RetireSafe Blasts Plan to Pay for Health Care Reform With Huge Medicare Cuts

Calls Obama's Rationing-by-Bureaucrat Proposal an Outrage to Older Americans

WASHINGTON, June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the 400,000 strong
senior-citizen group RetireSafe blasted President Obama and his Congressional
allies for proposing to cut $500 billion or more from Medicare to pay for
"health care reform." Thair Phillips, the new president of RetireSafe, called
the plan "an insult to every older American."

Said Phillips, "I'm outraged that President Obama would first plan to reform
health care on the backs of seniors, and secondly propose to set up MedPAC as
the final Medicare payment authority with a primary mission of cutting
Medicare services that seniors need and depend on. If America needs health
care reform to cover the uninsured it should be accomplished without cutting
and gutting Medicare."

Phillips also blasted AARP for abandoning seniors by supporting this plan that
can only be described as void of fairness and compassion. He asked, "Who's
best interest is really at AARP's heart here? Themselves or the people they
are supposed to protect? Why isn't AARP opposing this catastrophic plan?"

According to Phillips, seniors will be the ones to pay. He said, "What
services will be cut by these politicians and bureaucrats? Will they cut home
health care services, forcing seniors into institutions? Will they ration
drugs and diagnostic services, forcing more beneficiaries to emergency rooms
and hospitals? Will they put the best hospitals, hospitals that specialize in
orthopedic or cardiac care, off-limits for Medicare patients? Will they
continue to cut physician pay until every good doctor flees Medicare? Or will
they use price-controls that will destroy the innovation we need to conquer
diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart attacks and strokes? Over 10
years, how many seniors will suffer and die because of this outrageous plan?"

Phillips pointed out that 40 million plus older Americans will be forced to
foot the bill for this ambitious reform scheme. He said, "This is doubly
offensive because many of these same older Americans have paid Medicare taxes
for their entire working lives. And now they will be cheated out of the
benefits they've earned. Where is the fairness and compassion in that?"

On behalf of the 400,000 senior-citizen supporters that RetireSafe represents,
Phillips promised to spread the word to every Medicare beneficiary, as well as
to the millions of Americans who plan to join Medicare in the coming decade.
He said, "We want these Older Americans to know they are the targets of this
plan, the people who, at the expense of their health care, will be made to pay
for health care reform. This fight is far from over."

RetireSafe is a grassroots organization representing more than 400,000 older
Americans nationwide. Its mission is to preserve, protect and enhance the
options and benefits of seniors and near-seniors.

SOURCE RetireSafe

Vicki Robb, +1-703-329-3356, Cell: +1-703-626-8468, for RetireSafe