For Immediate Release
APHA Applauds Congressional Override of Medicare Veto
Washington, D.C., July 16, 2008 –The American Public Health Association (APHA) applauds the House and Senate for overriding the president’s veto of a Medicare bill that would improve access to preventive services and strengthen low-income protections against rising Medicare costs. The bill would also cancel a scheduled 10.6 percent pay cut to doctors who treat patients in the Medicare program.
“This bill is a victory for our nation’s seniors and individuals with disabilities,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (E), executive director of APHA. “It provides those enrolled in the Medicare program with improved and affordable preventive and mental health benefits and also ensures they have access to the providers they need.”
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Founded in 1872, the APHA is the oldest, largest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. The association aims to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats and strives to assure community-based health promotion and disease prevention activities and preventive health services are universally accessible in the United States. APHA represents a broad array of health providers, educators, environmentalists, policy-makers and health officials at all levels working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions. More information is available at www.apha.org.
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