Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently addressed the Nevada Alliance for Retired Americans on health reform and fulfilling promises to seniors.
(Pictured right: NARA President Scott Watts with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from Nevada in the Majority Leader’s Conference Room in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC. )
In his address to the Nevada Alliance he said, "We owe it to Nevada’s seniors, who have been calling for legislation that ensures quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans, cuts costs, protects patients’ choice of their doctors ... Seniors have known for quite some time that decisive and immediate action is needed to turn the page on a status quo that is no longer affordable for older Americans."
Reid also said:
Unfortunately, the special interests are working overtime to derail our hard work to improve the delivery and affordability of quality medical care for Nevada’s families and seniors. In an attempt to maintain the unacceptable status quo, the insurance industry and their allies are directing millions of dollars to try to mislead the public, and seniors in particular, about the contents of the healthcare legislation. Some have even made the outrageous suggestion that reform would cut Medicare services for beneficiaries!
Let me be clear: this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The reform legislation increases Medicare services while improving overall quality and reducing costs for care and prescription drugs. (...)
Additional cost savings can also be achieved through a number of commonsense steps that will also improve Medicare services. This includes cutting through the red tape and bureaucracy that can stand between patients and their doctors. And having Medicare place additional emphasis on preventative care to encourage potential health problems be treated early before they become more serious, time-consuming and expensive to treat later on. (...)
The time has come to deliver on our promises to Nevada’s seniors, ensuring they have the stability and security in their medical care that they deserve.
