The Medicare roundtable is free, open to the public and hosted by the Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Boulevard in Minnetonka.  A bus will leave the MnSF St. Paul office at 7:45 a.m. and House of Prayer in Richfield at 8:00 a.m. Dec. 1 to transport members to the MJC event. The bus will return at 1 p.m. For more information, call the Minnesota Senior Federation at 651/645-0261.

On Saturday, Dec. 1, the Medicare Justice Coalition (MJC), Minnesota Senior Federation, Minnesota Office of AARP, and the Minnesota division of the Alliance of Retired Americans will host a congressional roundtable to present critical issues surrounding needed Medicare changes.

The 9 a.m.-noon event will offer seniors and others concerned about Medicare changes an occasion to listen, learn and ask the experts. Participants will be able to speak with congressional leaders and learn about various Medicare insurance plans from insurance providers. Attendees will also learn how MJC and other grassroots organizations are working at the legislative level to help protect older Minnesotans from inequitable changes in health care and prescription drug policies.

Featured speakers include G. Richard Geier, Jr., MD, president of the Minnesota Medical Association. Geier will address the consequences of a proposed 10 percent cut in reimbursement for physicians who care for Medicare patients. Janet E. Witt, MS, RD, will speak to concerns surrounding prescription drugs for Medicare patients. Witt represents the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. Other topics for discussion will include changes in Medicare Parts B and D, hospital payment problems and why it’s crucial that MJC and other senior organizations present a strong voice for consumers. 

Members of the Medicare Justice Coalition represent consumers, payers and health care providers working together to equalize Medicare benefits; establish reimbursement equity between HMOs and the traditional fee-for-service; and advocate for a Medicare system that rewards quality rather than simply quantity.