Printable Version
Retirees Warn McCain Health Plan Would Slash Medicare
Monday, October 6, 2008
For Immediate Release
Retirees Warn McCain Health Plan Would Slash Medicare
The following statement was issued today by Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, in response to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal that Senator John McCain’s health care proposal would result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to Medicare and Medicaid.
“These reports pull back the curtain on the McCain health care plan, showing us that the real straight talk is how yet another big gift to the insurance industry would be paid for on the back of millions of retirees. This is terrible news for our nation’s seniors, who in this time of economic anxiety, are already struggling to make ends meet as the prices of food, energy, and transportation continue to soar.
“Medicare, like Social Security, is one of our nation’s greatest success stories. Generations of seniors have been able to better afford their doctor visits and prescriptions drugs. Medicare works, and as part of national health care reform, we need to strengthen Medicare – not decimate it. As the McCain health care plan would also cause many employers to drop retiree health care, a stronger Medicare program would be needed more than ever.
“Today’s news is the dirty little secret John McCain and his team of lobbyists didn’t want us to know about. The Alliance for Retired Americans will spend the next four weeks spreading the truth to older Americans about what Senator McCain is proposing.”
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Contact: Marcie Kohenak, (202) 637-5178 or mkohenak@retiredamericans.org