Dear Senator Coburn,
On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of
Neurological Surgeons (CNS), representing 4,000 practicing neurosurgeons in the United States, we are
pleased to support your bill, the Seniors’ Choice Act. As you know, the current Medicare program is
clearly on an unsustainable path. With an aging population and rising healthcare costs, it is therefore
imperative that Congress take immediate action and adopt meaningful reforms. This legislation is a
common-sense approach to modernizing and improving Medicare and will help ensure that our nation’s
senior citizens continue to benefit from this critical entitlement program well into the future.
We are particularly pleased to see that your legislation addresses the following issues:
- Improves Medicare Out-of-Pocket Limits and Cost Sharing. One way to ensure that the
Medicare program remains a viable benefit for the country’s senior and disability population is to
modernize and improve the patient cost-sharing component. Your legislation would accomplish this
in a number of ways including modifications to the current deductibles, co-payments and out-ofpocket limits. Importantly, it recognizes that it is reasonable for wealthier beneficiaries to contribute
more to the system, while at the same time protecting the most economically vulnerable from
significant out-of-pocket exposure. Finally, it aligns the Medicare and Social Security eligibility
ages.
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Read full letter here
