Another pitch to save SeniorCare.
United States Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison) says a very logical and sensible argument can be made for keeping the popular prescription drug program for seniors, but she says because of the bias toward Medicare Part D, convincing the federal government to continue funding SeniorCare will be an uphill battle. “Until the federal plan for Part-D is as good as SeniorCare is here in Wisconsin, Wisconsin deserves to be able to continue this program.”
Currently our SeniorCare program continues to exist only because of a federal waiver, which expires in June. Another waiver extension request was submitted in June of last year to extend SeniorCare until June of 2010, but Wisconsin has not yet received a response from US Health Secretary Michael Leavett, who Baldwin says is noncommittal. More than 16-thousand seniors signed a petition to continue the program. “You know if government doesn't have as one of its fundamental motivators the satisfaction and the quality care of its citizenry, we're in trouble. So this really speaks volumes to how important SeniorCare is in people's lives.”
Baldwin will personally give those signatures to Leavitt. More than 105,000 Wisconsin seniors are enrolled in SeniorCare, most of whom agree that SeniorCare is less costly for themselves and for taxpayers, and it's not complicated like Part D.
(Photo: Tom Frazier, Executive Director of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin talk to reporters at the state capitol about extending SeniorCare.)
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report (1:29 MP3)
