Today, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) supported the health care reform plan which includes the public option.
“Millions of Americans will be able to reestablish control over their lives,” AARP CEO Barry Rand said, in a broadcasted news conference.
The AARP organization has 40 million members, and their support is something that President Obama welcomed.
“They (AARP) would not be supporting it if they really believed it would lead to government bureaucracy making decisions that are best left to doctors,” Obama said.
Rand said that the House plan, “protects the right of people to see the doctor of their choice” and it “aggressively cracks down on waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare system.”
“The bill focuses on quality of care and not the quantity of tests being ordered,” Rand added.
The American Medical Association (AMA) also supports the health care reform plan.
The legislation “isn’t perfect” but is “consistent with our goals to warrant our support to keep the process moving,” AMA President James Rohack said.
In his speech today, Rand from the AATP was very critical of the insurance industry, its rising rates, and denial of insurance for those with pre-existing conditions.
“We cannot continue to let insurers price older Americans out of the market, just as we cannot stand idle while millions of Americans are forced to choose between their groceries and their prescriptions,” Rand said.
