[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 175 (Friday, September 8, 2000)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 54397-54398]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-23275]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 175 / Friday, September 8, 2000 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 54397]]

                Proclamation 7337 of September 5, 2000

                
Health in Aging Month, 2000

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                At the beginning of the 20th century, there were only 3 
                million older Americans; today, at the dawn of the 21st 
                century, there are 34 million older citizens in our 
                Nation, and we anticipate that, by the year 2050, one 
                in four Americans will be 65 or older. We can be 
                grateful that because of extraordinary advances in 
                medicine, technology, and science, as well as increased 
                public awareness of the importance of good nutrition 
                and physical fitness, these older citizens are now 
                living longer, more active, more productive lives than 
                any previous generation.

                The dramatic increase in the life span of our citizens, 
                however, presents us with new challenges. While 
                Americans are no longer dying from many of the diseases 
                that affected previous generations, they must now 
                contend with chronic conditions such as arthritis, 
                osteoporosis, heart and lung disease, dementia, and 
                stroke. These conditions are major causes of disability 
                and death in our Nation, and their financial impact, in 
                terms of medication, treatment, and long-term care 
                costs, can be crushing. Older Americans now pay an 
                average of more than $1,200 a year for prescription 
                drugs, up from $559 in 1992, and that amount is 
                projected to increase to more than $2,800 over the next 
                decade. Millions of these older citizens have no 
                prescription drug coverage at all, and millions more 
                have expensive, inadequate coverage or are at risk of 
                losing what coverage they have.

                My Administration has taken a number of important 
                actions to meet these new challenges. We have proposed 
                a new affordable Medicare prescription drug benefit 
                option available to all beneficiaries. This new benefit 
                should ensure that every beneficiary, whether covered 
                under Medicare, managed care, or a retiree health plan, 
                will be able to access prescription drug coverage, 
                including protection against catastrophic drug costs. 
                We have also proposed an initiative to assist millions 
                of older Americans and their families in meeting the 
                financial challenges of long-term care, including a 
                $3,000 tax credit for people with long-term care needs 
                or their caregivers and improved equity in Medicaid 
                eligibility for people living in home- and community-
                based settings rather than nursing facilities.

                We are continuing our research efforts into chronic 
                conditions that affect older Americans, such as 
                Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes, 
                and I am proud that my proposed budget for fiscal 2001 
                includes a historic $1 billion increase in funding for 
                the National Institutes of Health. And, most important, 
                we remain committed to meeting the health and financial 
                needs of older Americans by protecting and 
                strengthening Social Security and Medicare and 
                modernizing, improving, and reauthorizing the Older 
                Americans Act.

                But there is still much to do if we are to sustain the 
                health and quality of life of our increasingly aging 
                population. We must raise awareness of the unique needs 
                of older Americans and ensure that caregivers and 
                health professionals are specially trained to treat the 
                elderly. We must expand our research efforts into 
                chronic conditions that affect older Americans. And we 
                must improve health care financing, delivery, and 
                administrative structures so that health plans and 
                providers have the flexibility they need

[[Page 54398]]

                to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases, slow the 
                rate of disability progression, and ensure the 
                continuity and quality of care.

                The health of older Americans varies from individual to 
                individual and can depend on many factors, but we all 
                recognize the critical importance of quality medical 
                care, financial security, and a caring support system 
                to sustaining a high quality of life. As our Nation's 
                population ages, let us work together to ensure that 
                these essential components of good health are available 
                to every American.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim September 2000 as Health in 
                Aging Month, 2000. I urge government officials, health 
                care providers, business and community leaders, and the 
                American people to work together to promote healthy 
                aging and to ensure that older citizens enjoy 
                fulfilling, independent, and productive lives.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 00-23275
Filed 9-7-00; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P