This visionary program, which is essentially a promise between generations, was instituted by President Franklin Roosevelt during the depths of the Great Depression.  In the 75 years since its founding, it has become one of the pillars of our society.  Social Security has provided older Americans with the supplementary income necessary to achieve a healthy, stable retirement since 1935.  It has reduced poverty dramatically among older Americans and given them reliable access to good health care.

Without Social Security, one out of every two seniors would fall into poverty. Disabled individuals and surviving dependents – including millions of children – would find themselves without this critical safety net in their time of need.  In New York’s 28^th Congressional District alone, over 120,000 people received Social Security benefits in 2009, including over 77,000 seniors and nearly 13,000 children who receive benefits because a family member has retired, become disabled, or died.

Representative Slaughter is proud to have supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, P.L. 111-148, March 23, 2010). Health care reform will dramatically improve the quality of health care services for seniors, reduce prescription drug costs, and improve access to preventative services.

Strengthening Medicare

The Patient Protection Act will improve the quality, accessibility, and solvency of Medicare. Health care reform ends out-of-pocket service charges for preventive services such as the flu vaccine, mammograms, and colonoscopy. The new law will also extend the solvency of Medicare by weeding out waste and achieving payment parity between traditional and private Medicare plans. In addition, the Patient Protection Act incentivizes provider coordination through new payment systems.

Closing the Donut Hole

The Patient Protection Act closes the donut hole, the gap in coverage under Medicare Part D that forces seniors to cover drug costs out-of-pocket. Seniors who reach the donut hole in 2010 will receive a $250 check to cover drug costs. In 2011, a 50% discount will be provided by drug companies. By the end of the decade the donut hole will close completely. An estimated 9,000 seniors in my district will save an average of $700 in 2011 and more than $3,000 in 2020.

Rep. Slaughter also supported the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) when it passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 355- 59 on Jul 15, 2008. MIPPPA amended titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to extend expiring provisions under the Medicare Program, to improve beneficiary access to preventive and mental health services, to enhance low-income benefit programs, and to maintain access to care in rural areas, including pharmacy access, and for other purposes.

Over the past thirty years, medical research has produced hundreds of pharmaceuticals that can improve and prolong the health and lives of patients. In some cases, drug treatment has completely replaced surgical procedures. Clearly, Medicare should cover these important drugs and enable all seniors to access them. Too many seniors are forced to choose between their medication and other necessities because drugs are too expensive, and Medicare does not pay for them.