San Francisco Chronicle: Pelosi hails 40 years of Medicare, Medicaid

San Francisco Chronicle: Pelosi hails 40 years of Medicare, Medicaid

Saturday, July 30, 2005

The following letter from Leader Pelosi appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle this morning.

Editor -- Today marks the 40th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. Passed by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the programs have transformed what it means to grow old or to live with disabilities in America.

In 1965 only 51 percent of Americans older than 65 had health care coverage. Today, because of Medicare, coverage among those over 65 is virtually universal. No longer is the prospect of their illness met with the specter of poverty.

In contrast, only 84 percent of Americans under age 65 have health insurance, and since President Bush took office an additional 5 million have joined the ranks of the uninsured. Had Medicaid not grown in enrollment in recent years, millions more Americans would have fallen into the ranks of the uninsured, unable to afford health care.

Today, these superb initiatives provide comprehensive health insurance for nearly 100 million Americans. Since they were created, the life expectancy of Americans has increased by seven years and the infant mortality rate has dropped by a dramatic 73 percent. Despite these achievements over four decades, Republican ideology and fiscal irresponsibility are leaving both Medicare and Medicaid vulnerable.

Rather than reaching out and writing a bipartisan Medicare prescription drug plan, Bush and the Republican majority in Congress chose to write a partisan law favoring special interests. As a result, the new Medicare prescription drug program that will take effect next year is complicated and will confuse people with unending choices of private prescription drug plans.

Millions of seniors will actually lose their current employer-sponsored retiree coverage or face increased costs for medicines they currently take.

Since Bush took office, the United States has experienced by far the biggest fiscal turnaround in history -- going from 10-year surpluses of almost $6 trillion to deficits of more than $3 trillion.

The administration now believes we can no longer keep our promises to the elderly who rely on Medicare and Medicaid. These programs have made America a healthier, more secure, more compassionate nation. We must strengthen them, not weaken them.

As we celebrate this anniversary, Democrats will fight attempts to slash Medicare and Medicaid benefits. We must all work toward the day when all Americans have access to affordable, quality health care for themselves and their children.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi

House Democratic Leader

http://democraticleader.house.gov/press/articles.cfm?pressReleaseID=1123