Older Americans Month, 2023, 27673-27674 [2023-09537]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 27673-27674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09537]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 27673]]


                Proclamation 10565 of April 28, 2023

                
Older Americans Month, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On this 60th anniversary of Older Americans Month, we 
                honor our Nation's senior citizens, whose lifetimes of 
                hard work, devotion to family, and commitment to 
                community have laid the foundation for the country we 
                are today. We have a rock-solid responsibility to 
                ensure our Nation's seniors can age with dignity and 
                financial security.

                When President John F. Kennedy issued the first 
                proclamation recognizing older Americans, approximately 
                a third of seniors lived in poverty, and close to half 
                were without health insurance. Our Nation rallied 
                together to confront this crisis, passing Medicare to 
                deliver affordable, quality health care to our seniors; 
                strengthening Social Security, the bedrock of American 
                retirement; and ultimately raising so many seniors out 
                of poverty. We extended lifespans and provided critical 
                breathing room to Americans who had worked hard their 
                whole lives. But there is still more work to do to 
                ensure that no senior lies in bed at night wondering 
                how they are going to pay for lifesaving drugs, put 
                food on the table, or support their children and 
                grandchildren.

                That is one reason why I signed the Inflation Reduction 
                Act. For those on Medicare, this law caps the cost of 
                insulin at $35 per month and will cap out-of-pocket 
                prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year. That means 
                seniors could save upwards of tens of thousands of 
                dollars on lifesaving drugs--including for cancer, 
                heart disease, Alzheimer's, and more. It also means 
                Americans can get vaccinated for free against shingles, 
                whooping cough, tetanus, and other diseases. And by 
                holding drug companies responsible when they increase 
                prices faster than inflation and finally allowing 
                Medicare to negotiate drug prices, this law is helping 
                bring down prescription drug costs for seniors across 
                our country. Affordable health care is about basic 
                dignity, which is also why I issued an Executive Order 
                calling on the Food and Drug Administration to make 
                hearing aids available over the counter without a 
                prescription. Now, millions of adults with mild-to-
                moderate hearing loss can save as much as $3,000 per 
                pair by buying hearing aids at a store or online 
                without a prescription.

                At the same time, standing by our seniors means 
                honoring our Nation's fundamental promise that when it 
                comes time to retire after working hard and 
                contributing to our economy, Social Security and 
                Medicare will be there for you. I am committed to 
                defending these vital programs--a lifeline for millions 
                of seniors--which is why my newest Budget extends the 
                life of the Medicare Trust Fund by at least 25 years. 
                And I will veto any effort to deny older Americans the 
                benefits they have earned.

                We must keep building on this progress. Older Americans 
                should be able to live, work, and participate in their 
                communities with dignity. That's why I recently signed 
                an Executive Order on Increasing Access to High-Quality 
                Care and Supporting Caregivers. I call on the Congress 
                to expand on the investments we have already made to 
                help seniors receive care in their own homes and to 
                support family caregivers--including aging caregivers--
                and the home care workers who perform selfless work 
                every day. I also call on the Congress to expand access 
                to nutrition counseling for

[[Page 27674]]

                seniors and others with Medicare coverage, to increase 
                funding for nutrition services for older adults, and to 
                pilot coverage of medically tailored meals in 
                Medicare--actions that are also part of my 
                Administration's National Strategy on Hunger, 
                Nutrition, and Health. We need to improve the quality 
                and safety of nursing homes and protect vulnerable 
                residents and the health care heroes who care for them. 
                And we must keep pushing to end cancer as we know it 
                and win the fight against other deadly diseases that 
                deny us time with those we love most.

                Older Americans are the pillars of our community, and 
                we owe it to them to value their wisdom, celebrate 
                their contributions, and champion their well-being. To 
                older Americans across this Nation, we will always 
                support you.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2023 as 
                Older Americans Month. This month and beyond, I call 
                upon all Americans to celebrate older adults for their 
                contributions, support their independence, and 
                recognize their unparalleled value to our Nation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-09537
Filed 5-2-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P