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ongressman Maurice Hinchey is fighting to ensure financial security, adequate health care and consumer protections for senior citizens. He knows that Medicare and Social Security are the foundations of a comfortable retirement for most Americans. That’s why he’s fought to keep our promise to seniors, by keeping Social Security and Medicare strong and providing a prescription drug benefit for all seniors. Hinchey also believes that we must keep our promises to the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces by fighting hard to make sure that New York’s veterans have access to quality health care. For seniors who are struggling to get by on fixed incomes, Hinchey is working to keep basic goods and services affordable.
Congressman Hinchey believes that Medicare must provide a comprehensive, affordable prescription drug benefit for all seniors and he wants to devote a portion of the federal budget surplus to do it. He’s working to make the drug industry end their discriminatory pricing practices that force seniors to pay double the price for their medications as the big insurance companies do and 80 percent more than the insurance companies charge for the same drugs in Canada.
Hinchey knows that millions of Americans depend on Social Security, especially the 40 percent of seniors who have no other retirement income. That’s why he’s pledged to devote a substantial portion of the federal budget surplus to shoring up the Social Security Trust Funds, so that the program will remain financially stable for current retirees and future generations. Hinchey also opposes risky privatization plans what would jeopardize seniors’ financial security.
When House Republicans tried to gut Medicare and make seniors pay dramatically higher rates, Hinchey fought to preserve the program. Instead, he supported successful legislation that strengthened Medicare’s finances while keeping premiums low and offering new preventive medical benefits. He has also worked to make Medicare HMOs play fair, by sponsoring legislation to prevent the managed care companies from abruptly pulling out of a region, leaving seniors without access to affordable coverage.
The men and women who served our country were promised quality medical care. Hinchey is working to make sure we keep that promise. He has been fighting plans to reduce funding and cut back services at New York’s VA medical facilities. He has also worked to make using the VA health care system more convenient for veterans, by bringing community outpatient centers to Binghamton and Kingston.
Hinchey is working for the interests of senior consumers, so that seniors in our region can afford the products and services they need. When home heating oil prices skyrocketed last winter, he led a successful effort to convince the president to provide millions in federal aid to help seniors afford their heating bills. He has also sponsored legislation to create a heating oil reserve in New York that would help prevent prices from rising dramatically in future oil crises. He has fought the mandatory direct deposit of Social Security checks that could force seniors to pay expensive service charges at their banks. Hinchey has also worked for lower cable television rates and more affordable home utility rates for seniors.