[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 36 (Monday, September 11, 2000)]
[Pages 2003-2004]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Proclamation 7337--Health in Aging Month, 2000

September 5, 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,

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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 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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., September 7, 
2000]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
September 8.