To the editor:

Last month, a minority of U.S. senators, including Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, blocked a bill that would have kept Medicare fair for the 44 million Americans who receive it. The bill (H.R. 6331), called the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, does several things to help keep Medicare premiums fair. It improves protections for lower income beneficiaries, helps maintain access to physicians, improves Medicare’s coverage of preventive services, and makes Medicare more efficient through electronic prescribing. With the exception of Brownback, the entire Kansas congressional delegation voted in favor of this legislation.

If allowed to stand, the defeat of H.R. 6331 will take an unfair toll on the 400,000 Kansans who depend upon Medicare. Fortunately, the Senate – and Brownback – has another chance to make things right.

AARP wants Congress to keep Medicare fair. This bill offers our best hope for protecting and improving the system. We urge the Senate to pass H.R. 6331. We need the help of both our senators to get it passed.

Ernest Kutzley,
Lawrence