On Medicare's Anniversary, Congress Still Has Work To Do - AARP Calls On Lawmakers To Pass Bill That Keeps Medicare Fair

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 02 Jul 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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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."

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 33 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's 39 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

http://www.aarp.org