WASHINGTON (July 1, 2011)—Today at an event at the Lexington Senior Citizens Center, Congressman Ben Chandler joined AARP’s Jim Kimbrough to celebrate the 4th of July and commemorate the 45th anniversary of the founding of Medicare with Fayette County seniors.  During his address, Chandler expressed his continued support of seniors in Central Kentucky and reaffirmed his commitment to protecting Medicare and Social Security.

“This weekend, not only are we celebrating our nation’s birthday, but the birthday of the Medicare program,” Chandler said.  “Forty-five years ago, the U.S. government made a promise to our senior citizens. We promised them that every senior could have access to affordable and high-quality health care. So far, we’ve kept that promise.”

However, Medicare remains one of the biggest sticking points in current budget negotiations in Congress.   Chandler and Jim Kimbrough of the Kentucky AARP talked about the importance of the Medicare program and how current proposals in Congress might alter the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Under one proposal Chandler mentioned, for people currently under age 55, Medicare could essentially become a voucher system where seniors would purchase coverage on the private market.  Medicaid—which many Kentucky seniors rely on for nursing home care—would also be cut under this plan.   According to Families USA, these Medicaid cuts could cost Kentucky $2.7 billion in lost business activity and eliminate 24,190 jobs in Kentucky.

“We need to watch this debate closely,” Chandler said. “I have fought for these programs before and will continue to fight for them.  When Medicare was proposed in 1964, only 51% of Americans age 65 and older had some kind of health insurance. Now, nearly every senior in America has access to health care.  We definitely have a reason to celebrate today.”
 

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