The man who has been in charge of policy for AARP, the seniors’ lobby, is leaving that post to lead the National Coalition on Health Care, which lobbies for health-care system reform. John Rother will fight against proposals now being discussed in Washington to pass health-care costs on to consumers.
Rother is concerned that both political parties–Republicans with their plan to convert Medicare into a voucher system and Democrats with their plan to raise the age for Medicare eligibility–are working toward solutions that will result in a bigger health-care bill for consumers.
When asked about Rother’s concern that politicians are focused too heavily on short-term deficit reduction as opposed to the long-term solutions, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Don Berwick agreed, saying he would encourage the congressional deficit “super committee” to find solutions that would not leave patients worse off.