Dear Editor: On July 1, 1968, legislation mandating Medicare went into effect. Medicare is the nation’s largest health insurance program that covers 39 million Americans. It has undergone many changes over the years but must remain a viable and available option to people 65 years of age and older, some individuals with disabilities under the age of 65 for people with End-Stage Renal disease (permanent kidney failure treated with dialysis or a transplant). My work as one of New Jersey’s few Certified Elder Law Attorneys has provided me with tremendous insight into the lives and challenges of our older population. The one issue that always arises during conversations with my clients and their caregivers, is that of affording quality health care. It is critical that as advanced medical technology ensures that we physically live longer, lawmakers must prepare the Medicare program to meet our society’s changing coverage needs. Limited physician choices, HMOs and adequate medical care are continuing to impact, often not in a positive way, the manner in which health care is delivered. Those served by Medicare, along with their advocates, must keep a watchful eye on this growing problem. Its effects can be devastating for years to come. Here in New Jersey, seniors must also remain insistent that the state adequately fund the PAAD program for prescription medicine. The high cost of prescription drugs is an intolerable burden for many Medicare beneficiaries. The recently introduced bill H.R. 4680, the Medicare Rx 2000 Act, attempts to include a much needed drug benefit to all Medicare beneficiaries. Senior citizens are the largest block of voters in the nation. They, along with their advocates, must continue to express their united voice in statehouses throughout the country and on Capitol Hill to ensure that the Medicare program continues to provide dependable, affordable, quality health care. The future of health care is critical. We must ensure that Medicare adequately meets the evolving needs of the people it was designed to serve in 1968 and those for generations to come. Jo-Anne Herina Jeffreys, Esq. Certified Elder Law Attorney