Medicaid and Medicare are important to American families who have tight incomes and are elderly. Keeping Medicaid and Medicare intact is important for future generations who will no doubt need such services. Improving access to health care for families is important because it is our investment in the future; we need to continue to make needed improvements to the health care system. MPAC endorses the idea that families and elderly persons are able to access affordable health care and that the services remain quality. With the majority of Americans being affected by a weak economy, Medicaid and Medicare are tools to sustaining a healthy society. American Muslims must demand presidential candidates make preventative healthcare a priority in order to improve the long-term health of Americans.

President Barack Obama:

1. More than 47 million Medicare beneficiaries now have access to free health services — including an annual wellness visit, mammograms and other health screenings — to help detect and treat medical conditions early.

2. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, nearly 3.6 million seniors who fell into the Medicare “doughnut hole” last year saved an average of $604 on prescription drugs.” (Source: http://www.barackobama.com/record/health-care?source=issues-nav)

3. Health reform strengthens Medicare by reducing fraud, improving quality of care and closing the Medicare “donut hole” gap in seniors’ prescription drug coverage.

4. Like Medicare before it, the Affordable Care Act lays a new foundation for our country that will bring additional security and stability to the American people for generations to come. (Source: http://www.democrats.org/issues/health_care)

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney:

1. Romney’s plan honors commitments to current seniors while giving the next generation an improved program that offers the freedom to choose what their coverage under Medicare should look like.

2. Lower-income seniors will receive more generous support to ensure that they can afford coverage; wealthier seniors will receive less support.

3. Competition among plans to provide high quality service while charging low  premiums will hold costs down while also improving the quality of coverage enjoyed by seniors.

(Source: http://www.mittromney.com/issues/medicare)