[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 25, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H5909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        OLDER WOMEN AND MEDICARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I want to stress the importance of a health 
safety net that has worked for the American people. It is our duty to 
protect the seniors that have contributed to society over their 
lifetimes. Our older constituents have built or supported most of what 
America is today and we owe them respect. We owe them the safety net 
that is called Medicare.
  I want Congress to know that not only is Medicare important for the 
American people, it is a huge issue for America's women. Women, indeed, 
are the face of Medicare. Women constitute 58 percent of the Medicare 
population at 65, and women constitute 71 percent of the Medicare 
population over the age of 85. Women can expect to live on the average 
19 years into retirement, while men can only expect to live 15 years. 
We must take care of our mothers, our sisters, and our daughters. We 
can do no less.
  Across the breadth of the United States, the older and the poorer the 
woman, the higher the out-of-pocket health costs. The more she needs 
assistance, the less she will actually receive. Because of barriers to 
enrollment, close to half of older women with incomes below the poverty 
line are not enrolled in Medicaid. Research suggests that women on 
Medicare spend 20 percent more on prescription drugs than their male 
counterparts. Middle class women who have made wise financial planning 
decisions, can quickly find that high drug costs will eat away any 
retirement security they have worked to establish.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to give you some thoughts on cultural diversity 
in regards to women and Medicare. More minority women than Caucasian 
women are uninsured or rely on public rather than private health 
insurance. Minority women are more likely to have lower incomes and to 
live in poverty than other women. The percentage of women on Medicare 
with incomes of less than $10,000 a year is a very telling statistic. 
Twenty-four percent of white women, or 14.7 million; 56 percent of 
African women, and there are 1.8 million; and 58 percent of Latina 
women, and there are 1.2 million, live way below the poverty line. 
Clearly, not only should we strengthen the safety net but we should 
find out why so many women need that net.
  So, Mr. Speaker, a health safety net for the American person is 
imperative. Our older constituents have built or supported most of what 
America is today, and we owe them a great amount of gratitude. They 
should go to bed each evening feeling secure that they have health 
benefits when they are needed. They should know that their benefits are 
universal and affordable.
  What a shame, a shame, that our seniors have to leave the United 
States and go to Canada or Mexico, where the same prescription drugs, 
same ingredients, are much, much cheaper. We have seniors who are 
eating dog food rather than regular food because they have to pay the 
cost of these expensive drugs.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, these older Americans should be given a 
benefit that they can rely on, that they will know they can live a 
quality of life with respect rather than the one they would have to 
live if we whittle away at Medicare. Let us honor our seniors.

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