Giffords promotes Medicare revision

Sunday, August 19, 2007
By Jaime Richardson
Green Valley News & Sun

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., led a forum at the Canoa Hills Social Center on Saturday to address proposed improvements to Medicare, focusing on the recently passed Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act (CHAMP).

Giffords was joined by Pima Council on Aging Ombudsman Stewart Grabel and two representatives from AARP. More than 100 Green Valley residents were in attendance.

“The president is threatening to veto this bill, which I feel would be a mistake,” Giffords said. “The one issue that all the upcoming presidential candidates have taken a stance on is Medicare, which indicates its level of importance, and the importance of the CHAMP Act.”
CHAMP, which passed Aug. 1 in the House, would provide health care for the 195,000 uninsured children in Arizona, essentially replacing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program that will expire this fall. Supporters say the bill would improve Medicare benefits, which became the main topic of discussion at the forum.

Proposed improvements to Medicare include:

• Free preventative benefits, including vaccinations and cancer screenings;

· Increased assistance for low income seniors of up to $3,700 a year for cost-sharing and premiums;

• Lowering the co-payment for mental health care from 50% to 20%.

“I believe that health care shouldn’t just cover what’s below the neck,” said Giffords, who believes that more attention should be given to mental health care.
Another issue Giffords stressed was the importance of maintaining access to doctors, which would be jeopardized if Medicare goes ahead with its plan to cut doctor payments by 15 percent over the next two years. CHAMP would stop these cuts, she said, allowing doctors to continue taking Medicare patients.

Grabel voice his approval for the bill, which he says offers improvement and clarification.
“Seniors should be thinking about choices of doctors and hospitals, not choices of insurance companies,” he said.

The bill would be paid for by reducing overpayments to insurance companies and by placing a 45 cent state tax increase on tobacco, said Giffords, who will be holding similar forums addressing the bill later this month in Bisbee and Tucson.

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