President Clinton and the first lady court senior citizens today to shore up support for their health-reform proposal from a potent voting bloc.
In a speech in Edison, N.J., the president and Hillary Rodham
Clinton will tout the plan's benefits for the elderly.
It's the first shot in a two-week blitz of seniors by the Clintons and Cabinet members. Other constituencies will be targeted later.
White House spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers said Clinton will stress the importance of "preserving Medicare commitments" and will emphasize he wants a health-care plan "that will prevent doctors from charging senior citizens more for procedures and care than Medicare can reimburse."
For the elderly voting bloc - large, well-organized and quickly mobilized - Clinton's plan adds new government benefits: prescription-drug coverage, and long-term care at home or in adult day care.
Tuesday, the first lady continued her battle with insurance companies. In a speech to the American Legion, she said ads charging the Clinton plan would limit choices in medical care are "just flat untrue."
She said: "The only choice we are trying to take away is those insurance companies that are funding that ad - so that they can no longer choose to disqualify you from health care because they want to do so, or charge you more than they would have otherwise."
For any health-reform proposal, long-term care benefits are an important selling point.
"There is a dramatic reduction in support for any health plan if it doesn't include long-term care for people of all ages," said Judith Brown of the American Association of Retired Persons.
A rival plan sponsored by Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., currently does not contain long-term care, but Cooper said he may add that to his bill.
But the high cost of providing new benefits could derail some of those benefits in the Clinton proposal.
Up for grabs: Clinton's proposal to pick up most of employers' costs of insurance for early retirees between the ages of 55 and 64.
Clinton had proposed paying 80% of that cost, but the price tag could prove prohibitive.
Clinton expects to pay for new benefits by slowing the growth of Medicare by $ 124 billion over five years, chiefly by slowing the rise in payments to doctors and hospitals. He promises that seniors won't see a cut in benefits.
"Offering a prescription-drug benefit and long-term benefit is a vote-buying scheme," said Robert Moffit of the conservative Heritage Foundation. "Clinton is going to have to convince seniors he will slow down Medicare spending by $ 124 billion and not compromise the quality and quantity of their care.
"That's going to be a very hard sell."
But Esther Peterson of United Seniors Health Cooperative, a consumer group, says the Clinton program "is a consumer bargain" for seniors.
Estimates show that 43% of all Americans who turned 65 in 1990 would spend some time in a nursing home. The cost of nursing-home care now exceeds $ 30,000 a year.
But many elderly could be cared for at home if they could pay for help, or at adult day-care centers in a community.
"By more than a 2-1 margin, people do want care at home," said John Rother of the AARP, which intends to turn out 2,500 seniors for Clinton's speech. "What they want is the ability to stay out of a nursing home."
Caring for aging population
Increases in longevity will double the elderly population by 2030: People 65
and over (in millions)
1995 33.6
2030 69.8
Cost of home care rises Average annual out-of-pocket expenditures for home
health care
Ages Cost
65-74 $ 937
75-84 $ 1,598
85 plus $ 1,850
More will need help Some elderly expect to rely on relatives who: Live with them
