Medicare policies restrict access to Speech and Communication devices

This past August I sent letters to all of Hawaii's Representatives asking them to contact Medicare and investigate the restrictive policies around Speech and Communication devices (read my original letter). Patients with ALS and other severe disabilities are being denied access to the durable medical equipment that is necessary for them to communicate with their caregivers, families and friends. So far, only Representative TULSI GABBARD has responded. Her message to me is below:

Thank you for contacting me about recent policies proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Medicare beneficiary access to Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) and SGD accessories.  I share your concerns about these policies and have contacted CMS about the problems with their rules.

As you may know, CMS currently covers medically necessary SGDs as part of the Medicare durable medical equipment benefit.  Patients who utilize SGDs include Medicare beneficiaries living with a range of severe neurological and communication disabilities related to conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, brain stem stroke, locked-in syndrome, and traumatic brain injury.

Over the course of the last year, CMS has made significant changes that make patient access to this technology more difficult.  Patients who utilize SGDs are some of Medicare's most vulnerable, and throwing up obstacles to SGDs only serve to make handling these debilitating conditions more painful.  Moreover, because of the prognosis of these patients, access to these communication devices is an immediate concern and many do not have the time to go through a lengthy appeals process.  As a result, I joined with other House colleagues to request information to better understand CMS's rationale and to identify some quick solutions that will address the needs of these patients while maintaining the integrity of the Medicare program.

We cannot take away a patient's only option for communicating with caregivers, friends, and family.  You can be assured I will continue to monitor CMS's consideration of these policies and the availability of SGDs.  Again, mahalo for taking the time to get in touch with me.

Sincerely,

TULSI GABBARD

Member of Congress

 

It's Not too late for you to write to your legislators. Please, take action. Send a message to your representatives asking them to investigate this issue!

Scarlett's Fire – free promotion

This weekend Scarlett's Fire, Kindle version, will be available for FREE to Kindle Prime members!

Scarlett's Fire gets some positive reviews

Received some wonderful feedback for Scarlett's Fire! Please continue to send me feedback through email (rraker@hawaii.rr.com) or with a review directly with Amazon.

 I read “Scarlett’s Fire” last week while on vacation.  It was awesome!  Quite a page turner. There were many parts of it that I really liked and would like to share with you.

·         Love the extremes in size between a ‘shrimp’ and a giant squid…made me think of David and Goliath.

·         Scarlett added a lot of descriptive background to the story just by her observations of Corly’s intelligence.

·         Loved Scarlett’s desire to understand ‘motherhood’ and ‘love’.

·         Definite morality issue with the role of a Preservation society first playing the role of protector and then turning into a collector of species.

·         The concept of time was very fascinating to me.  I was impressed with Scarlett’s and Corly’s ability to be so patient about the passage of MANY years as part of normal life and also required to ‘change/improve’ their environment.  Time frustrates me.  I’m not a very patient individual so this gave me a very positive feeling of the power of patience (thank you!).

·         And then the whole world recreated itself…wow…what a great ending!

I hope you write more science fiction!!!

10,000 page views!

Rick's Window reached 10,000 total page views yesterday! That's FABULOUS! Thank you all for your support. I have made the comments feature more accessible, please join the conversation.

Not exactly what was expected, but still...

Well, the stellar start for Scarlett's Fire was not exactly what I expected – life never is... I did manage to convince folks to buy 41 soft cover copies of the book and 7 Kindle versions with my hard sell BAG tactic – it was sincere, but probably too pushy for some. Oh well, the sentiment was honest, I apologize if it came across too aggressive. The funny thing is that one friend bought 30 and another friend bought 10... I believe my sister bought the other one. That's hilarious! Especially when I had thought that I had sold to 40 separate people. No matter, I am still grateful to those good friends!

The goal is still out there. The universe is a big place. The potential is still there. The main thing is that I have not gotten discouraged – I still write several hours each day. The stories are still struggling to come out. The process is still therapeutic.

Scarlett's Fire first review...

I have often said that "I write selfishly and that publishing stories is a therapeutic pastime for me" – This Is still true, but when YOU make the effort to buy the book, read it, and then take the time to write a review on Amazon.com, everything changes for me. Suddenly, my work is no longer selfish. I realize that we have shared something together.

It is such a thrill for me to think that the story I have written, the words I have carefully place on the page have been a part of your life. I begin to understand that I have a responsibility to you, the reader. It's really quite daunting and wonderful at the same time. My only hope is that the story, the characters, the plot and the world that I have created is a worthy of your time. That you have found some escape, some joy, some pleasure from the experience.

Your review allows me the chance to get much needed feedback – your comments are cherished. They complete the loop, the connection between us ... It's hard to express how meaningful this connection is to me, especially with my limited ability to physically engage with the world... All that I can really do is just say that I am very grateful! Thank you.

The first review of Scarlett's Fire appeared on Amazon today!

I finished reading this book just as headlines reported expansion of Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, covering 490,000 square miles. Rare and undetected species will emerge, according to the report. To me, this means that R.K. Raker writes with creativity as well as cutting-edge research. The characters, their challenges, their reflections on their history and future - all result in an enjoyable reading experience.

Super September launch for Scarlett's Fire

September was a great beginning for Scarlett's Fire.

I am able to get reports from Amazon and I was thrilled to see the following copies of the book were sold!

Softcover printed version = 31

Kindle electronic version = 7

I am so grateful to all of you for your support! Please continue to help me reach my Big Audacious Goal (BAG) of 5000...

The Big Audacious Goal of "5000 sold!" is out there bouncing around the infinite expanse of space and growing stronger with each energy force that it encounters. The ripple effect is collecting momentum from the pure potential of limitless possibilities that exist within our universe. Each of you with your grateful mind and positive prayer helps the thought-energy continue to expand until the goal reaches fulfillment. The result will be spectacular!

Why 5000? Five thousand seems to be the magic number for literary agents and publishers to take notice of self-published authors. — 5000 copies sold would also bring enough royalty income to pay for my health expenses for one year.

You can help me reach my goal by:

Buy the book on Amazon.com

Enjoy the story and then write a review.

"Like" "Share" and Tell your friends.

Thank you!

Rick