Statement By 60 Plus Association President Jim Martin

Alexandria, VA — All Americans, especially seniors, want and deserve affordable and accessible healthcare.

But attaining that goal will be next to impossible under the Obama Administration’s proposal.

That the Pharmaceutical industry is working with the Obama Administration to achieve this worthy goal of affordable and accessible healthcare is admirable but the industry’s announced $80 billion reduction in costs over 10 years is a statistically insignificant ‘sacrifice’ in terms of what the Obama Administration’s healthcare bill will cost, a staggering $1.6 trillion, or more, over 10 years.

Hurt most in this charade will be low-income seniors, particularly and ironically, African-American and Hispanic retirees. Cutting Medicare payments will take a dangerous toll on these retirees. You see, 1 in 5 retirees are now enrolled in a Medicare Advantage private plan, including 40% of African-American and 50% of Hispanic seniors.

This government engineered healthcare plan leads to price controls which in turn leads to reduction in services and produces long lines waiting for these reduced services. Rationing then results and with government provided care private coverage will plummet as more and more seek the so call ‘free lunch’.’

The government needs to shore up Medicare, not slash payments. Seniors deserve better.

From my vantage point working on Capitol Hill in 1965 when Medicare passed to now heading a senior citizens organization, if we’re ever going to turn around this massage entitlement, we must stop just appropriating more money and instead institute competitive market-driven remedies.

Belt tightening is a must, but not at the expenses of seniors struggling on fixed incomes.

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