Retiree Leader Urges Florida Seniors to Support Health Insurance Reform
Outlines New Benefits for Retirees, Denounces Scare Tactics
Saying “retirees have a lot to gain from health care reform,” Alliance for Retired Americans President Barbara J. Easterling today told an audience of over 700 South Florida seniors that national health insurance reform, “will make it easier for retirees to see a doctor, get a prescription filled, and afford long-term care.”
At a Del Ray health care forum sponsored by the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, Easterling said, “I know that many older people are scared and confused, fearful of the change that health reform may bring.
But this isn’t because they are bad people. They are scared and confused because lobbyists and places like Fox News are spending millions of dollars - and spreading millions of lies - to preserve the status quo. Why? Because they are the winners in our current system, a broken system that puts profits ahead of people, the special interests ahead of the public interest.”
Easterling urged older Americans to “stay together in the face of the big insurance companies trying to scare seniors, misleading them with lies and predictions of doom. These scare tactics are false, but not enough people know this…. make it your mission to help separate fact from fiction in the health care debate.”
Easterling outlined how health care reform will: close the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole,” lower prescription drug costs, help early retirees afford health care coverage, and assist middle-class families with the costs of long-term care. Supporting a strong public plan option, Easterling said it would hold insurance companies accountable and “keep their premiums and business practices in check.”
Reaching across generations, Easterling urged Florida seniors to, “think about your children and grandchildren and your nieces and nephews. How are they doing in these difficult times? What would happen if they lost their job? At a time of sky-high premiums and unfair rules against pre-existing conditions, would they be able to get health insurance?”
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The Alliance for Retired Americans is a national organization that advocates for the rights and well being of over 3.5 million retirees and their families.
