Being Alive; February 1994
Fran McDonald, Social Services Editor

Prescription drug benefits are provided by the Act and this extends to those who receive Medicare; since many of you are, or soon will be, Medicare beneficiaries, this is good news. A quarter of this benefit's cost will be covered by an $11 increase in the Part B monthly premium (it's now $41.10), the remainder by taxes. There is to be a $250 annual deductible, a 20% co-payment, and a $1000 annual limit (the government paying all costs thereafter). Home health care that would permit disabled people requiring skilled services to stay at home would be paid by both federal and state governments and patient co-payments of 0-40% of costs, depending on an individual's income.

As the Medicare Advocacy Project has pointed out, only when every American's health care is considered a right, not a privilege (as the Act so states), will the disabled be assured of their own health care. Most of the Republican as well as Democratic health care reform plans in Congress now call for cuts in programs like Medicare because of their contribution to the national debt (entitilement programs like Medicare have been increasing at 2-3 times the rate of inflation), so for most of us this is a matter of some urgency.

Please familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of the Health Security Act, keep abreast of developments and proposed changes (there'll likely be many before the Act is a fait accompli), and keep in touch with your elected representatives in Washington and your state capital. We have a lot at stake here.

John Swadley

On December 29 many people even if they had never met him lost a true friend when John Swadley died. John had worked with Social Security, lastly in the AIDS unit of the Hollywood office, and did so seemingly tirelessly. He expedited claims, minimized what otherwise might have been a nightmarish experience, and often even seemed able to perform the ultimate magic a Social Security claim that moves efficiently to approval without a hitch. To people who were sick and wondering what was to become of them, especially as regards a roof over their heads and food on the table, John must surely have seemed to be a combination of magician and savior.

Like the hundreds of other people he helped, I will always be in his debt many of you reading this who came to me with your Social Security problems ultimately had John to thank for solving them. The many times I said to you "I know a wonderful young man in the Hollywood Social Security office," I meant John. And even though he's left us, John continues to help us because of the example he set, the memory of which should serve as a role model for us all. If everyone gave of himself as generously and selflessly as John did, just imagine what a wonderful world this would be!

My sympathy to his family and many friends, and thanks to Chris Garcea for the beautiful photo of John that I now have smiling at me. Donations in memory of John may be made to The AIDS Service Center, 126 W. Del Mar Bl., Pasadena, or to Project Angel Food, PO Box 69-616, West Hollywood 90069.

HIV and the Renter

When it rains it pours, I guess, but recently I've gotten many calls from people stressed-out over rental problems. HIV and stress don't mix well, so if you can put the kibosh on landlord problems, do so.

I have recommended to each of these callers a booklet by the California Department of Consumer Affairs titled "California Tenants" that details fundamental landlord/tenant laws, defines terms (for example, deposits are refundable, fees are not), procedures to follow when renting or leaving an apartment, and steps to take to resolve differences between landlord and tenant. For a copy, send a self-addressed stamped 7" by 10" envelope with 75 cents postage on it to: "California Tenants", PO Box 3l0, Sacramento, CA 95802.

(Fran McDonald has been in Social Services for 22 years and welcomes your calls at 213.664.4772.)

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