Elderly have their own worries on health overhaul

SPRINGFIELD, Va. — Turns out you can fear a government takeover of health care even if the government already took over your health care.

How else to explain the reservations of seniors like 85-year-old Dee Jollie, who are covered by Medicare, the government health insurance program for Americans 65 and older, yet still have deep concerns about President Barack Obama's proposed health care overhaul?

"I think it'll be government control," Jollie said this week while waiting for her congressman to hold a health care town hall meeting at her upscale retirement home.

"When that occurs, you don't have any control," Jollie added. "I think we will no longer be able to choose our own doctor," she said — notwithstanding repeated claims to the contrary from Obama, whom she supported for president.

The trepidation that's taken hold among the elderly over Obama's drive to remake the nation's health care system is turning into one more political headache for Democrats as they struggle to reach agreement on sweeping health legislation that can pass the House and Senate after Labor Day.

Older Americans, who vote at a higher rate than other age groups, also hold deeper concerns than others about proposed health care changes, surveys have shown. An ABC/Washington Post poll this month found 45 percent of respondents overall supporting Democrats' proposed health care changes, while just 34 percent of seniors were in support. The elderly use health care services more than others and have perhaps the most to lose and least to gain from any changes in the present system.

Republicans are moving to exploit those concerns, producing a "Seniors' Health Care Bill of Rights" this week that touches on sensitive points, including protecting Medicare and ensuring government doesn't come between patients and doctors.

Democrats accuse the GOP of fear-mongering around claims about fictitious "death panels," rationing and nonexistent threats to Medicare, which covers 38 million seniors. They insist seniors' health care will be safeguarded.

"Nobody is talking about cutting Medicare benefits," Obama said during an online AARP forum in July. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius planned to visit a seniors' center in Washington, D.C., Thursday to greet residents and promote Obama's health care agenda.

Yet a problem for Democrats is that mixed in with the misinformation are some real causes for concern, some analysts say.