AARP President Tells Finance Committee Health Care Reform Must Include Affordable Choices for 50- to 64-Year-Olds
Source: AARP Press Center | 2009-05-05
May 5, 2009
Contact: AARP Media Relations, 202-434-2560, media@aarp.org
WASHINGTON—This morning, AARP President Jennie Chin Hansen presented before the Senate Finance Committee’s roundtable on expanding health care coverage. Hansen pressed the committee on the need to address the more than 7 million uninsured Americans aged 50 to 64. Excerpts from her prepared statement follow:
“Comprehensive reform to provide affordable coverage to all Americans could not be more urgent, as coverage losses are snowballing in our current economy…. One recent report estimated that 4 million Americans have lost coverage since the recession began, and as many as 14,000 may be losing coverage every day. This is on top of 46 million who lacked coverage in 2007….”
“Health reform must make affordable coverage choices available to all Americans, especially those aged 50-64 who are not yet eligible for Medicare…. People in this age range who lose job-based coverage often find it impossible to get affordable individual coverage because insurers consider age and pre-existing conditions when setting rates and most Americans in this age range have one if not several such conditions. Industry data show that insurers reject between 17% and 28% of applicants aged 50-64. Those who can find individual coverage tend to receive less generous benefits than those with employer coverage, yet on average pay premiums that are three times higher and total out-of-pocket spending that is over twice that of those with employer coverage.”
“The best way to help 50-64-year-olds is to make coverage affordable for everyone by:
• Guaranteeing that all individuals and groups wishing to purchase or renew coverage can do so regardless of age or pre-existing conditions;
• Prohibit charging higher premiums because of health status or claims experience;
• Providing a choice of qualified plans through an Exchange or Connector;
• Providing subsidies based on income so coverage is affordable for everyone;
• Addressing costs system-wide through prevention and wellness, care coordination, fighting fraud, waste, and abuse, and revising incentives to reward quality rather than quantity of care; and
• Ensuring that any cost-sharing obligations do not create barriers to needed care.”
“…We cannot fix our broken economy if we do not fix our broken health care system, and we will all need to work together in order to succeed. We again commend this Committee’s leadership and look forward to working with both sides of the aisle to make enactment of meaningful, comprehensive health reform a reality this year.”
AARP’s report, “Health Care Reform: What’s at Stake for 50- to 64-Year-Olds?” can be found at http://www.aarp.org/research/health/carefinancing/i24_hcr.html.
For details on AARP’s health reform campaign, visit HealthActionNow.org.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 34.5 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
