August 2006

Welcome to the August edition of my Washington Report. I hope this newsletter keeps you informed about some of the important matters facing our State, our Nation, and the U.S. Senate.

In this edition, I'd like to discuss the following issues:

• Shortchanging American Workers
• The Impact of Global Warming: The Increased Risk of Catastrophic Wildfires
• Filling the Medicare Part D “Doughnut Hole”
• The President's Stem Cell Veto: The Wrong Choice for America

If you have any comments or questions on these or any other issues, please don't hesitate to let me know. Please send any comments you have through my website.

Best wishes,

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein

Shortchanging American Workers
Senate Democrats have successfully blocked a Republican-backed ploy to give tax breaks to the rich while shortchanging hard-working American families, particularly those who earn tip wages.

American workers deserve a raise no question. But if this bill had been approved, it would have affected all tipped workers earning the minimum wage – waiters, bellhops, hairdressers and manicurists, bartenders, hotel workers, and food delivery persons. In California alone, there are roughly 650,000 restaurant employees who rely on tips to survive.

In many ways, the flawed tip provision epitomized what was wrong with this bill. Much-needed provisions—such as critical tax extenders and a federal minimum wage increase—were paired with a detrimental and irresponsible one, a virtual repeal of the estate tax.

Working American families are being squeezed more than ever by these policies. Americans are in need of real solutions, rather than cynical politics.

When we return in September, I look forward to working in a bi-partisan fashion to right what was wrong with this “trifecta” package, and pass the elements of this bill—popular tax extenders and a minimum wage increase—that will benefit millions of hard-working Americans, and not just millionaires.

Feinstein Opposes Republican Bill that Cuts Minimum
Wage for Millions of Workers Who Receive Tips (7/31/06)

The Impacts of Global Warming: The Increased Risk of Catastrophic Wildfires
This summer, millions of Californians baked under a scorching sun, as the mercury hovered above 100 degree Fahrenheit for days on end in much of the State. In Death Valley, temperatures spiked to 126 degrees.

With the 2006 fire season hard upon us, wildfires already are racing through tens of thousands of acres of dry brush, destroying homes and other properties. And now, there are new, very credible scientific reports that global warming is making the wildfire problem much worse.

It is too early to tell whether this fire season will equal the 2003 season, when more than 4,300 fires consumed nearly 660,000 acres in Southern California. But the evidence that wildfires have become more common and more destructive is indisputable.

A new study published online by the prestigious journal Science showed that warming temperatures played the biggest role in recent wildfire increases. In particular, researchers found that wildfire frequency was correlated with the timing of the spring snowmelt.

I am not surprised by this finding. Every day, we learn more about the detrimental effects that global warming is having on our planet. Global warming is real, and it may make the wildfire problem worse in many ways.

What this means is that our forests will remain at risk of catastrophic wildfire for a long time to come, both from global warming and from historical fire suppression. The Healthy Forests Act is the right strategy to reduce that risk in California's forests. But for long-term success in this battle, our nation must also be prepared to take dramatic steps to reduce global warming.

To learn more, read: Global Warming Aggravates the Risk of
Catastrophic Wildfires, An op-ed by Senator Feinstein in the San Bernardino County Sun (7/15/06)

To learn more about the Senator's Healthy Forest Act, click here

To read the article in Science magazine, please click here

Filling the Medicare Part D “Doughnut Hole”
Today, senior citizens and disabled Americans are experiencing skyrocketing prescription drug costs due to a built-in gap in many Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. The coverage gap – known as the “doughnut hole” – forces recipients who have spent $2,250 on drugs to pay full price for their prescriptions until their out-of-pocket costs for the year reach $5,100.

Although a number of plans exist to fill the doughnut hole, it appears that the Medicare administrators did not sufficiently advise recipients of this option during the sign-up period.

In California, five companies offer stand-alone plans that fill the coverage gap for a relatively nominal fee. Aetna Medicare Rx, CIGNA HealthCare, Humana, Pacificare, and Unicare all offer drug plans with some form of gap coverage. By paying a slightly higher premium – approximately $5 per month more than plans without this coverage, Medicare recipients can receive a plan that covers the gap in generic prescription coverage. And by paying an additional $40 per month, Medicare recipients can choose a plan that covers all prescription medications, including expensive name brands.

Another option is to choose one of the 80 Medicare Advantage plans in California that provide coverage of the prescription drug doughnut hole. Unfortunately, Medicare Advantage plans with gap coverage are available in only 12 of California’s 58 counties.

For Medicare recipients, planning ahead is critical because the opportunity to upgrade plans comes only once a year. It is my hope that an increased knowledge of the available options will help recipients make a better decision when they have the opportunity to sign up for a new plan later this year.

For more information regarding Medicare Part D, visit www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). A customer service representative can walk through the drug comparison system with callers. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

The President's Stem Cell Veto: The Wrong Choice for America
Last month, the President issued his first veto, and with that one act he dealt a crushing blow to millions of Americans suffering from Parkinson’s, diabetes, cancer, and other illnesses that could one day be cured.

For almost a decade now, this debate has been about hope. Hope of a scientific breakthrough for millions of patients and their families. Yet now, the President dashed those hopes.

The President tried to cushion this blow by stating that he supports stem cell research. But that is patently false. The legislation vetoed by the President would have vastly enhanced the ability of scientists to discover potentially life-saving cures offered by embryonic stem cell research – all within the parameters of strict ethical guidelines.

Patients suffering from these catastrophic illnesses have already waited too long. And now, because of the President’s veto, they will be forced to continue to wait indefinitely.

The need for stem cell research will not go away. We will continue to fight the fight. We will continue to push in every way possible until we finally succeed.

Statement by Senator Feinstein on President Bush’s
Veto of Life-Saving Stem Cell Legislation (7/19/06)

Statement by Senator Feinstein on Passage of
The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (7/18/06)

Senator Feinstein Urges Passage of The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (7/17/06)

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