Boswell Briefing: Protecting Health Care Benefits for Iowa Seniors
Leonard Boswell
Last week, I held a telephone town hall with Iowa 3rd District seniors to discuss Medicare and the House Republicans’ proposal to privatize this important program through the FY2012 budget.
During the call, I heard from Iowa seniors directly that they want to keep their Medicare benefits. This is one of the reasons I voted against the Republicans’ FY2012 budget which would have turned over Iowa seniors’ health care coverage to private insurance companies and more than doubled their out-of-pocket medical costs. Ending Medicare as we know it by privatizing seniors’ health care and doubling their premiums is just cost-shifting and it is the wrong solution to deficit reduction.
I support a budget plan that preserves the guaranteed benefits for seniors under Medicare, but still works toward balancing the budget by focusing on smart cuts as well as revenue generating measures. Prioritizing is critical in budgeting, and my vote will always be to preserve Medicare benefits for seniors, instead of extending tax cuts for millionaires.
We must allow the Affordable Care Act to work for Medicare, which provides free preventative services, closes the Medicare Part D donut hole, and extends the life of the program by cutting waste, fraud and abuse.
More than 40,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Iowa are impacted by the donut hole, or gap in Medicare Part D drug coverage. Iowans who hit the gap in 2010 received a one-time $250 rebate check. These checks are just the first step in reducing prescription drug prices under health care reform. Next year seniors in the doughnut hole will get a 50 percent discount on name-brand prescription drugs and a 75 percent discount on generics. The donut hole will be closed by 2020.
As we continue to craft the FY2012 budget, please be assured that I will work toward bringing our budget back into balance with programs and strategies which protect our citizens, strengthen our country, and grow our economy. We need to grow our country through wise investment in those programs and activities which generate income and reduce overall expenses, while balancing a freeze in discretionary spending.
If you have further questions on Medicare or balancing the budget, I encourage you to contact my office through my website, www.boswell.house.gov, or call toll-free (888) 432-1984.
