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The Honorable Mike Enzi February 1st, 2009
Senator from the State of Wyoming
379A Senate Russell Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Enzi,
I am writing on behalf of senior citizens in the Colorado/ Wyoming region. A few months ago, members of the Rocky Mountain Action Coalition (RMAC) participated in a video teleconference with Mr. Greg Dean and other members of your Washington Staff. The subject covered was the need for a catastrophic medical benefit in the Medicare program.
After that meeting we furnished Mr. Dean with a white paper describing the need for such a benefit and referred him to an earlier law, the “Medicare Catastrophic Act of 1988”, strongly supported by former President Ronald Reagan. After passage in 1988, the law was repealed a year later due to complaints over its cost by persons that still had good company supplemental Medicare benefits. In subsequent correspondence, Mr. Dean acknowledged he had located and reviewed this earlier law. There appears to have been no further action since then.
The financial picture for seniors on Medicare has changed drastically from what it was in 1988. Catastrophic medical costs now contribute up to 50% of all personal bankruptcies. While personal bankruptcies have remained fairly constant for persons under 65, they have doubled for those over 65 and quadrupled for persons over 85. In addition, in 2007 the EEOC released a rule permitting companies to cancel all medical benefits for persons over 65. This further exposes seniors to impending catastrophic health care costs.
A recent Congressional Budget Office study (attached) showed that by combining Medicare A&B into one program with a single deductible, the Medicare program could run more efficiently, provide a yearly out-of-pocket limit on personal expenses ( i.e., catastrophic coverage) and actually save Medicare substantial money for many years. This much needed change to Medicare would cost taxpayers nothing in additional taxes.
As the ranking member of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pension (HELP) committee, you are in a unique position to make a Medicare catastrophic care benefit happen. The RMAC implores you to make the effort to provide this much needed benefit to the nation’s senior citizens. With health care reform now being a top priority, the time to act is now, as it will be many years before Congress again considers serious reforms.
Thanks for your consideration and service to persons in the Rocky Mountain area. Sincerely,
John R Kotson; Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Action Coalition
970-229-9352
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