Medicare Change Is Unfair

To the Editor:

Right now in Washington, as part of the Medicare Reform Bill, Representative Johnson is debating whether or not to cut back on yet another health care program for seniors and people with disabilities. This time, Congress wants Medicare patients who receive home health care services to pay more for their care.

This would be a catastrophe for many seniors and disabled individuals who want to live independently at home with their loved ones rather than in a nursing home. Most people who receive Medicare-covered home health services live on fixed incomes and pay approximately 40 percent of their income for health care including personal assistance with bathing or dressing, or for wheelchairs, walkers, or other assistive devices. And now Congress wants them to pay a co-payment for home health care on top of all the other out-of-pocket expenses that they already incur.

Making seniors and people with disabilities pay more for the same exact service is unfair, especially when most of these individuals have paid into Medicare all of their lives to ensure that they have affordable health care when they need it.

Someone once said, “You judge a society by how it treats its most vulnerable — the young, the old, and those who have disabilities.” The Danbury Visiting Nurse Association urges Representative Johnson to adhere to this noble and decent standard by opposing the Medicare home health co-payment.

Sincerely,

Marilynn F. Glen

Danbury Visiting Nurse Association, Inc

4 Liberty Street, Danbury                                  September 17, 2003