Published Monday | April 28, 2008
Medicaid saves lives

BY CONNIE BENJAMIN
Nebraska AARP Director
SOURCE: Omaha World Herald

AARP thanks the supporters and co-sponsors of the Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008, which passed April 23 in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would prevent massive increases in costs for people on Medicaid by stop­ping harmful cuts proposed by the Bush administration.

The vote was a victory for all Nebraskans who rely on Medicaid as the safety net of our health care system. With 47 million Americans already uninsured, our country and our state cannot afford to make it any harder for our most vulnerable to pay for their health care.

AARP thanks U.S. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., a co-sponsor, and Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., for their votes in support of the legislation.

While AARP supports smart policies to stop fraud, waste and abuse in Medicaid, the cuts proposed by the Bush administration threaten the integrity of the program and shift un­reasonable costs to people using Medicaid and to the states.

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