and a Department of Defense spending bill which included a pay raise for our soldiers and the funds necessary to win the war on terror.

But now there are those who want to put us back on defense. They would like the current transition process to weaken, not strengthen us. And they would like to keep it going until November.

But it will only happen if we let it.

Our Conference has been through tougher transitions and tackled tougher issues. The way to move forward is to do just that�move forward. We need to get back to our basic priorities, to the issues that our constituents want us to address. We need priority-based leadership.

Enclosed is a list of issues with which we are all familiar. These are the issues that have great support among our base and swing voters. These are the issues that matter outside of the beltway, regardless of what the New York Times or Washington Post opine.

Over the past months I have spoken to many Members�from our Freshman class to our Senior Committee Chairmen�about these issues and how they would play out in their district. I have also talked to consultants and wordsmiths. While not everyone agrees with everything on the list, I hope it can help us focus on our priorities and serve as a point of discussion. I hope you will consider these or other priorities you feel are key to the debate.

At the upcoming retreat, we should work together to agree on a list of issues that we will dedicate all our efforts to passing this year. It will be our commitment to America that we are focused on their concerns and worthy of retaining the majority.

You can download the American Renewal Project HERE.