DeLauro Hosts Discussion of Benefits for Seniors in New Health Care Reform Law
Washington, DC- Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03) visited the Hamden Senior Center today and hosted a panel discussion on the landmark health care reform law and how it will benefit senior citizens.
The new health care reform law will benefit all Americans, from small business owners, to women, to those with pre-existing conditions, to young adults, and especially seniors. Its impact will be felt in our communities across the country, and will help to ensure that all Americans will have access to quality, affordable health care. For our seniors, some of the law's benefits have already gone into effect, such as the $250 credit to Medicare beneficiaries who have already hit the prescription drug ‘donut hole' for this year. Many more are on the way, including reducing the ‘donut hole' even further, assistance with Medicare Part D costs, improving preventive care services, and requiring insurance companies to spend at least 85 percent of their revenue on health care, rather than on profits or overhead.
Congresswoman DeLauro was joined by Judy Stein, the Executive Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc., James Stirling, the CEO of Stirling Benefits, Inc., and Claire Phelan, a local senior for the panel discussion. The participants discussed how the policies of the new law will impact seniors' day-to-day lives, their Medicare benefits, and overall improvements to their medical care.
"In the last ten years, the number of Americans over the age of 65 increased by 5 million, a 15 percent increase. In the next ten years, that number will jump by 15 million, a 36 percent increase. These rapidly increasing numbers speak volumes about how essential it is that we make certain our aging population is well cared for, and the new health reform law will play an enormous role in that effort. It will ensure that our seniors, as well as their children and their grandchildren, all have access to the stable, quality, and affordable health care that will let them thrive," said Congresswoman DeLauro.
"The new health reform law will guarantee access to better primary and preventive care, helping seniors to stay healthy. It will lower drug costs, ending the prescription drug ‘donut hole' that is so problematic for so many seniors who simply cannot afford their medicines. It will also protect Medicare, extending its solvency, cracking down on fraud and abuse, and ensuring that doctors can afford to keep providing care. And these reforms are not only good for seniors, they are good for the middle class, good for small businesses and good for the economy, and we will be a better and stronger country for them."