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Name: AARP
Location:
Madison, Wisconsin
United States
Madison, Wisconsin
United States
Lowering health care costs a high priority for 8th CD seniors
More than 40 percent of the callers who took part in an AARP-hosted health care telephone townhall with special guest Rep. Steve Kagen (D-8th CD) on Aug. 19 responded in an informal poll that lowering health care costs is their top priority for health reform.
Nearly 7,000 constituents of Rep. Kagen – all AARP members – were on the call, asking the congressman and AARP representatives questions about the health reform legislation currently circulating in Congress.
A poll question during the hour-long conversation asked callers, “What is your top priority for health reform?” Of those who answered the poll question, 41 percent said “lowering health care costs” was their top priority. Another 22 percent said, “covering the uninsured,” and 21 percent said “lowering costs for prescription drugs.” Another 16 percent said, “improving Medicare.”
Rep. Kagen said, “any reform of our health care system must include protection for seniors.
“In order to guarantee access to affordable health care for all of us, we must fix what is broken and improve on what we already have. The health care legislation currently being considered by Congress will fill the donut hole in Medicare Part D and strengthen Medicare by ending all co-payments and deductibles for prevention services,” Kagen said.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss these provisions with seniors in Northeast Wisconsin and to hear from them about their concerns with the current legislation. This legislation is changing everyday, but I am working hard to protect the elements that are important to people in Northeast Wisconsin. It is a good bill, and it is getting better every week,” he added.
AARP has not yet endorsed any health reform plan, but has been supporting reform of the nation’s health care system for years.
“We're working closely with Republican and Democratic members of Congress to lower health care costs and to ensure quality affordable coverage for older Americans – and we want reform legislation passed and signed by the president this year,” said AARP Wisconsin State Director D’Anna Bowman.
AARP is stressing four major priorities in health care reform:
- Stopping insurance companies from charging older Americans unaffordable premiums because of their age.
- Ending the practice of excluding people from insurance because of pre-existing conditions.
- Holding down health costs and making insurance coverage more affordable for all Americans.
- Making prescription drugs more affordable by narrowing the Medicare doughnut hole, bringing generics to market faster, and allowing Medicare to negotiate better drug prices.
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Added: Aug 20, 2009
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