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    THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO PRESERVE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE
    ~ Protecting the Health and Economic Future of Older Americans ~

    May 26, 2010

    NEWS RELEASE

    Still Confused about Health Reform?

    Seniors Advocates Join Effort to Inform Retirees about Medicare Provisions

    "Older Americans are dependent on Medicare for their health coverage.  So seniors are especially susceptible to misinformation that Medicare is threatened by reforms. They are anxious and looking for information and they absolutely need a reliable place where they can get their questions answered accurately.  It's critical that seniors get the facts about provisions that will benefit them as soon as next month." Barbara B. Kennelly, President/CEO

    For 84-year-old Ben Williamowsky, the health care reform debate was often confusing and frustrating.  As a retired dentist, he understands our current health system well, yet was discouraged by the amount of misinformation being targeted to seniors, during the debate and even now.  Williamowsky described his frustration at a Capitol Hill news conference hosted by House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi today:

    "I'm old enough that I remember what it was like in the early days after Medicare was created - when similar scare tactics were used - threatening seniors with all sorts of bad things if Medicare was enacted.  None of them happened.  Doctors didn't go out of business or stop seeing seniors.  In fact, life was much better for millions of seniors who desperately needed health coverage and today Medicare is a tremendous success story.  But not everyone re members history the way I do.  That's why we absolutely need someplace we can trust to answer our questions and dispel the false rumors about this new law." Dr. Ben Williamowsky, Medicare Recipient 

    Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius described a new brochure being mailed to Medicare beneficiaries to help them sort fact from fiction, avoid scammers who want to profit from seniors' confusion and give beneficiaries the information they need to take advantage of historic reforms in the donut hole, preventative services and more. 

    The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare is committed to providing America's seniors with updated and detailed analyses of how healthcare reform legislation will affect their medical coverage in Medicare.  In our newly released web video, "Health Reform and Seniors", we describe many of the provisions in health reform which will touch the lives of seniors, some as soon as next year.  The video is available on the National Committee's YouTube Channel and will also be made available to seniors groups, town hall meetings, and grassroots events.

    This video supplements the National Committee's popular newsletter, Secure Retirement , which provides detailed coverage of health care reform in its spring issue.  In fact, we've run a second printing of this publication due to very high demand from seniors nationwide. 

     

    Media Inquiries to:
    Pamela Causey 202-216-8378/202-236-2123
    Kim Wright 202-216-8414
    www.ncpssm.org

     

    The National Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that acts in the interests of its membership through advocacy, education, services, grassroots efforts and the leadership of the board of directors and professional staff. The work of the National Committee is directed toward developing better-informed citizens and voters.