More Than 20,000 Petitions Delivered to Senator Schumer's Albany Office

ALBANY, N.Y., June 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Waving signs and carrying boxes, AARP members and volunteers today delivered more than 20,000 petitions to the office of Senator Schumer inAlbany, NY. The petitions, collected from New Yorkers across the state, encouraged Senator Schumer to continue fighting to Keep Medicare Premiums Fair.

The Medicare Improvements for the Patients and Providers Act of 2008 has been endorsed by AARP. The bill helps to limit premium increases for people in Medicare as the Senate holds off a payment cut to doctors. Further, the bill will help ensure that more lower-income people in Medicare have access to additional financial assistance and a streamlined application process. It will also spark wide-spread adoption of e-prescribing which reduces errors and saves money.

"Senator Schumer has been a champion for members of the AARP community as well as all Medicare beneficiaries in the campaign to Keep Medicare Premiums Fair," stated Neal Lane, AARP NY Executive Council Member. "The legislation will be considered by the full Senate very soon and we ask Senator Schumer to continue to influence his colleagues to support this measure, not just for all New Yorkers but for those nationwide."

Unlike other proposals that focus almost exclusively on changes to physician reimbursement, this bill improves the Medicare program and begins to lay the groundwork for broader changes in our health care system by preventing cuts in physician reimbursement and keeping Medicare 2009 Part B premium increases lower. It also improves low-income protections for the most vulnerable, helping more people with low incomes pay drug costs and expanding coverage of preventive services.

Congress must act by June 30 to preserve beneficiary access to doctors without penalizing them for a flawed physician payment system. People on Medicare have always been willing to pay their fair share for their health care coverage and they understand that doctors who treat Medicare patients must be paid fairly. But forcing older Americans to pay even higher premiums because of a flawed physician payment system is just not fair. Temporary physician payment fixes by Congress have contributed to a doubling of Medicare premiums since 2000.

"At a time when all New Yorkers are feeling the crunch of higher prices for basic necessities like food and gas, the last thing Medicare beneficiaries who live on fixed incomes need is another increase in their monthly Medicare premium," continued Lane.

AARP has been advocating for several months to assure that as Congress addresses physician payment cuts, that people in Medicare do not face an unfair increase in their premiums. AARP has also been advocating for improvements to low-income programs in Medicare including raising asset limits, simplifying the application process and improving collaboration between Medicare and the Social Security Administration to screen people who may be eligible for low-income help and not know it.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, http://www.AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, theDistrict of Columbia,Puerto Rico, and theU.S. Virgin Islands.

SOURCE AARP New York

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