Senior Spotlight By John Toscano
Dems, GOP Wage Furious Fight Over Medicare Changes

A plan to strengthen Medicare, including placing a small cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses for low-income seniors, has been passed by a House committee controlled by Democrats.

However, minority Republicans are balking at the plan and the chances of the Democrats' plan ultimately passing are doubtful.

After passage of the Democrats' bill by the House Ways and Means Committee, Congressmember Joseph Crowley (D- Queens/The Bronx), a member of the committee, stated: "This fiscally responsible plan will improve access to health care for millions of seniors."

The legislation also makes more children in the state eligible for healthcare coverage.

One of the main provisions for Medicare coverage improvement, which was proposed by Crowley, would cap prescription drug copayments for low-income seniors on out-ofpocket expenses incurred under the Medicare Part D program at 2.5 percent annually.

Crowley stated: "Low-income seniors having trouble paying for their medications should not have to make the choice between buying dinner or taking care of their health needs." He thanked the committee chairman, Congressmember Charles Rangel (D- Harlem), and his Democratic colleagues on the panel "for backing my proposal to bring down the costs of life-saving drugs for lowincome seniors by capping their out-of-pocket costs".

The Medicare improvement plan also:

•Ensures that seniors continue to have access to the doctors of their choice by stopping a 10 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors.

•Encourages seniors to seek preventive healthcare benefits by eliminating co-payments and deductibles.

•Protects low-income seniors by expanding and improving programs to ensure Medicare remains affordable for those with lower incomes, and

•Shores up Medicare finances by extending the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund for two years.

Top House Republicans objected to the Democrats' plan to pay for the Medicare improvements by reducing the subsidies the federal government pays to private health insurers that operate Medicare Advantage plans.

The Republicans feared that the improvements to traditional Medicare proposed by the Democrats would in some cases replace the private insurance plans.