AARP has been a strong advocate for health care reform for over 50 years—ever since our founder discovered a fellow retired teacher living in a chicken coop, eking out an existence on a meager pension, with no health care and no access to health care.
From that moment, AARP has fought for health care reform and health security for all of its members. We must now turn our attention to the Senate, and then to the conference committee, to ensure that the measures we supported in the House plan end up in the bill that goes to the president to sign.
The plan approved by the House includes comprehensive health care reform. It expands and protects benefits in the traditional Medicare program and ensures that people under age 65 will have affordable health care.
It also ensures that health decisions are made by a patient and his or her doctor, not by an insurance company, and not by the government. And it protects the right of all Americans to see the doctor of their choice.
The House plan achieves many of the goals we have been focused on since we began our latest fight for health care reform more than two years ago:
· It protects and strengthens Medicare.
· It provides affordable coverage for people under 65.
· And it begins to improve long-term care services and support.
We have read and studied the House bill, and we are confident that it meets our priorities. Let me be specific.
First, protect and strengthen Medicare. Older people today and tomorrow must have the health coverage they need, and be able to afford it.
This bill provides immediate relief and completely closes the infamous Part D “doughnut hole” by 2019, lowering costs for millions of seniors in Medicare. It also allows the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.
Prescription drugs help keep people out of hospitals, out of emergency rooms and out of doctors’ offices. They give people hope and, in many cases, save lives. But they cannot do any of those things if they are unaffordable. Getting the prescription drugs, you need should be based on your doctor’s orders—not on the condition of your bank account.
The House plan also aggressively cracks down on waste and fraud in Medicare. Those savings strengthen the Medicare trust fund and make Medicare a better program for those who rely on it.
The House bill contains provisions to stop overbilling, cut unnecessary paperwork and unnecessary tests, and focus on the quality of the care provided—not the number of treatments. And the measure adds free preventive services, such as screenings for diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis.
Second, provide affordable coverage options for people under 65. Put simply, no one should be denied affordable health insurance because of their age or health status. Period.
This bill strictly limits what companies can charge Americans age 50 and older simply because of their age. Currently, insurance companies can charge an older person up to 10 times what they charge a younger person for the same insurance. That’s age discrimination, and it must change.
This bill sets a maximum age rating or ratio of 2 to 1—limiting premiums for older people to twice what an insurer charges its younger customers. The bill also helps low- and moderate-income people—individuals who earn up to $44,000 and families with incomes of up to $88,000—pay for their health care coverage. Under the House plan, quality, affordable health insurance will never again be a matter of wealth or luck. Insurance companies won’t be able to reject you or charge you an outrageous premium because you got sick once, might get sick again, lost your job, are over 50, or because your employer dropped your coverage.
· Millions of Americans will start to regain control over their lives.
· Millions of Americans will have greater peace of mind.
· And millions of families will finally have access to the affordable care they need to stay healthy.
Third, improve long-term services and support. This bill begins to improve our country’s outdated system of long-term care. It contains provisions (known as the CLASS Act) to create, over time, a voluntary insurance program designed to provide assistance for long-term services and support. It also will help people prepare for their long-term care needs and remain independent in their own homes as they grow older or face a moderate disability.
In short, this bill meets critical priorities for AARP members. It would ensure quality, affordable health coverage options for all Americans. It protects and strengthens Medicare for today’s seniors and future generations. It puts us on a path to improving our long-term care system. And it does not add one dime to the national debt.
All of us at AARP are proud of our endorsement of the Affordable Health Care for America Act. And we thank the members of the House who voted to pass it. Our hope is that:
· Never again will anyone be forced into bankruptcy because of high medical expenses.
· Never again will anyone be forced to choose between food and prescription drugs.
· Never again will anyone be denied affordable insurance coverage because of their age or a preexisting condition.
· Never again will anyone live in fear of not being able to afford decent medical care for themselves or their family.
· And never again will the door to the American dream be slammed shut on anyone because they lack affordable, quality health care.
But the fight is not over. We’re fighting to ensure that doctors are paid fairly so seniors can see the doctor of their choice. We must now turn our attention to the Senate and urge it to pass legislation that includes these measures. This is a difficult fight, and we need your continued involvement to win it. We’ve made it clear to the president and to the Congress that we will fight with the strength of our nearly 40 million members.
We are on the threshold of significant health care reform. This is no time to let up.