Doctors office, seniors worry about having funds for care[/caption]Heather Fromm----"Proposed cuts to the Medicare program threaten access to vital healthcare services that so manyOregon seniors rely on for care," stated Sarah Myers, CAE, Executive Director of the Oregon Association for Home Care. "Congress and the Administration must take steps to ensure access to quality, affordable healthcare is protected for current and future beneficiaries."
Myers expresses the opinion of many seniors who believe it is important to protect Medicare and who believe it is important not to make drastic cuts.
The Oregon Association for Home Care and Bring the Vote Home today released new polling data recently that demonstrates how Oregon seniors, like others in the United states. Oregon seniors support funding for Medicare healthcare services for the 653, 905 seniors in Oregon. They also overwhelmingly oppose proposed cuts to Medicare for treatment services many seniors depend upon.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed cuts to Medicare funding for cancer treatment, home healthcare, cardiology and vascular care, and dialysis treatment. Unless the President and Congress intervene, these cuts will go into effect on January 1, 2014, putting patient access to care at risk.
Key findings of the poll include:
- 97% of seniors surveyed believe Medicare coverage of services provided in hospitals, physicians' offices and community-based settings are important.
- 92% of seniors do not approve of the government making large and sudden cuts to Medicare services.
- 92% of seniors support the government and President taking steps to prevent future Medicare cuts.
- 94% of seniors surveyed are more likely to support lawmakers who work to preserve the Medicare program by stopping fraud and abuse.
Medicare beneficiaries in all states are vulnerable to the negative impact of drastic funding cuts. But even more so will be those seniors and disabled individuals in rural and medically under-served areas who will be more severely impacted by additional cuts, forcing the elderly to seek care in higher cost settings. will be severely impacted by additional cuts. Many providers of vital services, such as home healthcare agencies, could be rendered inoperable if more cuts are implemented, forcing beneficiaries to seek care miles away from their communities in higher cost settings.
Social Security constituted 90% or more of the income received by 35% of beneficiaries in 2009
(22% of married couples and 43% of non-married beneficiaries).
• Almost 3.5 million elderly persons (9.0%) were below the poverty level in 2010. 14% of the seniors in Oregon live below that poverty line.
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Helen Fromm is a hospice nurse and free-lance writer who is concerned about the plight of seniors and who retired from the medical profession at the age of 65 and now worries about her own future health care.