White House Health Care Summit
Thursday, March 5, 2009
For Immediate Release
Retiree Leader to Call for Medicare Reforms at White House Summit
Improving Medicare Must be Key
Component of Health Care Reform, Coyle
Says
The following
statement was issued today by Edward F. Coyle,
the Executive Director of the Alliance for
Retired Americans and an invited participant in
today's White House Health Care Summit.
Coyle also participated in the February 23
Fiscal Responsibility Summit at the White
House.
"I am looking forward to participating in today's Health Care Summit. On behalf of over 3.5 million Alliance members, I will use this opportunity to call for a stronger, expanded Medicare as a key component of national health care reform.
"Medicare has been a great American success story, helping millions of retirees afford to see a doctor or get a prescription filled. But to truly reform health care, we must strengthen Medicare so it can better help our growing retiree population.
"President Obama's Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal - with its elimination of $176 billion in wasteful taxpayer subsidies to insurance companies who operate Medicare Advantage plans - sends a clear message that Medicare's top priority should be the health of our nation's seniors, not its big drug and insurance companies.
"The Alliance for Retired Americans believes that any health care reform passed by Congress must: allow Medicare to negotiate volume discounts with drug manufacturers; close the "donut hole" in Medicare Part D coverage; and provide early retirees age 55-64 the option to purchase Medicare coverage.
"I look forward to working with my fellow Summit attendees and the Obama administration to improve health care for current - and future - retirees."
For more information on the Alliance, visit www.retiredamericans.org or call 1-888/373-6497.
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Contact: Marcie Kohenak, (202) 637-5178 or mkohenak@retiredamericans.org