On MedicareÕs Anniversary, Congress Still Has Work To Do
Source: AARP Press Center | July 1, 2008
July 1, 2008
Contact: Jim Dau, AARP, 202-434-2560, jdau@aarp.org
Today, on the 42nd anniversary of Medicare’s implementation, AARP issued a statement urging Congress to act quickly and pass legislation to keep Medicare fair. The statement, from AARP Senior Vice President David Sloane, follows:
“Forty-two years ago, Medicare enrolled its first members, forever changing the way older Americans received their health care. Before Medicare’s enactment, only half of all older Americans had health insurance. Since that time, poverty among that group has dropped by two-thirds. Medicare has proven critical to the health and economic security of the people it serves.
“Today also marks a deadline—one that Congress failed to meet, falling just one vote short when the Senate tried to move forward critical legislation that kept Medicare fair for older Americans. Now Congress must act immediately to pass the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 6331) before it is too late. This bill makes significant improvements to Medicare’s low-income programs and implements electronic prescribing, which will help save lives and reduce waste. And it holds premium increases to reasonable levels while ensuring that people in Medicare have access to their doctors.
“The Senate is expected to vote on the Medicare bill next week, and we urge every senator to support this legislation to keep Medicare fair for the people it serves.”
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