The time to strengthen Medicare is now -- the question is, will Congress have the courage to do it right?

AARP is fighting for a health care reform plan that will protect the Medicare benefits seniors have earned, eliminate waste and put Medicare on more stable financial ground so current and future generations will have the health coverage they need.

After months of being bombarded by myths about death panels, socialized medicine and rationed care, AARP members are asking legitimate questions about how they would be affected by health reform. While we can't predict what Congress will ultimately do, we can tell our members how we're fighting for their health care.

First, we would fight any proposals to cut Medicare benefits or hike out-of-pocket fees or take away their choice of doctor. We would vigorously oppose provisions that would deny care or interfere with the right of patients and doctors to make medical decisions.

Fortunately, no such proposals are under consideration.

We have not yet endorsed any specific health reform legislation. But in our judgment, a number of proposals on the table could improve Medicare in important ways.

Let's start with the drug benefit. Current proposals would reduce costs and significantly narrow Medicare's doughnut hole -- the fast-growing gap in coverage that can cost individuals thousands of dollars a year. Filling in the gap, even gradually, would help millions of seniors afford their prescriptions.

Seniors also would win with better benefits for prevention. Reform legislation would make such services as screenings for diabetes, osteoporosis and prostate cancer free to beneficiaries. Co-pays currently discourage many from getting these screenings, which can prolong their lives.

Also overlooked in the debate is the proposed reinvestment of Medicare savings to improve doctors' payments in Medicare. These changes would help ensure Medicare patients a choice of doctor, provide bonuses to increase the number of primary care providers, and improve care for people with chronic conditions. Such payment reforms hold real promise of improving access to health care for Medicare patients and making a fragmented medical system work better for them.

Older Americans would benefit further from new efforts to root out waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare. One current fraud case involves an alleged $100 million phony-billing scam in five states. Improved efforts to stop this sort of crime and other abuse can save billions of dollars in Medicare and in out of pocket costs each year.

Medical errors, such as life-threatening infections due to poor care, needless use of costly technologies, and excess industry profits all push up costs and undermine Medicare's financial health.

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