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For Immediate Release
July 30, 2010 at 11:30 AM
EDT
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For more information,
contact:
Greg White
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Consumers
for Affordable Health Care Hosts Birthday Party for
Medicare and Medicaid on 45th Anniversary of Becoming
Law
The event
was the second in as many days that CAHC hosted to
commemorate the 45 years since Medicare and Medicaid
were signed into law. They have two more scheduled
in August in Lewiston and
Brunswick. |
(PORTLAND) On Friday
afternoon at Portland's Barron Center, Consumers for
Affordable Health Care hosted seniors, health care and
low-income advocates, and Congressional staff at a
commemorative event honoring the creation of the
Medicare and Medicaid programs. Friday was also
officially "Medicaid and Medicare Recognition Day" in
Maine, as proclaimed by Governor John Baldacci.
President Lyndon B. Johnson
originally signed the law creating Medicare and Medicaid
on July 30, 1965 in the President Harry S. Truman
Library. Truman and his wife were the first two
enrolled beneficiaries of Medicare. The two health care
programs are administered by the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services (CMS), a division of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. Together
they cover approximately one-third of all Mainers. About
96,120 Mainers are enrolled in both Medicare and
Medicaid, called dual eligibles.
The
celebration featured a large birthday cake, giant
birthday cards, and a broad range of speakers who
highlighted the benefits these two vital programs have
provided over the past 45 years. It also provided
information to the attendees on reforms and new benefits
they can expect to enjoy under the Affordable Care Act
(ACA) signed into law this past March. Those new
benefits include a rebate check of $250 for seniors who
experience a gap in their prescription drug coverage,
known as the "donut hole," that will eventually be
phased out completely by 2020; access to preventive
services without cost-sharing; and a free annual
wellness visit.
CAHC is
hosting a series of Medicare/Medicaid birthday parties
throughout the state to highlight the importance of
these public programs to Maine people and help educate
consumers about the changes and benefits the new law
offers. Not only did they hold a similar event in
Bangor on Thursday, but they are also planning two
additional events in Lewiston on Wed., August 11th at
2 pm and one in
Brunswick later in August.
Governor John
Baldacci also acknowledged the significance of the
anniversary of these two vital
programs by
proclaiming July 30, 2010 as "Medicaid and Medicare
Recognition Day" in Maine. In
his
proclamation, the Governor stresses how critical
Medicare is to providing near universal affordable
health care coverage for seniors today, compared to
nearly half of seniors who lacked coverage prior to its
creation in 1965.
"Since their inception
in 1965, Medicare and Medicaid have played a critical
role in providing access to quality, affordable health
care for thousands of Mainers who would have been denied
private health insurance because of their age, gender,
or medical condition. The new health reform law
strengthens Medicare by making prescription drug
coverage more affordable through $250 rebates,
eliminating cost-sharing for wellness and preventive
services, and helping health care providers coordinate
their care. It expands Medicaid to cover adults without
children to higher income level and it prevents private
insurance companies from denying coverage to people who
need medical care," said Joe Ditré, the Executive
Director of Consumers for Affordable Health
Care. |
Consumers for Affordable
Health Care
is a non-profit, non-partisan
organization that has been helping Maine people get
quality, affordable health care for more than 20
years. If you have any public or private insurance
questions please call our toll free consumer HelpLine at
1-800-965-7476.
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