Health Care Reform Takes Center Stage in Illinois

The health care reform debate is heating up—and AARP is right at the bargaining table, helping to ensure that Congress passes meaningful health care reform this year. It is time that all Americans have access to affordable health care.

According to a 2009 study of AARP members in Illinois, 80% of Illinoisans are worried about rising health care costs while 70% are worried that they will not be able to pay for a major illness. Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed believe that that health care in Illinois is in a state of crisis. It’s time that our elected leaders do something about this health care crisis—we need action on health care NOW!

AARP is working hard on Capitol Hill and in Congressional District offices across Illinois to ensure that health care reform becomes a reality this year. AARP believes that any comprehensive health care reform bill must address the following six priorities:

Guaranteeing access to affordable coverage for Americans ages 50-64. More than a quarter million Illinoisans ages 50-64 are uninsured. It is hard for this segment of the population to access affordable health care coverage, particularly because of pre-existing condition exclusions. AARP is working to ensure that individuals in this age group can access affordable health care and cannot be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

Closing the Medicare Part D coverage gap or “doughnut hole”. Prescription drug costs continue to climb at over triple the rate of inflation each year—and that increased cost finds 3.4 million Medicare beneficiaries falling into the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole” each year. AARP believes that health care reform must include efforts to close the ever-growing doughnut hole. Thirty-two percent of Illinois Medicare beneficiaries fall into the doughnut hole each year—and over 21% of AARP members in the state did not fill or delayed filing a prescription because they didn’t have the money to pay for it.

Creating access to generic versions of biologic drugs. Biologic drugs are used to treat serious health conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, but these specialty drugs can cost thousands of dollars per month. Generic drugs are much less costly, but currently, there is no pathway for the creation of generic versions of biologic drugs. This means that drug companies can continue to charge unreasonably high prices for biologic drugs long after their patents expire. AARP is working to drive down the cost of these drugs by supporting legislation that would create an FDA approval process for generic versions of biologic drugs.

Preventing costly hospital readmissions by creating a Medicare transition benefit. It is estimated that nearly 20% of Medicare beneficiaries discharged from the hospital re-enter the hospital within 30 days. It is also estimated that Medicare spends approximately $17 billion each year on these costly hospital readmissions. AARP is advocating for a Medicare follow-up care benefit that would provide support for caregivers in the home to help prevent these costly hospital readmissions.

Increasing federal funding for home and community based services. AARP believes that any health care reform plan must include provisions related to long term care. The vast majority of Americans would prefer to receive long term care services in their home—as opposed to more costly institutional settings—however, the majority of Medicaid long term care funding still goes towards institutional care, not home care. AARP is advocating to improve the long term care system by providing more federal matching dollars to states to expand their home and community based service programs.

Improving programs that help low income Americans afford the health care they need. The current patchwork of low-income programs in Medicare is so complex that many people are not able to access benefits to which they are entitled. AARP believes that these low-income programs must be strengthened by eliminating the asset test, expanding eligibility, and standardizing eligibility rules to simplify complex application processes.

The good news is that we are making strides—your voices are being heard in Congress. AARP recently supported an agreement between President Obama, Senate leaders, and the pharmaceutical industry that will help fill the Medicare Part D doughnut hole by providing most people in the doughnut hole with a 50% discount off the cost of their brand name drugs. While this is a step in the right direction for health care reform, much more needs to be done and AARP will continue press for comprehensive health care reform this year.