I am disappointed to hear that politicians in Washington are thinking of raising the Medicare eligibility age as part of the fiscal cliff negotiations. This just does not make sense for today’s seniors, for those who have recently retired or for future retirees. We deserve more.

According to AARP, seniors in Medicare would face rising premiums if younger, healthier seniors are out of the program. Many seniors pay a good portion of their income on health care costs.

Washington needs to spend more time listening to ordinary citizens when it comes to making decisions on important programs like Social Security and Medicare. These programs are about people, not just numbers on a page. Politicians need to realize that any changes to these programs would have a widespread impact on our society.

Betty Redden

Adams Center

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