For Immediate Release
Tuesday, June 29, 1999
AFSCME Supports President's Plan to Invest in America's Future, Including a Proposal to Strengthen Medicare
WASHINGTON —American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees President Gerald W. McEntee today issued the following statement in response to President Bill Clinton's plan to protect and improve Medicare. AFSCME is the nation's leading union of public employees and health care workers, with more than 1.3 million working members and nearly 200,000 retiree members.
"AFSCME extends our congratulations to President Clinton for his efforts to strengthen and improve the Medicare program -- not only for today's beneficiaries, but for those of tomorrow as well.
"By allocating a portion of the projected Federal budget surplus to Medicare and by advocating innovative ways to hold down Medicare costs, the President has made a good start toward putting this vital health care program on firm financial ground for the long term.
"We are particularly enthusiastic about the President's plan to provide prescription drug coverage under Medicare. Millions of seniors, including many AFSCME retiree members, have no coverage of any kind and pay for all drug costs out-of-pocket. Because they tend to use more drugs than people of working age, they can end up with huge and unaffordable drug bills.
"Of course, many AFSCME retirees do have prescription coverage through their employers. These plans have become more and more expensive over time -- a trend that will undoubtedly continue in the future. As employers' costs have gone up, we've seen the retirees' share of prescription prices creep up to three and four times the size of a plans' original copays.
"By helping to keep good, comprehensive drug plans affordable for employers, we believe that Medicare coverage of prescription drugs will be a very important benefit for our current and future retiree members."
