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Since we began our latest battle for comprehensive health care reform more than two years ago, AARP has fought for a health care bill that provides quality, affordable health coverage options for all Americans and protects Medicare for seniors and for future generations.

We have read the House of Representatives’ Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act (H.R. 3961), and we can say with confidence that they meet our priorities for protecting Medicare and reforming our health care system.

For the more than 45 million Americans in Medicare – 2.8 million in Texas alone –  the House plan completely closes the dangerous gap in prescription drug coverage known as the doughnut hole, adds cost-free preventive benefits like cancer screenings, cracks down on waste and fraud and protects the traditional Medicare benefits people in the program rely on.

For all Americans—including our younger members who often struggle to find affordable insurance (an estimated 778,000 in Texas between the ages of 50 to 64 are uninsured) — the House plan makes coverage more affordable by strictly limiting how much more insurance companies charge based on age.  Americans will also no longer be denied coverage based on health history or discriminated against because of gender, and those who still cannot afford insurance on their own will receive help to purchase affordable coverage.

In addition, the House plan begins to repair the country’s outdated system of long-term care with new provisions to help people prepare for their long-term care needs and live in their own homes as they grow older.

While AARP is pleased to see that H.R. 3962/H.R. 3961 include many of the proposals that are most critical to protecting Medicare and ensuring Americans age 50+ have access to stable, affordable health care, we know the fight isn’t over.  That’s why we’re going to keep working with members of the House and Senate to ensure our priorities are included in any final health care reform bill.

And, as the legislative process moves forward, we’ve let Congress and the Administration know that we will fight with the strength of our nearly 40 million members against any proposal that would hurt rather than help Medicare and older Americans’ access to affordable, quality health care.

We will continue to provide the information you need to decide for yourself what the health reform will mean to you.  For information on the latest developments, go to www.aarp.org/getthefacts.