| WASHINGTON
- August 29 - The proposed Medicare bills now in conference committee would result in very different outcomes for low-income seniors. In fact, those most in need of the benefit would get little help under the House proposal. Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) will call for bipartisan support of the Senate's low-income provisions and will provide insight into the Medicare bill's future at a teleconference on Thursday, September 4th at 2:00 pm.
While both the House and Senate bills have a gap in coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, the Senate bill (unlike the House bill) has no gap for low-income seniors. Under the House bill, low-income individuals receive no assistance in meeting their drug costs over $2,000 until they spend $3,500 out of their pockets-41 percent of total income for someone living at the federal poverty level.
Seniors with incomes barely above the poverty level would make out even worse. The House bill provides virtually no assistance for those with incomes over 135 percent of poverty ($12,123 for an individual), whereas the Senate bill provides assistance for those with incomes up to 160 percent of poverty-almost 27 percent of those 65 and older.
DATE: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th
TIME: 2:00 pm EST
HOW: Teleconference. To participate, contact
Tracy Zimmerman at tracy@publicinterestpr.com or
(202) 518-8047.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
* Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA
* Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR)
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