Medicare's 44th Birthday
Thursday, July 30, 2009
For Immediate Release
Retirees Celebrate Medicare's Birthday, Urge Congress to Pass Health Care Reform
Alliance for Retired Americans Warns Against Partisan Efforts to Scare Seniors
The following statement was issued today by Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, on the 44th anniversary of Medicare.
"Medicare is a great American success story. It has helped reduce senior poverty by two-thirds, and has shown a valuable role for the federal government in improving health care.
It is unfortunate that some are seeking to derail health care reform through misleading and divisive attempts to scare seniors. The truth is that several leading proposals on Capitol Hill would actually make it easier for retirees to see a doctor, get a prescription filled, or afford long-term care. It is time for Washington to move beyond these worn-out tactics of divide-and-conquer and instead help millions of Americans in need.
Today activists with the Alliance for Retired Americans will be holding over 30 grassroots events around the country to honor Medicare's success and outline a positive agenda for health care reform that will help current and future retirees. This includes:
- Helping early retirees buy-into Medicare coverage;
- Closing the Medicare Part D "donut hole" which forces about one in four seniors to spend several months each year paying full price for their prescriptions while still having to pay their premiums;
- Making long-term care affordable through a public insurance plan;
- Continuing tax policies that encourage employers to provide retiree health benefits; and
- Creating a "public plan" option that provides affordable coverage and puts healthy pressure on private insurance companies to keep their premiums and business practices in check.
"Not only do retirees have a lot at stake in the health care debate, but we also worry about our children and grandchildren in these difficult times. If we work together, we can create a health care reform plan that helps Americans of all ages."
# # #
Contact: David Blank, (202) 637-5275 or dblank@retiredamericans.org
The
Alliance for Retired Americans is a national
organization that advocates for the rights and
well being of over 3.5 million retirees and
their families.