WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative
Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement on President
Clinton's plan to modernize and strengthen Medicare for the 21st
Century.
"I applaud the President's Medicare proposal both
because of its many provisions that improve health care for 39
million elderly and people with disabilities, and because it flatly
rejects schemes that would destroy the social insurance nature of
Medicare and erode its guaranteed benefits.
"First, the
President's proposal protects the integrity of Medicare and extends
the solvency of the program until 2027. His plan rejects
proposals that would privatize Medicare by turning it over to the
HMOs, through "premium support" or voucher schemes. It also
does not contain income-based premiums that would undermine the
fundamental nature of Medicare.
"Second, the President's proposal includes a universal
prescription drug benefit that will help lower drug costs for
beneficiaries. This is an important initiative to improve
access to comprehensive benefits and to help millions of seniors and
persons with disabilities deal with the high costs of prescription
drugs. "Third, the
President's proposal restores some of the Balanced Budget Act
provider cuts that are threatening patient quality care. It
rejects proposals to cut funding for Graduate Medical Education and
hospitals that serve lower-income, high-cost
patients.
"The choice between the President's plan and other
alternatives that have been suggested is clear. The President
chose protecting Medicare instead of turning it over to the HMOs
through a voucher system. His plan uses the surplus to protect
and extend the life of Social Security and Medicare rather than
giving tax breaks to those who do not need them. The President
took the historic step of providing a prescription drug benefit to
all seniors, even though some argued for limiting assistance to only
those with very low incomes. He resisted raising the age of
eligibility and turning Medicare into a welfare program that would
limit benefits or set premiums based on
income.
"Can the President's proposal be improved? Of course
it can. I am concerned about the effects of new cost sharing
requirements that raise some out-of-pocket costs for seniors.
I have questions about the incentives for seniors to enroll in
low-cost HMOs and the quality of care they will receive. I would
like to see the drug benefit expanded
further.
"But the battle lines are clearly drawn. Seniors and
persons with disabilities are ready to support a Medicare proposal
that is fair. I am anxious to see many of the details in the
President's proposal and look forward to working with the
Administration, my colleagues in Congress, and groups throughout the
nation to help pass a comprehensive and quality Medicare
proposal." |