Actuaries Urge "Super Committee" to Put Medicare on the Table

WASHINGTON -- Sept. 12, 2011 -- The American Academy of Actuaries Medicare Steering Committee is urging the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to develop proposals to slow health care spending growth to improve the long-term solvency and sustainability of the Medicare program.

"Health care spending growth is threatening the sustainability of not only the Medicare program and the overall health system, but also the nation's fiscal health," said Cori Uccello, the senior health fellow for the American Academy of Actuaries. "Our message to the members of the committee is that achieving long-term sustainability for Medicare will require slowing the growth in overall health spending, not simply shifting costs from one payer to another."

Noting the importance of the program in ensuring access to care for older Americans, the actuaries wrote that when members of the committee evaluate potential Medicare reforms for the purpose of deficit reduction, they should be mindful of the effect that these reforms could have on the cost, access to, and quality of care.

The committee’s letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is available at: 
http://www.actuary.org/pdf/health/Letter%20on%20Joint%20Select%20Cmte%20on%20Deficit%20Reduction%20083111.pdf.

For more information or to arrange an interview with Cori Uccello, please contact Andrew Simonelli, assistant director of communications for the American Academy of Actuaries, at 202.785.7872. For more information on the Academy, please visit: www.actuary.org.

The American Academy of Actuaries is a 17,000-member professional association whose mission is to serve the public and the U.S. actuarial profession. The Academy assists public policymakers on all levels by providing leadership, objective expertise, and actuarial advice on risk and financial security issues. The Academy also sets qualification, practice, and professionalism standards for actuaries in the United States.

SOURCE: American Academy of Actuaries

Media contact:  Andrew Simonelli, assistant director of communications for the American Academy of Actuaries, 202-785-7872, simonelli@actuary.org