THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 Page 13 THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. For the second week in a row, the COVID-19 pandemic was front and center at the state capitol. Brief, informal, lightlyattended sessions were held on Monday and Thursday. Most legislators and staff are staying away from Beacon Hill and many are working from home to comply with social distancing guidelines. At informal sessions, there can be no roll calls and it only takes one member to stop the proceedings if he or she disagrees with anything. The Democrats and Republicans worked together to craft bills relating to COVID-19. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on several pieces of legislation relating to COVID-19. The report also includes the percentage of times local representatives voted with their party’s leadership in 2020 through April 10. Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 19 votes from the 2020 House session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not on local issues. The votes of the 2020 membership of 124 Democrats were compared to House Speaker Bob DeLeo. A total of 101 (or 81.4 percent) of the 124 Democratic representatives voted with DeLeo 100 percent of the time. Another 17 representatives voted with DeLeo all but one time (94.7 percent.) The Democratic representatives who voted the lowest percentage of times with DeLeo were Reps. John Velis (DWestfi eld) and Colleen Garry (DDracut). Velis voted with DeLeo only 63.1 percent of the time while Garry voted with DeLeo only 61.1 percent of the time. The votes of the 2020 membership of 30 Republicans were compared with those of GOP House Minority Leader Brad Jones. A total of 20 (or 66.6 percent) of the 30 GOP representatives voted with Jones 100 percent of the time. Another nine representatives voted with Jones all but one time (94.7 percent.) The GOP representative who voted the lowest percentage of times with Jones was Rep. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) who voted with Jones only 84.2 percent of the time PERCENTAGE OF TIMES REPRESENTATIVES VOTED WITH THEIR PARTY’S LEADERSHIP The percentage next to the representative’s name represents the percentage of times the representatives supported his or her party’s leadership. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the representative opposed his or her party’s leadership. Some representatives voted on all 19 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll call. The percentage for each representative is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted and does not count the roll calls for which he or she was absent. Rep. Bob DeLeo 100 Percent (0) Rep. RoseLee Vincent 100 Percent (0) HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of April 6-10, the House met for a total of six hours and 34 minutes while the Senate met for a total of six hours and 42 minutes. Mon. April 6 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Senate 11:12 a.m. to 11:28 a.m. Tues. April 7 No House session Wed. April 8 No House session Fri. April 10 No House session No Senate session No Senate session Thurs. April 9 House 11:01 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. Senate 11:09 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com aavvyvy enioroioiavvy Senior avvy vy Dear Avoiding, Yes! Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, M edicare rec en tly announced that it will be expanding coverage for telehealth services to help keep vulnerable seniors safe at home. Here’s what you and your mom should know. Telehealth Services If you’re not familiar with telehealth or telemedicine services, they are full visits with a health care provider who isn’t at your location using telephone or video technology device – i.e. smartphone, tablet or computer. Telehealth services allow Medicare beneficiaries to take care of ongoing medical problems as well as new concerns, while following public health advice to stay home during the coronavirus outbreak. Medicare patients with chronic health conditions now don’t have to postpone a regular follow-up visit with the doctor to keep safe. They can do it via Skype or FaceTime. And people concerned they may have the virus could see their doctor or nurse practitioner virtually to find out how to get tested. Nursing home residents will also be able to have telehealth consultations with their doctors. If your mom isn’t familiar or comfortable with technology, you or another relative or friend can assist her. You may need to go over to her house to help her do this. Bring your smartphone, tablet or laptop – but remember, don’t visit if you’re feeling sick. Risk of serious illness from For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 781-286-8500 or Info@advocatenews.net the coronavirus is much greater for older people and those with underlying health problems such as lung conditions, diabetes or heart problems. Many ennioorn rniiori Medicare Expands Telehealth Services to Help Keep Seniors Safe at Home Dear Savvy Senior, Does Medicare cover telehealth services? My 71-year-old mother has chronic type 2 diabetes but is very concerned about going to the doctor for fear of exposing herself to coronavirus. What can you tell us? Avoiding the Doctor seniors are also managing chronic health issues that put them at heightened risk. Until recently, telehealth coverage under original Medicare has been limited to benefi ciaries only in rural areas, and patients often need to go to specially designated sites for their visits. The expanded telehealth coverage, which will remain in eff ect during the coronavirus outbreak, now allows doctors and hospitals to bill Medicare for visits via telemedicine that previously had to take place in person, at a medical offi ce or facility. If your mom happens to get her Medicare benefits through a private Medicare Advantage plan, they will also be expanding their telehealth services. For coverage details, contact her plan directly. O ther M edic ar e Coverage I n addition to the expanded t e l ehea l t h services, Medicare will also be covering all coronavirus testing costs to see your mom has been infected, and medically necessary hospitalizations, so if her doctor recommends that she remain in quarantine at the hospital rather than selfisolating at home, she will not have to pay for these costs. If your mom has a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, it will cover the coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available and will waive prescription refi ll limits so she can have extra medication on hand during the pandemic. For more information on how Medicare is covering the coronavirus see Medicare.gov/medicarecoronavirus. And for the latest information on the coronavirus, visit Coronavirus.gov. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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