[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 11, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4931-S4932]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         OLDER AMERICANS MONTH

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, when President Kennedy established Older 
Americans Month in 1963, he began an important tradition of designating 
a time for our country to honor older citizens for their many 
accomplishments and contributions to our Nation. Now, as we recognize 
May as ``Older Americans Month,'' I welcome the opportunity to reflect 
on the contributions senior citizens have made in shaping our Nation 
and to reassert our commitment to enhancing the living standard of our 
senior community.
  This year's theme is ``Celebrate Long Term Living.'' Many seniors in 
Maryland exemplify that idea, continuing to lead vital, active lives 
throughout their ``golden years.'' Bob Ray Perry Hall, from Hamilton, 
MD, who ran every day from April 4, 1967 until his 68th birthday on 
April 7, 2005, is one such example. Mr. Hall holds the longest 
consecutive running streak in the United States and the second longest 
record in the entire world, a remarkable accomplishment at any age. Ms. 
Evelyn Wright of Annapolis is another

[[Page S4932]]

senior to celebrate. In 2003, Ms. Wright was named National Master 
Field Athlete of the Year for 2003 and since the age of 55, she has 
amassed hundreds of medals and trophies as a competitor in Senior 
Olympic events. She started her track and field career with the 
softball throw, but now competes in a multitude of events including 
pole vault, high jump, long jump, and hammer throw. She continues to 
travel around the country competing and setting track and field records 
for her age group. Many seniors in Maryland are enjoying old age by 
starting new ventures. At age 68 and 66 respectively, Emily Levitas and 
Linda Segal decided to join forces and become co-owners of ``Gotta Have 
Bags,'' a successful handbag store located in Hampden.
  The list of enterprising, energetic, and active Maryland seniors and 
others throughout the Nation goes on and on and extends to all facets 
of life. We are very grateful for the enormous contributions they make 
day in and day out. But as a Nation, we do not always live up to our 
end of the bargain. There is much to be done to help seniors sustain 
quality long-term living. I have worked diligently in the Senate to 
ensure that older Americans are able to live with dignity and 
independence during their later years, and we will continue to fight 
the recent slew of misguided attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and 
other programs so crucial to senior citizens.
  I have significant concerns about the impact of Medicaid cuts on 
seniors. People often forget that Medicaid is the largest funding 
source for long-term care services, institutional and home-based, for 
the elderly. Without such aid, many older Americans could not manage to 
pay for adequate care. Yet the Administration proposes to slash this 
program while extending tax cuts for the wealthiest among us. It is 
difficult to ``celebrate long-term living'' if you cannot afford to 
secure reasonable quality healthcare and long-term living facilities.
  Another critical need that must be addressed is affordable 
prescription drugs. I voted against the Medicare Prescription Drug and 
Modernization Act of 2003 because I believed it would jeopardize 
promises that we as a Nation have made to seniors. I was principally 
concerned that the new law would fail to provide a comprehensive, 
consistent, and affordable prescription drug benefit to Medicare 
beneficiaries. Many of the concerns that I had during consideration of 
that measure are now coming to fruition. Indeed, as we prepare for the 
implementation of the drug benefit in 2006, we are just now learning 
that seniors will encounter the uncertainty of incomplete coverage for 
drug costs, along with rapidly rising pharmaceutical costs. To address 
these concerns, I favor proposals that provide Medicare beneficiaries 
with full prescription drug coverage. In addition, a number of my 
colleagues and I supported legislation during the Senate's 
consideration of the Medicare overhaul that would have controlled drug 
prices by allowing our Government to negotiate directly with drug 
companies. Unfortunately, these proposals were defeated when they came 
to the Senate for a full vote, but I continue to work with my 
colleagues on these and other proposals to bring drug prices under 
control.
  On top of all of this, the Medicare trustees have predicted 
exhaustion of the Medicare Hospital Inpatient Trust Fund in 2020. With 
the rising costs of drugs and health care in general, and the implicit 
lack of means to reduce drug costs in the new law, we will be faced 
with hard decisions sooner than originally anticipated. The answer to 
the funding gap must not be to decrease benefits. A comprehensive 
Medicare plan and affordable pharmaceuticals are two important pieces 
that could help seniors live with dignity and independently, but these 
crucial needs remain very much in jeopardy.
  Finally, our seniors deserve the guarantees promised to them after 
years of contributing to the Social Security program. In 1935, 
President Roosevelt sought to create a program that would ``give some 
measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against 
the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.'' There are those 
who suggest that the only way Social Security can meet the expanding 
demand of future retirees is by creating private accounts and 
simultaneously decreasing benefits. We must work to preserve, not 
diminish, Roosevelt's legacy. Thus far, Social Security has been 
effective in improving the standard of living and reducing poverty 
among the elderly and disabled by providing an inflation-indexed, 
defined benefit, no matter how long an individual lives and regardless 
of the vagaries of the stock market. Throughout their lives, seniors 
have paid into a system with the understanding that their benefits will 
be there for them when they retire. We must uphold our end of the 
bargain and ensure that these benefits are available. The words of 
President Roosevelt should continue to guide our conscience.
  This Older Americans Month I ask my colleagues to respect and renew 
our commitment to our seniors and all of our citizens. As seniors face 
old age, they should not face uncertainty about their living 
situations, about their access to health care, and about their 
financial circumstances. Our older Americans add great value to our 
Nation. We must take this month as an opportunity to redouble our 
efforts on behalf of this and future generations so that our older 
Americans can continue to ``Celebrate Long-Term Living'' now and well 
into the future.

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