RNC Women

Central to Harry Reid’s health care takeover are nearly $500 billion in cuts to Medicare over the next ten years.  Even some Democrats in Congress have conceded that cuts this steep would force some doctors to refuse to see Medicare patients. 

Already, we are seeing clinics across the country close their doors to patients who rely on Medicare.  Even worse, these cuts would especially target reimbursements to specialty providers.  Dr. John C. Lewin, chief executive of the American College of Cardiology, said “Cuts of this magnitude could cripple cardiology practices and threaten access to services for millions of patients.” 

As a senior citizen myself, I know how important Medicare coverage is to millions of Americans in my generation.  That’s why it’s so disappointing to see the organization that is supposed to represent the interests of senior citizens, the AARP, come out in favor of cutting billions from Medicare and limiting seniors’ access to the care they need. 

In a letter sent to Senators on Tuesday, the AARP specifically endorsed the Medicare cuts and urged the Senate to move Harry Reid’s health takeover forward.  Instead of helping seniors maintain access to care, the AARP has instead moved to slam the doors of health care clinics in their faces. 

There is no doubt that the efforts to cut Medicare by Harry Reid, President Obama and the AARP will cause senior citizens to suffer.  I hope that America’s seniors will take note of this betrayal by the AARP and take another look at the GOP plan to fix health care – eliminate fraud, enact tort reform and make insurance portable, poolable and more affordable.