PATIENT2PATIENT NEWSLETTER
September 2004

Please visit our Web site: www.Patient2Patient.net

"The Guided Source to Health Information"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In This Issue:

* From the Director
* Quotation of the Month
* WebGuides Update - Important Reminder
* Subscription Discounts
* Patient2Patient In the News
* Patient Best Practices Feature Article - "For Medicare Beneficiaries - A
Very Important Program!"
* Humor


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ From the Director ~

As we move through our life, we all have our personal heroes. Those people
we know, sometimes intimately, who inspire us with their courage, their
tenacity, their humanity. Some quality or combination of qualities that they
embody that we admire, that inspire us and that we wish for ourselves. Often
it is only in light of their great personal struggle that we come to see
these qualities.

One of my personal heroes is Barbara Appelbaum, who was one of the longest
living survivors of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's
Disease) having lived with this devastating illness for over 30 years.
Barbara passed away a few weeks ago.

The amazing thing about Barbara was that this illness, which completely
immobilized her body, did not define her life. While living with ALS she
raised a son, assisted her husband in his business, traveled throughout the
world and enjoyed the vibrancy of living in New York City. She was a great
friend to many people and was always eager to offer help and advice.

I came to know Barbara because she was also the heart of the Ben Appelbaum
Foundation, an organization named after her husband that provides mentors
and support to small businesses and organizations.

This newsletter generally focuses on the resources and practical health
information that can be found online. But I think it is important to step
back occasionally to reflect on our struggle as patients and caregivers.
Particularly on how our struggle - our actions and our attitudes - help to
influence, inspire and lend strength to others. This was certainly the
effect Barbara Appelbaum had, and continues to have, on many people.

After reflecting on Barbara's life and how her example enhances our own
struggle as patients, I was going to skip the usual Patient Best PracticesR
column and urge everyone to turn off your computer and to take some time to
reflect on the effect your struggle as a patient has on other people.

However, there is an extraordinary and under publicized benefit program for
Medicare beneficiaries which will expire soon. As Barbara was always
exceedingly practical, and as time is of the essence, we are providing
information about this program in our Feature Article. If this information
is not of direct benefit to you, please forward the information to someone
who can make use of it.

But remember, after you read the rest of the newsletter, take some time and
reflect.

Andrew Robinson, J.D.
Executive Director
Patient2Patient, LLC

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 ~ Quotation of the Month ~

                "No eternal reward can forgive us now for wasting the dawn."
                      -- Jim Morrison --


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ WebGuide Updates - Important Reminder! ~

For our Subscribers -

If your WebGuide Report Subscription has or is about to expire, don't wait
to renew it. There have been many significant changes and additions in our
quarterly updated Medical WebGuide Reports. Your health is too important to
risk on outdated information or resources.
For our current WebGuide subscribers, to access your WebGuide, go to the
Homepage: www.Patient2Patient.net, click on the Subscriber's button and
enter your login information.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

~ Subscription Discounts ~

If you are a member of a health related organization or group, take
advantage of the group discounts offered by Patient2Patient when purchasing
any of our Medical WebGuides.

Patient2Patient WebGuides provide quick access to the best and most current
information on the Internet for your condition. Our Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's disease WebGuide Reports contain more than 200 interactive
pages, organized into more than twenty critical topic areas, including
detailed analysis and quick links to Web sites offering the latest medical,
treatment, support and news as well as valuable caregiver resources.

The way our group discounts work is: The individual members of eligible
organizations can receive a discount on a one-year WebGuide subscription. In
addition, your organization or group will receive a percentage from the sale
to benefit its ongoing work.


For information, contact Andrew Robinson, Executive Director at
ajrob@Patient2Patient.net

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

~Patient2Patient In the News~

Andrew Robinson, Executive Director of Patient2Patient, has been invited to
participate in a Pew Internet and American Life Survey of Internet Experts
on the future impact of the Internet.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

~ Patient Best Practices Feature Article: "For Medicare Beneficiaries - A
Very Important Program!" ~

Congress has authorized a demonstration drug program that will be providing
$500 Million in drug benefits for Medicare patients who need prescription
medications. This is NOT one of the drug card discount programs that have
been so controversial.

It is a separate and limited program that can provide SUBSTANTIAL aid for
Medicare beneficiaries and even more for beneficiaries on limited incomes.
In one example cited in a recent New York Times article, a Medicare
beneficiary using Humira, a drug for Rheumatoid Arthritis, estimated that
she would be saving $12,000 a year using the program. In the same article,
Tommy G. Thompson, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, stated that
the drug Gleevec, used for certain kinds of cancer, which normally costs
$46,000 per year would cost a Medicare beneficiary using this program only
slightly more than $5,000 per year and a low income beneficiary would only
have to pay $60 per year.

The Medicare Replacement Drug Demonstration (MRDD) program is designed to
replace other drugs currently available under Medicare Part B. The program
includes certain drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cancer,
and other serious diseases. Up until now, some of the drugs that treat these
conditions were only covered under Medicare when provided in a doctor's
office.

MRDD was set up as a demonstration program set to expire on September 30th.
It was believed that the program would be so popular that a lottery would
have to be conducted among the applicants in that only 50,000 Medicare
beneficiaries would be allowed to use the program.

However, due to poor publicity and a difficult application form, the program
has been vastly undersubscribed. At this point all eligible applicants are
being enrolled into the program and the application deadline is expected to
be extended.

Even if the application form is not streamlined this is a program well worth
enrolling in if you meet the Medicare requirements. To learn about the
program and its requirements,

Go To:

1.	The Medicare Drug Demonstration Page -
http://ajrob.c.topica.com/maacGRMabajspb4tX4Pbaehojm/
(Or go to www.medicare.gov and click on "Medicare Replacement Drug
Demonstration"

2.	On the Medicare Drug Demonstration Page you can find detailed
information about the program, application forms, information about
additional drugs that are being covered, FAQ's and contact phone numbers.

3.	For over the phone information about the program, beneficiaries can
call the demonstration call center at 1-866-563-5386 anytime between 8:00 am
and 7:30 pm, Monday through Friday. TTY users should call 1-866-5387.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

~ Humor ~

A Few One-Liners:

"Its 98% of lawyers who give the rest a bad name." - Steven Wright

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, its too
dark to read."  -Groucho Marx

"My dog is so stupid - I taught him how to sit and he forgot how to stand."
- Rodney Dangerfield

"Give a man a fish and he has food for a day. Teach him how to fish and you
can get rid of him for the entire weekend."  - Zenna Schaffer

If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

A dog thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me
with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me... They must
be Gods!

A cat thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me
with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me... I must be a
God!

There are two theories about arguing with women.
Neither one works.

If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.

Feel Good!

The Staff of Patient2Patient

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
We welcome your comments about this newsletter and our WebGuides -
Feedback@patient2patient.net.

(c) Copyright 2004 Patient2Patient, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Patient2Patient, LLC, 490 Tenth Street, NYC 11215.
You are welcome to forward this issue to someone you know, in its entirety
(without cutting).