FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—  August 10,  2011

Health programs to be cut?

‘ROUND 2’ OF BUDGET CUTS IMPACT SENIORS

           ATLANTA— “As ‘Round 2’ of the national budget battle begins, a congressional ‘super-committee’ can shape its own changes regarding Medicare and Medicaid, as well as move to cut parts of Obamacare,” says Phil Kent, CEO of the American Seniors Association (ASA) representing millions of members nationwide.

          “The mandated cuts contained in the recent debt agreement– from $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion over a decade— could impact senior citizens. With regard to Medicare, it could push increases in copays and deductibles. As for Medicaid, it could mean a new funding formula supported by the Obama administration, and opposed by governors, that could reduce the money the federal government doles out to states for low-income people and nursing home residents,” Kent said. “The super-committee could also raise the Medicare eligibility to age 67.”

            “Let’s hope, however, that the super-committee— which must make its report by November 23— will enact cuts without breaking promises to the American people regarding Social Security and Medicare. ASA likes the proposed $600 billion cut by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and others through freezing the salary of federal employees for three years and cutting the federal workforce across the board over a period of 10 years,” Kent said.

            “President Obama should address significant cuts in the bloated federal workforce, and so should the congressional super-committee. It is a national disgrace that the Standard & Poor’s rating agency has said U.S. Treasury debt should no longer be considered among the safest investments in the world. The budget deal didn’t address the long-term status of America’s finances, so citizen pressure must be brought to bear on Congress and the president to start making that happen,” Kent said.

           “Our counterpart, the AARP, loves tax increases-- look at its unwavering support of expensive Obamacare-- but that is certainly not the answer during a recession,” Kent concludes.

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www.americanseniors.org