Medical costs are a daily, growing burden on the elderly.
Millions of seniors, many on fixed incomes and receiving Medicare, annually spend about a quarter of their income on health insurance and their many medical needs. Some 70-percent of Medicare beneficiaires across the country also have supplemental policies that provide coverage not given by Medicare. Raising premiums for these policies would only worsen the financial and emotionial strain they face in trying to pay for this vital aspect of their health insurance plan. As Comptroller, I am responsible for procuring and administering health insurance for 166,000 state employees and their dependents. The state also provides supplemental medical coverage for about 27,000 Medicare-enrolled retirees and their dependents.