Russ Feingold: “I would also like to address one of the most important issues facing my state of Wisconsin, as well as many others…”

“I would also like to address one of the most important issues facing my state of Wisconsin, as well as many others across the country, the need to restore fairness to the Medicare program. During any debate of Medicare reform, one of Congress' top priorities should be to reduce regional inequalities in Medicare spending and support providers of high-quality, low-cost Medicare services. The high cost of health care in Wisconsin is skyrocketing: A recent survey found that the cost of health benefits for employees in Wisconsin rose 14.8 percent last year, to an average of $6,940 per employee. That is 20 percent higher than the national average of $5,758 for workers in businesses with 500 or more employees. These costs are hitting our state hard--they are burdening businesses and employees, hurting health care providers, and preventing seniors from getting full access to the care that they deserve. One of the major contributing factors to the high cost of care in our state is the inherent unfairness of the Medicare Program. With the guidance and support of people across our state who are fighting for Medicare fairness, I have proposed legislation to address Medicare's discrimination against Wisconsin's seniors, employers and health care providers. The Medicare program should encourage the kind of high-quality, cost-effective Medicare services that we have in Wisconsin. But as many in Wisconsin know, that is not the case.”