July 15, 2008

In this Issue …

1. Medicare Bill May Pass this Week
2. Report Examines Low-Income Boomers’ Retirement

1. Medicare Bill May Pass this Week

Grassroots support by NCOA and its advocates paid off last week when the Senate passed the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, H.R. 6331, by a vote of 69-30—two more votes than needed to override a threatened presidential veto.

NCOA advocates generated 1,068 calls to Congress and sent numerous e-mails in support of the bill. Eighteen Republicans joined all Democrats in the Senate to approve the legislation, which already passed the House 355-59. Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (D-MA) dramatic return from brain surgery helped to secure the victory.

In addition to preventing a 10.6 percent cut to Medicare physician reimbursements, the bill includes several important improvements for low-income beneficiaries that NCOA has played a lead role in advocating, as well as provisions to improve access to Medicare preventive care and mental health services.

The legislation extends the Qualified Individual (QI) program, which pays Medicare Part B premiums for low-income seniors and expired as of July 1, and provides long-overdue improvements such as raising asset eligibility levels for the Medicare Savings Programs, increasing community resources to find and enroll low-income beneficiaries, and translating Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy application forms into other languages.

The bill now goes to President Bush, who is expected to veto it today. The House will likely override the veto shortly thereafter and then the Senate will attempt to duplicate its 69-30 vote margin. In this last vote in the Senate, nine new senators voted in favor of the bill who had previously voted against it. Their continued support is critical to override the veto. These senators are: Alexander (TN), Chambliss (GA), Corker (TN), Cornyn (TX), Hutchison (TX), Isakson (GA), Martinez (FL), Specter (PA), and Warner (VA).

If you are from one of these states, please call your senator’s office and urge continued support for H.R. 6331. You can use NCOA’s toll-free number 1-866-622-2184 to let senators know that: "A vote against H.R. 6331 is a vote against seniors."

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2. Report Examines Low-Income Boomers’ Retirement

There’s been lots of press about upper-income boomers and their retirement prospects, but what about boomers at the other end of the income spectrum? A new report from the Urban Institute for AARP examines how low-income boomers—defined as being at or below the 20th percentile of income at age 67—will fare in retirement.

Boomers at the Bottom: How Will Low-Income Boomers Cope with Retirement? analyzes income, poverty levels, and wealth and compares these dimensions with earlier birth cohorts. It also discusses possible policies that might increase the retirement living standards of low-income boomers.

Benefits Alert is published by the National Council on Aging for members of the Access to Benefits Coalition. Jean Van Ryzin, Editor, jean.vanryzin@ncoa.org. Copyright © 2008. All content is copyrighted and must not be reproduced or distributed to others without written permission.

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