Wexler Votes to Protect Seniors from Medicare Part B Premium Increases
Bipartisan Legislation Passes House of Representatives

(Washington, DC) Today, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) voted with a majority of his colleagues in the House of Representatives to protect seniors from an increase in their 2010 Medicare Part B premiums.  This legislative action was in direct response to a Congressional Budget Office prediction that Social Security recipients may not receive a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) next year due to the recession.  The COLA is determined by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which indicates the inflation rate of consumer goods. 

While there is a law in place to protect seniors and the disabled from shrinking Social Security checks and thus 75 percent of Medicare beneficiaries would be protected from an increase, higher income Medicare beneficiaries – individuals with incomes above $85,000 and couples who earn more than $170,000 -- could see increases from the current $96.70 to $110-$120 per month.

“An increase to Medicare Part B premiums would have disastrous consequences for seniors in Florida and across the country,” said Congressman Wexler. “Seniors are already struggling to make ends meet, with losses in the market, low interest payments from their investments, and skyrocketing health care costs.”

Congressman Wexler’s commitment to protecting the financial security of seniors is evident in his legislative record. He has cosponsored the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act of 2009 (H.R. 2429), which directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that reflects typical cost of living expenditures for individuals aged 62 years of age or older.  In addition, the bill requires the use of this new CPI to compute of cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Medicare benefits. Congressman Wexler has also introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Affordability Act, which would limit the Medicare Part D premium increases by matching them to Social Security COLA increases.  This legislation also requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with drug companies and provide seniors with more affordable prescription drugs.

Congressman Robert Wexler is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. Recently, Congressman Wexler served as an advisor on Middle East issues to President Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.

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