DENVER, Colorado — Far from the hue and cry that has erupted in town hall meetings nationwide, a group of retirees at a Denver retirement complex asked the same question as many other Americans: “How will health care reform affect me?” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Seniors are an influential group of voters who bring a unique perspective to the topic of health care — they are covered by Medicare, and they often are the heaviest users of medical care, the Times said. President Obama and lawmakers are proposing Medicare reimbursement cuts to pay for reforming the health care system. The opinions they form during the coming weeks while Congress members woo constituents at home during their summer break may be crucial to the debate.
“Will it affect how quickly I can get in to see my doctors?” asked Anna Janeway, 80, a retired marriage and family counselor, according to the L.A. Times. “You hear all these things about Medicare going broke if we do nothing. Where would that leave everybody?” asked Anthony Mehelich, 82, a former construction company administrator. “Do we really have to make so many changes all at once?” chimed in Joseph Duffy, 90, a former accountant. “Couldn’t we just take parts of the problem and solve those?”
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All good questions. And lawmakers have reported an outpouring of concern from other seniors. Convincing this group of the need for health care reform — when their system, Medicare, is working for them now — may be an uphill battle, the Times said. Last week, a CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll found that a majority of voter over 50 opposed the health care overhaul, while most voters under 50 supported it.
More stories worth a read:
- Obama takes stand on health care (Los Angeles Times)
- Senator goes face to face with dissent (New York Times)
- Ohio’ congressional delegation fans out across the state to discuss health care overhaul (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- Dr. Herbert Riemenschneider, urologist and surgery center owner, shares his thoughts on the health reform process (Becker’s Hospital Review)
- FDA device chief resigns following complaints (Associated Press/Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- Obama sees savings in hospital readmission payments (Wall Street Journal Health blog)
- Obama: ‘Severe shortage’ of primary care docs (Wall Street Journal Health blog)
- Stem cell advance may further disease research (U.S. News & World Report)
- Endocyte announces positive results from Phase II clinical study of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (BusinessWire)
- Incoming Cardinal’s CEO base pay set at $1.2 million (Business First of Columbus)
- OSMA survey provides a look at the recession’s impact on health care in Ohio (Ohio State Medical Association)
- Healthcare is still adding jobs, despite recession(BNET Healthcare)
- Health care reform: Local officials agree on key aspects(Willoughby News-Herald)
- Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease analyzes key provisions in health care legislation released to-date (Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease)
- Aspirin promising in colon cancer fight, study says (Associated Press/Columbus Dispatch)
- Cook gets European OK for drug-coated stent (Indianapolis Star)
- Group backs telemedicine for stroke care (Medicine and Technology blog)
- Anti-smoking fund off-limits for Medicaid, social services (Columbus Dispatch)
- Kaiser Permanente to slash 1,200 jobs (San Francisco Business Times)
- Accounting change sends Neoprobe to $15 million loss in second quarter (Business First of Columbus)
- Southwest General receives $470,000 for education programs (Crain’s Cleveland Business)
- Cumberland raises $85 million, ending IPO drought (FierceBiotech)
- Novartis scoops up Opexa’s stem cell program in $50 million deal (FierceBiotech)
