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Smith Studies the Impact of Seniors on America’s Rising Health Care Costs; Calls for Medicaid Reform
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July 13th, 2006 - Washington, DC – Chairman Gordon Smith (R-OR) conducted a hearing today in the Senate Special Committee on Aging titled, “From Medicaid to Retiree Benefits; How Seniors Impact America’s Health Care Costs.” Today’s discussion laid the groundwork for future committee hearings and roundtables that will explore Medicaid’s financial challenges and develop proposals to reform the program. The committee heard testimony from Richard Wagoner, Chairman and CEO of General Motors, Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona and Donald Marron, Acting Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). In Marron’s testimony, he presented a new CBO report that detailed how rising health care costs and an aging population are impacting America’s health care system.
“Our nation is facing a health care crisis,” said Smith. “Costs continue to escalate while quality continues to lag behind other industrialized nations. The two driving factors for growth in health care spending are continually high health care inflation and a growing senior population. While the size of the over age 65 population can’t be changed, steps can be taken to better manage their care and create efficiencies to ensure we are spending our health care dollars wisely. It is important to act now to reform our health care system, and I believe the place to start is with Medicaid.”
Created in 1965, the Medicaid program is an entitlement that guarantees health care coverage for a select group of people. Each state has the option of participating in Medicaid, and currently all 50 states operate programs. Medicaid is jointly financed by the federal and state governments, but each state designs and administers its own version of the program under broad federal guidelines.
According to Smith, the Aging Committee has a long tradition of leading the Congress toward innovative and necessary changes to social programs. This hearing is the first in a continuing dialogue hosted by the committee on how Congress can develop sound policies that are based on improving care and the long-term solvency of Medicaid.
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U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
G31 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5364
Fax: 202-224-8660
mailbox@aging.senate.gov
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