Speaking in Cincinnati, Medicare chief decries cutting services

Speaking at a luncheon last week attended by about 100 health care providers and advocates in Cincinnati, Dr. Don Berwick, administrator for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service, said the federal government should address the budget deficit by improving the quality of care rather than cutting services (Source: “U.S.'s top Medicare official: Don't cut health care to balance budget,” (Cincinnati) Business Courier, Aug. 11, 2011).

Moves such as replacing the current format with a voucher system would let down people “who need us to be there, the elderly, the disadvantaged, the disabled,” he told Kaiser Health News earlier this year. “It is a withdrawal of support from people who badly need our help and who will end up worse off.”

The Cincinnati event was sponsored by the Ohio Campaign for Better Care, a group whose stated goal is to focus implementation of health-care reform on improving care for seniors with chronic conditions.