SubscribeHealth care reform 101, continued
I’m still not quite sure how to feel about the proposed health care reform bill 
and its impact on Medicare, even after AARP, the influential lobby representing older people, gave it a stamp of approval.
My Mom receives Medicare and any changes will affect the quality of her health care. Here’s the issue: the proposed bill would reduce Medicare costs over the next 10 years. Republicans argue it could be potentially harmful to seniors, resulting in $400 billion in cuts. AARP officials say they’ve studied the plan and feel it would ultimately improve the federal health care program for people 65 and older by restraining costs.
This is what AARP Vice President Nancy A. LeaMond said this week, according to news reports: “We can say with confidence that it meets our priorities for protecting Medicare, providing more affordable health insurance for 50-to-64-year-olds and reforming our health-care system.”
The debate over the largest expansion of health coverage since the 1965 creation of Medicare and Medicaid has been confusing and acrimonious, unleashing raw anger during community forums across the country. The House bill scheduled for a vote this weekend is nearly 2,000 pages. I’ll bet all the members of the House haven’t read every word of it.
I’ll watch this weekend as our elected officials take a vote on this historic reform bill. I’m hoping AARP is standing with the right folks.
What do you think about the proposals?
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I am a member of the Sandwich Generation, a Baby Boomer raising a teenage daughter and dealing with the needs of an aging mother. I am a veteran journalist, having worked for more than three decades as a reporter and editor. Mostly recently, I was an editor with the Metro section of The Washington Post.
