Hilda L. Solis: “this bill is a sham. It does not provide adequate prescription drug benefit. Este projecto de ley no ayudara a los…”

“this bill is a sham. It does not provide adequate prescription drug benefit. Este projecto de ley no ayudara a los ancionos. No ayudara ni a nuestras madres ni a nuestras abuelitas. It will not help our mothers, nor our grandmothers. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention to the American women who will be disproportionately impacted by Medicare reform. The reality we must confront is that women simply live longer than men--about 19 years into retirement, while men can expect to live 15 years. So although this means we have longer to cherish our mothers and grandmothers, it also means that women are more susceptible to multiple and chronic illness, and require more long-term care needs. It is no surprise then that women comprise the majority of Medicare. In fact, we constitute 58 percent of the Medicare population at 65, and 71 percent at the age of 85. Yet even more crucial is the fact that four out of five of America's elderly women are widowed and almost half live out their days alone. Compound this misfortune with the reality that these widowed women are four times more likely, and a single or divorced woman are five times more likely, to live in poverty after retirement than a married man.”