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Rep. Schauer Discusses Health Care with Senior Citizens

September 14, 2009

Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Bedford Township, and Max Richtman, executive vice president of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, reassured a crowd in Battle Creek, Michigan that their benefits would not decrease because of the new health care bills last Friday morning.

Half of the people who attended the gathering were residents of the government subsidized senior apartment complex, The Village of Mill Creek at 300 Carl Avenue, where the gathering was held.

Richtman tries to reassure the crowd by saying, “There's nothing in these bills that will hurt Medicare beneficiaries, either by making them pay more or get less, that I think is the bottom line."

He added that the bill would increase payments to providers to ensure that they can accommodate new patients with Medicare. They would also allow the government to negotiate with drug companies to get the best prices for the medicines.

Rep. Schauer promised the crowd that he will not vote for any bill that would not fix the gap in the Medicare Part D prescription coverage and that he is already drafting an amendment that would prohibit Medicare insurers from changing their policies mid-year, after seniors have already given their choice of coverage.

Although no one asked, Schauer addressed the rumor about “death panels” in the proposed reforms, saying that they are “just a lie” invented to turn seniors against health reforms that would ultimately benefit them.

He concluded, “When 62% of all personal bankruptcies are caused because of medical problems and when 78% of those people had health insurance at the start of their illness, something needs to be fixed.”

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