The 44th anniversary of Medicare is July 30. Not only is this a time to reflect on Medicare's success - it has reduced senior poverty by two-thirds - but it also is an opportunity for Wisconsin retirees to become more aware of what is at stake for them and future retirees in the health care debate in Washington.
When President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare legislation 44 years ago, the lives of Americans were improved for generations. Before Medicare, growing old meant poverty, disability and going without health insurance. Before Medicare, only half of all older Americans had health insurance and 35 percent of seniors lived in poverty. Today, levels of poverty among seniors have dropped by two-thirds and all Americans 65 and older can get health insurance through the Medicare program.
We only can hope that in the year of the 44th anniversary of Medicare, we will celebrate an historic success of passing landmark health care reform legislation, covering all Americans and continuing to improve Medicare. It is imperative that Medicare reform be a part of this landmark legislation. What should retirees in Wisconsin be talking about with their federal representatives? Here are a few specifics:
• Help early retirees. More than 5 million Americans age 55-64 do not have health insurance. People in this age group should be able to see a doctor more often, especially for preventive care. This is the wrong time in life to have to cut corners with your health. We should create an affordable way for them to buy into Medicare coverage.
• Overpayments to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans must stop. They cost every Medicare beneficiary an extra $3 per month in Part B premiums, whether they are in a MA plan or not. Scaling back these overpayments of subsidizing private insurance companies would afford $190 billion in savings over the next 10 years. This could be used to improve Medicare and the health care system.
• Close the so-called "doughnut hole." The coverage gap in Medicare Part D means that each year 1 in 4 seniors will spend several months paying full price for their prescriptions while still having to pay premiums. This forces retirees to make risky, unacceptable choices about whether they can afford the medicines their doctors deem necessary.
Medicare reform must include containing health care costs. The fiscal challenges should be addressed by improving payment accuracy, encouraging health care delivery system reforms, and other cost-effective mechanisms to reduce the double-digit increases in health care costs.
The Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, a nonprofit organization representing more than 89,000 Wisconsin retirees is dedicated to the economic and health security of current and future retirees. America needs health and Medicare reform this year. Health care is a right, not a privilege.
When President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare legislation 44 years ago, the lives of Americans were improved for generations. Before Medicare, growing old meant poverty, disability and going without health insurance. Before Medicare, only half of all older Americans had health insurance and 35 percent of seniors lived in poverty. Today, levels of poverty among seniors have dropped by two-thirds and all Americans 65 and older can get health insurance through the Medicare program.
We only can hope that in the year of the 44th anniversary of Medicare, we will celebrate an historic success of passing landmark health care reform legislation, covering all Americans and continuing to improve Medicare. It is imperative that Medicare reform be a part of this landmark legislation. What should retirees in Wisconsin be talking about with their federal representatives? Here are a few specifics:
• Help early retirees. More than 5 million Americans age 55-64 do not have health insurance. People in this age group should be able to see a doctor more often, especially for preventive care. This is the wrong time in life to have to cut corners with your health. We should create an affordable way for them to buy into Medicare coverage.
• Overpayments to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans must stop. They cost every Medicare beneficiary an extra $3 per month in Part B premiums, whether they are in a MA plan or not. Scaling back these overpayments of subsidizing private insurance companies would afford $190 billion in savings over the next 10 years. This could be used to improve Medicare and the health care system.
• Close the so-called "doughnut hole." The coverage gap in Medicare Part D means that each year 1 in 4 seniors will spend several months paying full price for their prescriptions while still having to pay premiums. This forces retirees to make risky, unacceptable choices about whether they can afford the medicines their doctors deem necessary.
Medicare reform must include containing health care costs. The fiscal challenges should be addressed by improving payment accuracy, encouraging health care delivery system reforms, and other cost-effective mechanisms to reduce the double-digit increases in health care costs.
The Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, a nonprofit organization representing more than 89,000 Wisconsin retirees is dedicated to the economic and health security of current and future retirees. America needs health and Medicare reform this year. Health care is a right, not a privilege.
