EDMONDS – When U.S. Sen. Patty Murray walks into a room, people prepare to listen, especially when that room is full of senior citizens and the subjects are Medicare and Social Security.
With pineapple and palm tree decorations hung overhead – the remnants of a luau held by the seniors the evening before – Murray walked on to the platform at the South Center Senior Center Aug. 15.
“This is an impressive crowd,” Murray said, looking at the crowd. “That’s what happens when you tell people you are going to talk about Medicare and Social Security.”
Many elderly citizens who gathered to hear Murray speak knew first-hand of the importance of the issues she addressed.
Virginia Hillin-Larson, 75, of Edmonds, came to hear about Medicare. She said she will soon start physical therapy for back problems and has noticed how much more complicated Medicare is getting during her doctor visits.
“Now it just adds more paperwork,” Hillin-Larson said. “It takes added time.”
Murray updated the seniors on Medicare issues such as the prescription drug benefit and explained why she is committed to making improvements to the current system.
“Medicare has always been an evolving program,” Murray said. “It is certainly time to modernize it to begin to cover prescription drugs.”
Murray said she did not want another year to go by without making progress on prescription drugs and told the crowd that the Republicans are moving closer to a good prescription drug bill. Money is set aside for a drug benefit in this year’s budget, but is not guaranteed to stay there, Murray said.
The senator said she voted for a compromise bill on prescription drugs. However, a bill from the House of Representatives deeply concerned her. Both bills are being discussed in a conference committee and a single bill will emerge.
“I don’t know what that bill is going to look like now, but if it doesn’t meet my standards, I will not vote for it,” Murray said.
On Social Security, Murray said she was concerned for two reasons.
First, Murray said the Bush administration wants to privatize Social Security. She said that the best way to save Social Security is not to dismantle it or privatize it, but to get back to budgets that meet the obligation to Social Security.
“Regardless of what the President, or others, do, I will not privatize Social Security,” Murray said. “I will fight to do the right thing.”
Murray’s second concern was for the well-being of elderly women, and the fact that many of the proposals coming forward would doubly affect them.
Social Security guarantees women that they will receive benefits under their own, or their spouse’s, contribution record, Murray said. They will not, under the current system, outlive their benefits. Murray said that it is especially important to make sure the new proposals support elderly women to the same extent.
“We have worked very hard over the years to make sure Social Security works for women,” Murray said. “We now cannot let changes to Social Security roll-back those protections.”
Robert Larsen, 76, and his wife, Joan, 72, said they have been adversely affected by federal program changes. Both suffer from health problems – he has high blood pressure and she has emphysema – and recently sold their house and moved into a mobile home to pay their bills.
“It’s killing us,” Joan Larsen said of the Medicare changes.
Murray told the crowd she was doing all she could, and repeatedly stated: “I will fight with everything I have to ensure that these programs keep their promise to seniors.”
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