In this week\u2019s address, President Obama spoke to the American people about the critical need to strengthen and preserve Medicare for our seniors and future generations, because those who have worked hard throughout their lives should not lose their homes or life savings just because they get sick. Through the President\u2019s Affordable Care Act, nearly 5.4 million seniors have already saved an average of more than $700 on prescription drugs, preventive care services like mammograms are free without co-pay, and the President\u2019s plan extends the life of Medicare by almost a decade by cracking down on waste, fraud, and overpayments. Republicans in Congress have put forward a very different plan that turns Medicare into a voucher program\u2014under one plan forcing seniors to pay an extra $6,400 out of their own pocket for care-and effectively ends Medicare as we know it. The President believes that our seniors deserve better and will work with anyone to keep improving the current system to give our seniors the security and peace of mind they have earned.<\/p>\n
The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at\u00a0www.whitehouse.gov<\/a>\u00a0at 6:00 a.m. ET, Saturday, August 25, 2012.<\/p>\n Remarks of President Barack Obama Hi, everybody. Over the last few weeks, there\u2019s been a lot of talk about Medicare, with a lot of accusations and misinformation flying around. So today I want to step back for a minute and share with you some actual facts and news about the program.<\/p>\n This week, we found out that, thanks to the health care law we passed, nearly 5.4 million seniors with Medicare have saved over $4.1 billion on prescription drugs. That\u2019s an average of more than $700 per person. And this year alone, 18 million seniors with Medicare have taken advantage of preventive care benefits like mammograms or other cancer screenings that now come at no extra cost.<\/p>\n That\u2019s progress. It means that seniors everywhere are getting the care they need for less. And if you have questions about what benefits you\u2019re entitled to, you can go to\u00a0www.medicare.gov<\/a>\u00a0to find out.<\/p>\n
Weekly Address
The White House
August 25, 2012<\/p>\n