Issue Position: Medicare

Issue Position

Since its inception the Medicare program has assisted seniors and individuals living with disabilities with the costs of health care and living. These Americans rely on Medicare for their health and long term care needs. For their entire lives Americans pay into the Medicare system anticipating that once they retire they will be guaranteed the health care benefits that it provides and that they rightfully deserve through decades of hard work.

While there are improvements that can be made to Medicare in order to reduce wasteful spending and make them more cost efficient, we must not abandon our commitment to the millions of Americans who rely on these programs for every-day needs and for future generations that were guaranteed these benefits. I strongly oppose proposals to raise out-of-pocket costs or cut benefits for Medicare and am committed to fighting for this program. For more information on Medicare, please visit www.medicare.gov.

The Affordable Care Act, enacted by my colleagues and me in March 2010, further strengthens Medicare and assists beneficiaries in taking charge of their health care. The law provides important benefits such as free preventative services, free annual wellness visits, and a 50 percent discount on prescription drugs for Medicare recipients in the coverage gap known as the "donut hole." Over 132,000 seniors in New Jersey alone have seen lower prescription drug costs as a result of this law. For more information on the Affordable Care Act and its impact on Medicare beneficiaries, please visit http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/08/seniors.html.

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