For example, telemarketing fraud disproportionately hurts Americans over the age of 50. Fraud and abuse in the health care sector continues, too, despite some success in recent years. My bill will help combat health care fraud and abuse, protect nursing home residents, prevent telemarketing fraud, safeguard pensions and increase penalties for crimes against seniors. We must strengthen the hand of law enforcement to combat those predators who plunder the savings that older Americans have worked their lifetimes to earn. Seniors, not telemarketing scammers or pension robbers, deserve to reap the rewards of a lifetime of work.
Seniors are the most rapidly growing segment of our society.
As Vermonters, we know that the isolation that can come with aging can be particularly acute. That isolation can only be magnified by criminals who target the elderly because they believe seniors are less likely to resist or report crimes to the authorities. These are problems that have persisted too long. No one effort will solve this problem, but when we can take a meaningful step like this bill, we owe it to our parents or grandparents to do that. President Clinton has also spoken eloquently about the need for tough legislation like this to address these persistent problems.