On Medicare's 40th Anniversary, Let Us Recommitt to Quality Health Care for Seniors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2005

ON MEDICARE'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY, LET US RECOMMIT TO QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR SENIORS
Op-ed by Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard

This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the Medicare program passed by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in July of 1965.

Creating Medicare was one of our nation's proudest achievements. Today, Medicare provides comprehensive health insurance for nearly 42 million Americans, including more than 35 million senior citizens and six million people under 65 with disabilities. The program provides coverage for a broad range of health care services, including inpatient hospital care, physician and outpatient hospital care, and important preventive and health maintenance services such as vaccinations and prostate, mammography and glaucoma screenings. These critical health care services -- made available for the first time to many Americans with the start of the Medicare program -- are credited with extending the life expectancy for both men and women.

Too many people have forgotten what life was like in the United States before Medicare existed. They have forgotten the pain and suffering that resulted from families not having the resources to pay for medical treatments and lifesaving medications. In 1964, only 51 percent of Americans over 65 had health care coverage. Today, Medicare provides lifesaving medical coverage to our most vulnerable seniors. In fact, 71 percent of Medicare beneficiaries have two or more chronic conditions, 29 percent are in fair to poor health, and 23 percent have cognitive impairments. In addition, most Medicare beneficiaries live on incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

Despite Medicare's impressive achievements over the last 40 years, the Medicare program remains in jeopardy. A prime example of potentially detrimental changes to the federal program is The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003, which became law -- without my support - by the conservative majority in Congress. Among my concerns about the new program, the Medicare prescription drug benefit has a giant gap in coverage requiring beneficiaries to pay for drugs out of their own pockets while continuing to pay premiums. In addition, the law actually prohibits the government from negotiating with the big pharmaceutical companies for lower prescription drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries.

The new prescription drug program which starts in January is also very complicated. Seniors are going to have to choose from an overwhelming number of confusing private prescription drug plans. Even worse, millions will actually lose their current employer-sponsored retiree health coverage or face increased out-of-pocket costs to maintain coverage for the medicines they currently take.

As a country, we should be building upon the successful program that provides almost universal coverage for our nation's seniors. As we celebrate Medicare's 40th anniversary, I reiterate my commitment to preserving and strengthening the Medicare program. I will continue to fight any attempts to slash Medicare benefits, and I will work to enact changes to the prescription drug program so that Medicare beneficiaries get the type of drug coverage they need and deserve.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca34_roybal-allard/oped050808.html