Health Insurance Expansion Should Not Cost Patients Coverage Or Benefits

Floor Speech

Health Insurance Expansion Should Not Cost Patients Coverage Or Benefits

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say that health insurance expansion should not end up costing patients their quality of care or their benefits. In January 2008 the Arkansas Department of Health reported that 51,707 Arkansans were currently enrolled in Medicare Advantage. The Department also noted that the number of enrollees was increasing every day.

Most of these men and women are located in rural areas of the State, places where access to health care is already strained and doctors are no longer seeing new Medicare patients. With the massive proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage, how am I to explain to these patients that the reform that they've been waiting for, the reform that many claim will broaden access and help them get the services they need will actually cost them the quality of care and coverage that they depend on?

I cannot find a good explanation, and I will not support legislation that sacrifices the health of seniors in Arkansas by cutting Medicare Advantage.

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