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person, in 2011. Through the first two months of 2012, approximately 103,000 seniors and
people with disabilities have already received $93 million in savings in the donut hole.
Offering New Preventive Benefits with No Co-Pay or Deductible. Women on Medicare tend
to have greater health needs than men: a higher percentage of women have more than three
chronic conditions, and women on Medicare are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis,
arthritis, and hypertension. The Affordable Care Act makes many key preventive services
available with no co-pay or deductible to help ensure that seniors don͛t have to skip a
potentially life-saving screening for these types of conditions because they can͛t afford it. More
than 32.5 million seniors, including 19 million women, have already received one or more free
preventive services, including the new Annual Wellness Visit, a one-time health review, as well
as education and counseling about preventive services and other care.
Saving Money for Seniors. The average person on Medicare will save approximately $4,200
from 2011 to 2021, while those with high prescription drug costs will save much more – close to
$16,000 over the same period. This is especially good news for women on Medicare, who tend
to have lower incomes and higher rates of poverty than men in the program.
Fighting Fraud and Saving Taxpayer Dollars. The Affordable Care Act helps stop Medicare
fraud with tougher screening procedures and stronger penalties. Anti-fraud efforts recovered
$4.1 billion in taxpayer dollars in 2011, and a total of $10.7 billion over the past three years.
Prosecutions are up as well: the number of individuals charged with fraud increased from 797 in
fiscal year 2008 to 1,430 in fiscal year 2011 – a 79% increase.
Standing Strong Against Those Who Would Undermine Medicare. The President
recognizes the need to reform Medicare in order to preserve it as a guarantee of coverage into
the future. Building on the reforms in the Affordable Care Act that extend the life of the
Medicare trust fund, President Obama has continued to promote efficiency and root out
wasteful spending. At the same time, the President stands firmly against plans from Republicans
in Congress to end Medicare as we know it. Under the House Republican plan, instead of being
enrolled in Medicare when they turn 65, seniors who retire a decade from now would get a
voucher that equals the cost of the second least expensive health care plan in their area. If
traditional Medicare is more expensive than the private plan, they would have to pay more out-
of-pocket if they want to enroll in traditional Medicare. Further, the overwhelming financial
incentive of this system would be for insurance companies to siphon off the youngest and
healthiest enrollees, leaving those who are sicker and older in the traditional Medicare program
facing higher costs. Over time, more and more enrollees would leave the program, raising costs
for those that remain. The net result is higher health care spending and a greater burden on our
seniors.
2.
Social Security
Women rely on Social Security to a greater extent, and for a longer time, than men. Women over the age
of 65 tend to live two years longer than men over 65, and they make up 57% of all Social Security
beneficiaries 62 and older and roughly 68% of beneficiaries 85 and older. For unmarried women –
including widows – 65 and older, Social Security comprises 49% of their income, compared with 37% for
unmarried men. As a result of lower earnings during their time in the workforce, elderly women are also
less likely than elderly men to have significant income from pension.
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