#PENS TICKETS RAFFLE + 4 other giveaways

The Prize Includes: Five Ways to win:

Title: 5 weeks of giveaways for $5!!!!!!! To Benefit the National MS Society, Pennsylvania Keystone Chapter $5 per ticket! Winners will be pulled on the dates listed below and winners will be immediately contacted and announced on Facebook!! (facebook.com/MSPAKEYSTONE)

• Week 1 Prize: (Winner to be pulled on March 27th) It's a Hockey Night in Pittsburgh! Two tickets, including a parking pass, to the Pens game against the Washington Capitals on Sunday, April 1st at 7:30 PM. These are exceptional seats -they are 13 rows back, right at mid-ice on the red line (special thank you to Chicago Title for donating the tickets), and a night's stay at the Marriott City Center

• Week 2 Prize: (Winner to be pulled on, April 3rd) Flyaway: A $500.00 gift card from American Airlines, use this gift card on any purchase of American Airlines tickets

• Week 3 Prize: (Winner to be pulled, April 10th) Gift Card Extravaganza! $100 Sheetz Gas Card, either a $100 Giant Eagle Gift card "OR" a $100 Giant Gift card, along with a $50 gift card to Tanger Outlets and a $50 Target Gift Card

• Week 4 Prize: (Winner to be pulled on, April 17th) Life is sweet! Hershey Park passes, dinner at the Mill in Hershey, along with a night's stay in Hershey, PA

• Week 5 Prize: (Winner to be pulled on, April 24th) I need to get away! 4 Southwest flight e-passes (valued at $800) valid for one-way travel on Southwest can be combined for roundtrip

Each $5 Donation Earns a Ticket good for all 5 drawings. $20 gets you 4 tickets good for all 5 drawings. Just be sure to enter your contact information. I'll need that info for the drawing and to notify you when you win. I'll also be sending you your raffle tickets so...

100% of Sales go to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society  

Raffle Benefiting the National MS Society, Pennsylvania Keystone Chapter

The Prize Includes: Five Ways to win:

Title: 5 weeks of giveaways for $5!!!!!!! To Benefit the National MS Society, Pennsylvania Keystone Chapter $5 per ticket! Winners will be pulled on the dates listed below and winners will be immediately contacted and announced on Facebook!! (facebook.com/MSPAKEYSTONE)

• Week 1 Prize: (Winner to be pulled on March 27th) It's a Hockey Night in Pittsburgh! Two tickets, including a parking pass, to the Pens game against the Washington Capitals on Sunday, April 1st at 7:30 PM. These are exceptional seats -they are 13 rows back, right at mid-ice on the red line (special thank you to Chicago Title for donating the tickets), and a night's stay at the Marriott City Center

• Week 2 Prize: (Winner to be pulled on, April 3rd) Flyaway: A $500.00 gift card from American Airlines, use this gift card on any purchase of American Airlines tickets

• Week 3 Prize: (Winner to be pulled, April 10th) Gift Card Extravaganza! $100 Sheetz Gas Card, either a $100 Giant Eagle Gift card "OR" a $100 Giant Gift card, along with a $50 gift card to Tanger Outlets and a $50 Target Gift Card

• Week 4 Prize: (Winner to be pulled on, April 17th) Life is sweet! Hershey Park passes, dinner at the Mill in Hershey, along with a night's stay in Hershey, PA

• Week 5 Prize: (Winner to be pulled on, April 24th) I need to get away! 4 Southwest flight e-passes (valued at $800) valid for one-way travel on Southwest can be combined for roundtrip

Each $5 donation to http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/franka gets 1 raffle ticket good for all 5 drawings. $20 gets you 4 tickets good for all 5 drawings. Just be sure to enter your contact information. I'll need that info for the drawing and to notify you when you win.

100% of Sales go to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society  

MS Drug Prices

https://journals.lww.com/neurologynow/Fulltext/2018/14010/The_Price_Isn_t_Right__Breakthrough_drugs_for_rare.15.aspx


Excerpt from, "Neurology Now" : February/March 2018 - Volume 14 - Issue 1 - p 40–45

RESISTANCE TO COMPETITION. Some prices for neurologic drugs remain high decades after they were introduced, long after the manufacturer presumably recouped its investment. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a classic example, says Dennis Bourdette, MD, FAAN, chair of the department of neurology and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. “The three original drugs for MS—interferon beta-1a (Avonex), interferon beta-1b (Betaseron), and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone)—all have annual prices over $80,000, even though they have been on the market since the mid-1990s. And when a new drug enters the market, the prices of these drugs don't go down to compete with the new medication; instead, they've often gone up.”

In fact, the average annual cost of MS therapy rose from $16,000 in 2004 to $78,000 in 2016, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. A letter to seven manufacturers of MS drugs from House Democrats in August 2017 accusing them of “shadow pricing”—hiking prices to meet the price of newer entrants in the drug market—and requesting answers about the price hikes. No further action has been taken at this time.

Tags: Neurology Now, Dennis Bourdette MD, Multiple Sclerosis Center at Oregon Health and Science University, Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone

NIH & CDMRP Funding, Senator Casey Responds

Dear Mr. Austin: Thank you for taking the time to contact me about federal funding for medical research and prevention efforts related to multiple sclerosis (MS). I appreciate hearing from you about this issue. Pennsylvania has the fifth highest prevalence of MS in the country, and there are approximately 20,000 people in Pennsylvania living with MS. I believe we must take a comprehensive approach towards MS, including raising awareness; funding research; developing affordable, accessible treatment and providing support for the caregivers and medical professionals helping individuals with MS. In March 2017, I introduced S. Res. 77, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week. I am pleased to report that this resolution passed the Senate via Unanimous Consent on March 1, 2017. I am also the chair of the Senate Multiple Sclerosis Caucus, which fosters discussions about access to quality health care, MS research and disability rights while raising awareness about MS in the broader community. I also believe that it is essential to support medical research. Providing sustainable funding for federal agencies that conduct medical research is critical if we are going to continue to lead the world in bio-medical research and to advance vital and cutting-edge research into prevention and treatment for chronic conditions and diseases. Each year as Congress begins its appropriations process, I join my colleagues in signing letters to the Senate Committee on Appropriations in support of federal funding for medical research into specific diseases at the Department of Defense. Most recently, I authored a letter requesting funding for all of the medical research programs at the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP); 35 senators joined me in sending this letter to the Committee on Appropriations. The CDMRP is a valuable asset to the Department of Defense and the Nation, and it is critical to continue funding this program. I also authored a bipartisan letter in support of funding for medical research at the National Institutes of Health, and was joined by 56 other Senators on this letter. Please be assured that improving and ensuring health care for all Americans is one of my top priorities in the Senate. As the Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations process continues, please know that I will continue to fight for federal funding for medical research and prevention efforts as part of that goal. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you. For more information on this or other issues, I encourage you to visit my website, http://casey.senate.gov. I hope you will find this online office a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office, or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania. Sincerely, Bob Casey United States Senator

Raffle

100% of $5 ticket price donated to the National MS Society’s Pennsylvania Keystone Chapter

5 weeks of giveaways

·       

        Week 1 (Winner to be drawn March 27th)

o   Hockey Night in Pittsburgh

§  2 Tickets to Penguins vs Washington Capitals game Sunday April 1 @ 7:30PM

§  Seats are center ice, 13 rows up

§  Thank you to Chicago Title for the contribution

§   Parking Pass & Nights Stay @ Marriot City Center included

·        Week 2 (Winner to be drawn April 3rd)

o   Fly Away

§  A $500.00 Gift Card from American Airlines. Use this gift card for any purchase of American Airlines tickets

·        Week 3 (Winner to be drawn April 10^th)

o   Gift Card Extravaganza

§  $100 Sheetz Gas Card, either a $100 Giant Eagle Gift Card “OR” a $100 Giant Gift Card along with a $50 gift card to Tanger Outlets and a $50 Target Gift Card

·        Week 4 (Winner to be drawn April 17^th)

o   Life is Sweet

§  Hershey Park passes, dinner at the Mill in Hershey, along with a night’s stay in Hershey, PA

·        Week 5 (Winner to be drawn April 24^th)

o   I need to get away!

§  4 Southwest Airlines flight e-passes (valued at $800) valid for one-way travel on Southwest Airlines can be combined for roundtrip

Frank Austin, (412) 315-9158 for tickets.

FUND in 2018

The following health services and tax advantages for senior citizens, the disabled and children expire February 9th:

The outpatient therapy cap exception process created by Congress in 2006, which enables Medicare beneficiaries to exceed the annual per-patient cap for physical, speech, or occupational therapy based on medical necessity ($1.9 billion; expired December 31)

Medicare low-volume hospital add-on payments, which help offset the costs of operating a hospital that has a low number of Medicare discharges ($1.1 billion; expired September 30)

Add-on payment for ground ambulance services, including in super rural areas ($400 million; expired December 31)

Funding for National Quality Forum (NQF) review, endorsement, and maintenance of quality measures and associated programs ($100 million; expired September 30)

The Medicare-Dependent Hospital Program extension for rural hospitals with no more than 100 beds that serve a high percentage of Medicare beneficiaries ($400 million; expired September 30)

The Medicare payment add-on for home health services in rural areas ($200 million; expired December 31)

Additionally Congress has not yet funded the National Neurological Diseases Surveillance System.

Make these items a priority in the upcoming negotiations!

Frank Austin

Non-Medical Switching

The following letter was sent to Pennsylvania State Representative William Kortz,

Dear Representative Kortz,

My Name is Frank Austin and I am your constituent. As someone affected by MS (multiple sclerosis); I am contacting you about an issue that is very important to me, non-medical switching. Non-medical switching refers to changes health insurers make to prescription drug benefits during the plan year, for reasons that are unrelated to patients’ health or safety. Such changes can force stable patients to switch drugs or even stop taking a needed medication.

When consumers enroll in a health plan, they sign a contract for an entire year. People with chronic conditions like MS base their decisions to enroll in a particular health plan based on the available information about the medications they need. Changes to plan design or drug tiers in the middle of the plan year leave patients with limited options; pay more for their medications, find an alternate therapy, or forego treatment altogether. It is inherently unfair for one party to a contact to make changes during a contact period and these changes can have negative impacts on the consumers health.

Rep. Oberlander will soon be introducing legislation which would amend Pennsylvanias Unfair Insurance Practices Act to prohibit health insurers from altering the coverage or premiums included in an insured’s health insurance policy during the policy term when an insured has already received a specific treatment, service or prescription drug.

As your constituent, I am asking that you consider cosponsoring this important legislation (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20170&cosponId=25076). Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Sincerely

Frank Austin

56 Hennig Drive

Pittsburgh, PA 15236

(412) 315-9158

f.frank.austin@gmail.com