Community Corner

'Health Bill is an Attack on Medicare'

Rosenwald: NH seniors should be concerned because Medicare is under attack by the GOP.

By Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua

NH State Rep

Medicare, the source of reliable health insurance for seniors, is beloved by citizens who have contributed to the program their entire working lives.  A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll found that strong majorities oppose cutting the program, or privatizing it as a voucher program.

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Even though Medicare is so popular, New Hampshire’s seniors should be concerned because this program is under attack in New Hampshire from the House Republican majority in the legislature. House Republican leadership is pushing through a bill that would end Medicare as we know it in New Hampshire. Their effort to undercut the stability of Medicare for New Hampshire’s seniors also has the support of both Republican candidates for governor. 

HB 1560 proposes that New Hampshire enter into a “Health Care Compact” with other states, which would allow states to set their own regulations over health care programs that receive federal dollars, such as Medicare.  New Hampshire and other states would simply receive a sum of money to spend as they wish and would be exempt from the federal oversight that currently protects seniors.

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Under current federal law, all Americans are eligible for Medicare at age 65.  Seniors who use Medicare can keep their doctors and do not need a referral to see a specialist.  Medicare pays most of their health care costs, and benefits have recently been expanded to include essential prevention and screenings without any out-of-pocket cost.  Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the “donut hole” is being eliminated, a change that saved 13,000 New Hampshire seniors an average of over $600 on medicines last year.

Make no mistake; seniors’ access to Medicare’s health insurance benefits is protected by federal regulations.  If New Hampshire decides to go its own way on Medicare, we would lose out on federal funding increases.  Think about it: saving money in Medicare can only be accomplished in a few ways.  These include cutting eligibility and benefits, or reducing the rates paid to doctors. 

Instead of maintaining eligibility at age 65, the New Hampshire legislature could decide to raise Medicare eligibility to 67 or 70.  This change could lead employers to drop their employee health insurance or lay off their older workers.  It is unlikely that individuals in their 60s could find affordable health insurance on their own.

New Hampshire’s seniors could also see their benefits slashed if HB 1560 became law.  Not only could covered benefits that Medicare currently provides be reduced, but the “donut hole” could return, and other services could cost seniors more out-of-pocket.

Finally, Medicare pays doctors a lower rate than many private insurers.  Most doctors accept this payment, but if it were to fall further, more New Hampshire doctors would likely stop treating Medicare patients.  This would force seniors to leave the doctors they may have known for years.

A recent poll indicates that Republicans are not doing well in the eyes of older New Hampshire voters.  In reaction, the House Majority Leader recently wrote to other Republicans that maybe they “should consider taking up issues that are important to seniors.”  This cynical statement is undercut by their attacks on Medicare, one of the most critical programs seniors rely upon.

Medicare benefits aren’t free; people pay into the system their entire working lives for the comfort of having a stable source of health care upon reaching retirement age.  Our seniors have earned the stability that Medicare provides.  HB 1560 would make our seniors unwilling subjects in an experiment they have no control over.  It is wrong for New Hampshire.  New Hampshire’s seniors need to say loudly and clearly:  “Keep the legislature’s hands off my Medicare!”

(Representative Cindy Rosenwald, a Democrat from Nashua, is serving her fourth term in the NH House. She currently serves on the House Finance Committee and is the former Chair of the House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs Committee.)


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