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President Obama appeared before a joint session of Congress this summer and assured seniors that, contrary to the misinformation they'd been hearing from opponents of health reform, proposed reforms would be good for older and younger Americans alike. We at the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and its Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) strongly agree and believe that all Americans, regardless of age, deserve high quality, cost-effective, and affordable care.
While the President and Congress have called for cuts in Medicare spending, these cuts are aimed squarely at fraud and waste -- now estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars -- not at services.
In fact, proposed reforms would enhance elder healthcare in a wide range of ways. For starters, they would improve seniors' Medicare drug coverage, lower the premiums they pay for drugs and care, and eliminate co-payments for preventive services. Proposed reforms would also address near-critical nationwide shortages of geriatricians and other geriatrics healthcare providers (e.g., geriatrics nurse practitioners and physician assistants) with expertise in caring for even the sickest, most vulnerable elders. They would help recruit and train primary care providers -- who are already seeing growing numbers of older patients -- to meet seniors' unique healthcare needs. Proposed reforms would also provide training for direct-care workers and family caregivers who care for older loved ones. They would enhance long-term care and support the adoption of new, promising, and more cost-effective models of care, including those emphasizing coordination of care and the use of interdisciplinary geriatrics care teams. Because such reforms would make care more cost-effective, they would also make Medicare more sustainable, so future generations can also benefit from this essential government healthcare program.
For all these reasons, we urge you to join us in advocating for proposed healthcare reforms that will greatly enhance care for older adults, now and in the future. Becoming an advocate is quick and easy: Simply visit and register with AGS' Health in Aging Advocacy Center
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