AARP Thanks Pennsylvania Representatives for Supporting Bill to Protect People i...( Association urges Senators Casey ...),Health

Association urges Senators Casey and Specter to quickly pass companion bill and send measure to President

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP thanked the supporters and cosponsors of the Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008, which passed today in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill prevents massive increases in costs for people in Medicaid by stopping harmful cuts proposed by the administration.

"Today's vote is a victory for all Pennsylvanians who rely on Medicaid as the safety net of our health care system," said AARP Pennsylvania State Director Dick Chevrefils. "With 47 million Americans already uninsured, our country and our state cannot afford to make it any harder for our most vulnerable to pay for their health care."

AARP thanks the members of the Pennsylvania delegation who cosponsored the bill or provided critical support in gaining unanimous passage of this legislation first in the Energy & Commerce committee and today in the full House:

Rep Brady, Robert (PA-1)

Rep Fattah, Chaka (PA-2)

Rep English, Phil (PA-3)

Rep Altmire, Jason (PA-4)

Rep Gerlach, Jim (PA-6)

Rep Sestak, Joe (PA-7)

Rep Carney, Chris (PA-10)

Rep Kanjorski, Paul (PA-11)

Rep Schwartz, Allyson (PA-13)

Rep Doyle, Michael (PA-14)

Rep Dent, Charles (PA-15)

Rep Pitts, Joseph (PA-16)

Rep Murphy, Tim (PA-18)

Rep Platts, Todd (PA-19)

In Pennsylvania, the state Medicaid director said that the proposed rules would cost the state more than $427 million. While AARP supports smart policies to stop fraud, waste and abuse in Medicaid, the cuts proposed by the administration threaten the integrity of the program and shift unreasonable costs to the people in Medicaid and the states.

"We're proud that our U.S. Representatives recognized the harm the administration's proposals would have done to people in Pennsylvania's M
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