AARP Statement on Passage of Medicare Physician Payment Reform

WASHINGTON, DC, November 19, 2009—AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond released the following statement applauding the House on its passage of H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009:

 “We applaud the House for ensuring that millions of people in Medicare will have the peace of mind of knowing that they will be able to keep access to the physician of their choice.  The Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act will fix the flawed Medicare physician payment formula and eliminate a looming 21 percent cut to reimbursement rates.  With today’s vote, the House has taken a major step towards reforming the physician payment system so doctors will not only continue to treat existing Medicare patients, but also accept new patients.

 “We urge the Senate to act promptly on behalf of older Americans and the physicians who care for them and ensure that an unwarranted physician pay cut does not threaten access to care.  With only weeks to go before the cuts go into effect, the time to act is now.”

November 19, 2009 -- AARP Senior Vice President David Sloane released a statement in support of H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act of 2009.  Click here to read his remarks. 

AARP Applauds Senate for Progress on Health Care Reform
Legislation unveiled today is important step toward meaningful health care reform

WASHINGTON, DC, November 18, 2009—AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond issued this statement following today’s introduction of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:

“We applaud the Senate for merging the Finance and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committees’ bills and taking another important step toward fixing what’s wrong with our health care system. Under the leadership of Majority Leader Reid and Senators Baucus, Harkin and Dodd, the legislation announced today makes progress toward achieving meaningful relief for millions of older Americans who still face challenges accessing affordable, quality health care services.

“The new Senate bill makes improvements to the Medicare program by creating a new annual wellness benefit, providing free preventive benefits, and—most notably for AARP members—reducing drug costs for seniors who fall into the dreaded Medicare doughnut hole, a costly gap in prescription drug coverage. Too often, those who fall into this coverage gap stop taking their prescription drugs because they simply can’t afford to. The new bill adds a new $500 down payment for prescription drug costs in the doughnut hole in 2010. While we welcome this extra help, we urge the Senate to go further to meet the President’s pledge to completely close the doughnut hole. With the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs, we believe this bill should be improved so that it can help millions of older Americans afford their needed medications and avoid more intensive and costly care later in life.

“The bill also makes improvements on age-rating, a discriminatory practice that allows insurers to charge exorbitant, age-based premiums to older Americans. Under the new Senate bill, insurance companies will not be allowed to charge older Americans more than three times more than younger Americans for premiums. We hope the final bill can be improved even further in this area.

“Finally, AARP strongly supports provisions in the Senate bill to strengthen long-term services and supports. The bill retains the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program, which recognizes that older individuals and people with disabilities should have the right to live independently in their own homes and communities, and to receive the help they need without having to spend down to poverty. We also applaud the inclusion of provisions to improve access to Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS). Home and community-based care is widely supported by AARP members and is not only cost-effective, but can also help slow the growth in health care spending and keep millions of Americans out of nursing homes and in their own homes.

“The legislation put forward today is yet another milestone in the long journey to health care reform. We look forward to continuing our work with Senators on both sides of the aisle to further strengthen the bill, and we will continue to fight for reform that protects benefits for people in Medicare, improves health care affordability, and improves the health of every American.”

For more information on AARP’s health care reform effort, please visit http://www.aarp.org/health/articles/health_reform_get_the_facts.html.

November 19, 2009 -- According to the latest AARP Rx Watchdog Report, manufacturer prices for brand name drugs climbed dramatically over the last year, despite a negative general inflation rate.  Click here to read more. 

From the AARP Massachusetts Online Community, November 18,2009 -Last Friday, news spread quickly about the Patrick Administration’s plans for another round of emergency cuts to balance the MassHealth budget. These new reductions would affect thousands of low-income seniors and younger persons with disabilities who count on MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program, for their health care. Find out more in today’s blog

We invite AARP members from Massachusetts to join us by phone for a Health Action Now Tele-Town Hall Meeting . During the call, you can get the full report from AARP experts about the progress we're making on health care reform – and where we go from here. You will have the opportunity to ask your questions live.

Questions? Post below, or send an email to ma@aarp.org

From the AARP Massachusetts Online Community, November 1 7 , 2009 -- This Wednesday, November 18, we invite AARP members from Massachusetts to join us by phone for a Health Action Now Tele-Town Hall Meeting . Click here for details.