Seniors deeply concerned about Medicare, Medicaid future as 'super committee' decisions loom

Sep 26 2011

News outlets are covering Medicare and Medicaid developments.

Los Angeles Times: Seniors Air Their Financial Worries At Annual AARP Gathering
[S]eniors, gathered in downtown Los Angeles this week for the annual conference of the AARP, expressed fear and anxiety about aging when Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are under attack both in Washington and on the campaign trail. More than 20,000 seniors are attending ... Seniors are increasingly relying on Social Security and Medicare to finance their retirement and healthcare, AARP chief executive officer A. Barry Rand told a packed house  (Gorman, 9/24).

UPI: AARP Finds Uncertainty Is Palatable  
Lynda Flowers of AARP's Public Policy Institute warned that one proposal that would essentially shut down Medicaid and turn in into block grants for states, just made the program all the more vulnerable. "States could run out of money and they would have to make up the difference by cutting services," she said (9/24).

National Journal: New Poll Finds Most Americans -- Republicans Included -- Don't Want Entitlements Cut 
On the heels of a $2-million grassroots campaign announced this week, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare is hyping the results of a new poll that shows that most Americans, including a majority of Republicans, are opposed to cutting Social Security and Medicare as a way to reduce the deficit. ... The survey, conducted jointly by Republican and Democratic pollsters, found that 82 percent of Democrats, 73 percent of Independents and 58 percent of Republicans are opposed to cutting entitlements to drop the deficit (Frates, 9/23).

Meanwhile, Dr. Donald Berwick discussed Medicare with the Boston Globe. 

The Boston Globe: Don Berwick on Medicare: Best Job I've Ever Had
The Harvard pediatrician who runs the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services needs Senate approval by the end of the year, or he's out of a job. No confirmation hearings have been scheduled.  ... During his visit to the Globe, Berwick repeatedly hit on the theme of improving care and saving money by "making care coordinated, seamless, and scientifically-based.'' He spoke of curing the American health care system of its "addiction to volume'' rather than to quality. At stake is "a lot'' of money, he said, estimating that perhaps 20 percent of medical spending could be saved by eliminating unnecessary, poor care (Kowalczyk and Conaboy, 9/23).