AFT Resolution

SHORTENING THE WAITING PERIOD FOR MEDICARE DISABILITY BENEFITS

WHEREAS, older Americans can sign up for Medicare within three months of their 65th birthday; and

WHEREAS, millions of Americans with disabilities must wait at least two years after they are deemed eligible to receive the Medicare benefit; and

WHEREAS, after determination of disability, applicants must wait five months to receive their first disability check and, from there, endure an additional two years before receiving Medicare, often while suffering from debilitating illness or injury; and

WHEREAS, the wait for Medicare often inflicts tremendous physical and financial strains on Americans with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, these individuals suffer from a range of disabling conditions such as incapacitating mental illnesses, musculoskeletal disorders, lung disease and cancer. Nearly one-third are Americans under 50 who have become ill or injured and would like to return to work once they receive proper medical treatment; and

WHEREAS, this not only burdens them but the whole of Medicare (a study in the New England Journal of Medicine this year showed that people who had previously been uninsured and suffer from chronic conditions used Medicare coverage more frequently than those who had previously been insured, visiting the hospital 20 percent more and incurring 51 percent greater medical expenses than other people with Medicare):

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers support legislation to shorten the waiting period for Medicare disability benefits, to ensure that all Americans have access to healthcare when it is most needed.

(2009)