Press Releases

Currently showing results related to Seniors

. See all results.

September 20, 2013

Citing Abuses of the Elderly, Wyden Calls for Nationwide Examination of Tax Lien Programs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is leading a dozen Senators in urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to examine the protections for consumers facing tax liens and foreclosure in light of consumer abuses revealed in recent media reports. A letter from Wyden, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Mark Warner, D-Va., Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Christopher Murphy, … Continue Reading


July 19, 2012

Wyden Bill Works to Make Palliative and Hospice Care Available to All Americans

Washington, D.C. - Building on more than 35 years of working to ensure seniors are getting the best possible health care, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has introduced legislation to improve the recently recognized medical specialty of palliative and hospice medicine to help seniors and those with serious or chronic illnesses better manage their pain and improve their quality of life. Palliative and hospice care focuses less on curative treatment of a specific disease and more on relieving … Continue Reading


March 28, 2012

Fixing Medicare by Keeping Seniors Healthy

Washington, D.C. - Recognizing that raising premiums and cutting benefits aren't the only ways to deal with the growing cost of Medicare, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced legislation today that experts say could save Medicare billions by helping seniors get and stay healthy. The Medicare "Better Health Rewards" program is a 100% voluntary program designed to help Medicare beneficiaries get and stay healthy by giving participating seniors achievable … Continue Reading


March 26, 2012

Wyden and Portman to Lead Expert Panel asking: “Can Medicare Save Money by Keeping Seniors Healthy?”

Washington, D.C. - Need a break from health reform arguments? Think health care should keep people healthy? Want Democrats and Republicans to work together? Join U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rob Portman (R- Ohio) for a healthy snack and a conversation with some of the nation's leading health and wellness experts. The program will focus on the value of wellness programs and how the proposed Medicare "Better Health Rewards" program can help seniors set achievable goals to improve … Continue Reading


December 15, 2011

Wyden Spokesperson Responds to Criticism of Wyden-Ryan Plan

Washington, D.C. - In response to criticism from the White House and others that Wyden-Ryan would "end Medicare as we know it" Jennifer Hoelzer, Communications Director and Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), issued the following statement: "It would appear that our critics did not read the Wyden-Ryan white paper before choosing to attack it. The White Paper that Senator Wyden authored with Representative Ryan makes it very clear that seniors will always be able to get … Continue Reading


December 15, 2011

Wyden & Ryan Advance Bipartisan Plan to Strengthen Medicare and Expand Health Care Choices for All

WASHINGTON - This morning, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced a new proposal that represents a major advance in the effort to build a more secure future for the millions of seniors who rely on Medicare. The new report from Sen. Wyden and Rep. Ryan, titled "Guaranteed Choices to Strengthen Medicare and Health Security for All: Bipartisan Options for the Future," outlines a bipartisan path forward on expanding health care choices for seniors while … Continue Reading


December 07, 2011

Wyden, Markey Call on CMS to Release Guidelines for Program That Experts Say Could Result in Substantial Medicare Savings by Better Coordinating Care

Washington, D.C. - A program providing home-based health care for the most chronically-ill veterans, saved the Veterans' Affairs Department more than 24 percent on the overall cost of caring for those patients, yet a similar program scheduled to be tested as part of Medicare has largely gone ignored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Independence at Home pilot program -- originally authored by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey … Continue Reading


October 17, 2011

Wyden, Portman Lead Effort to Make Medicare Secondary Payer Program More Efficient, Save Taxpayer Dollars

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) are leading a bipartisan effort that includes U.S. Senators Ben Nelson (D- Neb.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) to make the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Program more efficient and cost effective to taxpayers. The Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers (SMART) Act will speed up the rate by which Medicare and its beneficiaries are reimbursed for costs that should be borne by another party. "Streamlining third party … Continue Reading


September 14, 2011

Bipartisan, House-Senate Coalition Introduces Legislation to Prevent Medicare Waste, Fraud and Abuse

New Medicare card protects identities, takes printed Social Security number off front of the new Medicare card WASHINGTON - To combat a reported $60 billion lost to waste, fraud and abuse within the Medicare system, U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and U.S. Representatives Jim Gerlach (R-PA-06), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03) and John Shimkus (R-IL-19) introduced legislation today to use existing "smart card" technology to protect seniors. Similar to the 20 … Continue Reading


April 07, 2011

Wyden, Grassley Introduce Bill Making Medicare Claims Data Public

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon today introduced legislation to make Medicare claims data public for the first time. The legislation is the product of the senators' combined efforts - each was working on a method of making the data public and combined approaches in the bipartisan legislation introduced today. "Medicare is a $500 billion program with billions of dollars going out in error each year," Grassley said. "The bad actors are getting bigger and … Continue Reading


April 05, 2011

Wyden, Roberts Requires Changes to Medicare Hospice Reimbursement be Vetted by Pilot Program

Washington, D.C. - In an effort to protect and maintain hospice services for Medicare beneficiaries U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Pat Roberts (R-Ks.) introduced the Hospice Evaluation and Legitimate Payment (HELP) Act. This legislation would require any changes to hospice Medicare reimbursements be tested for two years in a pilot program to ensure they do not harm hospice centers in a way that would limit access to those who need it most. "With changes to the hospice Medicare … Continue Reading


March 17, 2011

Wyden, Barrasso Bill Will Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Seniors on Medicare

Washington, D.C. - In an effort to close a workforce gap in mental health practitioners that leaves more than 77 million older Americans without adequate access to mental health treatment, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced the Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act legislation today that will lift some restrictions on Medicare reimbursement for Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists. "Mental health is an important part of battling … Continue Reading


February 10, 2011

Wyden, Merkley Bill Will Safeguard Stock of Affordable Housing

Washington, D.C. - In an effort to secure the pool of affordable housing units for low-income families, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) reintroduced legislation today to allow excess funds in the federal Section 8 program -- known as residual receipts -- to be used to keep current affordable housing stock from becoming market rate housing when contracts expire. The Affordable Housing Preservation and Revitalization Act allows for the Department of Housing and Urban … Continue Reading


January 13, 2011

OREGON DELEGATION URGES SEC. SHINSEKI TO INTERVENE, REDIRECT ROSEBURG VA HOSPITAL STUDY

WASHINGTON, DC- Today, Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-4) and Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) sent a letter to Secretary of the Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki requesting that he intervene and correct a Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) study concerning the future of the Roseburg Oregon VA Medical Center (RVAMC). The letter states "We are troubled that the VA has spent $400,000 on this independent study that has little value for veterans or taxpayers. Rather it appears BAH worked … Continue Reading


March 18, 2009

Wyden, Merkley Announce $1.2 million in Federal Stimulus Funds to Help Feed Oregon's Low Income Seniors

Washington, D.C. - Recognizing that hunger is an often overlooked side effect to a poor economy, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced today that Oregon will receive $1.2 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide meals to low income senior citizens. "This money comes at a time when an estimated 12 percent of Oregon families don't have enough food on their shelves, when Oregon ranks as the third hungriest state in the nation, when food stamp applications are … Continue Reading


April 06, 2007

Wyden Statement on White House Veto Threat to Proposed Medicare Drug Reforms

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) released the following statement this evening following the President's threat to veto legislation seeking to reform the Medicare prescription drug benefit:"Spiraling costs and the low levels of participation we've seen so far may jeopardize the survival of the hard-won Medicare drug benefit. Ignoring those obvious problems and threatening to veto any solutions isn't a productive or responsible reaction. Making changes to contain costs and … Continue Reading


December 04, 2006

Wall Street to Washington: Social Security Privatization Would Endanger American's Retirement Security

New York, NY - Today, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined members of Wall Street's financial services industry as they caution Congress against the privatization of Social Security. Financial leaders - including rising stars on Wall Street - unveiled a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in which they detail the significant financial risks for individual Americans if Federal payroll taxes are diverted from Social Security … Continue Reading

Showing page 1 of 1