The election results are in, now we need to make sense of them. It’s time to cut through the myths and scare tactics that are distracting the country from a civil debate about how best to reform our broken health care system. The fact is, older Americans use more health services than any other age group, and they are among those with the most to gain from reforms that improve quality and lower costs.
For those age 50 to 64 without employer sponsored coverage who often find themselves in the health insurance “no man’s land” health reform will guarantee they can get an insurance policy even if they have a pre-existing health condition or lose their job, and it will ensure they won’t be priced out of the market just because of their age.
There are special interest groups trying to block progress on health care reform by using myths and scare tactics. Like the notion that health care reform would ration your care, hurt Medicare or be a government takeover. Actually, these are false statements.
All of the health care reform plans currently being debated in Congress would ensure that you and your doctor are the ones making decisions about your health. The majority of working Americans will continue to receive their health care through their employer. In addition, health care reform will strengthen Medicare by eliminating billions of dollars in waste while lowering prescription drug prices.
None of the health care reform proposals being considered by Congress would cut Medicare benefits or increase your out-of-pocket costs for Medicare services. Health care reform will lower prescription drug costs for people in the Medicare Part D coverage gap or “doughnut hole” so they can get better afford the drugs they need. Health care reform will also protect seniors’ access to their doctors and reduce the cost of preventive services so patients stay healthier, and will reduce costly, preventable hospital readmissions, saving patients and Medicare money.
Rather than weaken Medicare, health care reform will strengthen the financial status of the Medicare program. For people in the Medicare program, health care reform is about lowering prescription drug costs for people in the “doughnut hole”, keeping the doctor of your choice, improving the quality of care, and eliminating billions in waste that is causing poor care and medical errors.
When one in three Americans say someone in their family skipped pills, postponed or cut back on needed medical care due to the cost; when countless bankruptcies are related to medical expenses; when the number of uninsured approaches 50 million; when government spending on health programs rises so rapidly that it jeopardizes other priorities; and when employers struggle to pay for the costs of health care, the fact is, we can’t afford not to fix health care.