Grassley Plans to Hear from Iowans on Coalition Medicare Proposal

Grassley Plans to Hear from Iowans on Coalition Medicare Proposal

? Sen. Chuck Grassley, a leader of the Committee on Finance, today announced a series of town meetings in Iowa to hear from Iowans about his coalition blueprint for bringing Medicare into the 21st Century.

"If all goes well, the Senate will take up Medicare legislation this fall," Grassley said. "We have a chance to improve Medicare, to cast it in a new mold, and to make it reflect a generation of medical advancements. That's a big job, and it's one that should take into account the opinions of those who will live with the effects of congressional action for years to come."

Grassley was one of five senators who announced a tri-partisan coalition proposal on Medicare last week. All five senators are members of the Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over Medicare legislation. The coalition consists of Sen. John Breaux, a Democrat; Sen. Jim Jeffords, an Independent; and Sens. Orrin Hatch, Olympia Snowe and Grassley himself, all Republicans. The coalition emerged after weeks of discussions about how to pass legislation that will improve Medicare via the Finance Committee this year.

Grassley said the tri-partisan coalition recognizes that Medicare has served older Americans well since 1965, but it is sorely lacking the necessary improvements to bring the program into the 21st Century. While Medicare once relied primarily on hospital care, today a combination of prescription drug medications, outpatient services, and more advanced hospital technologies have created a whole new set of options for treatment. Medicare should reflect these new options for all older Americans, Grassley said.

Information about Grassley's town meetings follows. He will be available for 15 minutes after each of these scheduled events to respond to questions from local reporters. All times are Central Daylight Time.