[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 86 (Friday, June 30, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      INTRODUCTION OF THE LOW-INCOME WIDOWS ASSISTANCE ACT OF 2000

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                             HON. RON LEWIS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2000

  Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague 
Representative Ernie Fletcher in introducing the Low-Income Widows 
Assistance Act of 2000.
  You may be as amazed as I was to discover that if a senior has a 
dramatic drop in income, whether do to the loss of a spouse or other 
reason, no one in government alerts the senior that they may be 
eligible for assistance with their Medicare premiums and co-pays.
  This means the 82-year-old senior who just lost a spouse and is now 
responsible, many times for the first time, for taking on the tasks of 
paying the bills on a drastically lower income may not know they can 
get much needed help with medical expenses.
  It just makes sense to me that Federal Government should seek to aid 
such seniors when they need the help the most. Especially when the 
Social Security Administration presently has the ability to identify 
those who may qualify for assistance.
  Since 1988, Congress has provided financial assistance to qualified 
low-income seniors in covering costs under the Medicare program. 
Despite the growing number of elderly taking advantage of the 
assistance, reports have shown some are being left out because they are 
not aware of the programs.
  The Social Security Administration reports that 40 percent of non-
married women (a category that includes women) rely on Social Security 
benefits for 90 percent of their income in comparison to only 18 
percent of married couples. Amazingly, one-fourth of non-married women 
relies on Social Security retirement benefits as their sole source of 
income.
  This legislation seeks to make these seniors aware of the additional 
benefits they may be entitled to because of their income by directing 
the Social Security Administration to mail a notification to Social 
Security recipients it identifies as possibly being eligible. This 
notification will instruct the beneficiary on whom they can contact to 
determine whether they qualify for assistance.
  It further directs the Social Security Administration to provide the 
states with a list annually of names it has identified to aid the 
states in enrolling these deserving seniors.
  I hope my colleagues will join with me in making the government more 
consumer friendly to our seniors who need our help by cosponsoring this 
legislation. It will be a great comfort to our seniors, many of who are 
widows, to know they can receive assistance with important and often 
expensive medical costs.

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