Presidential Document2023-09537
Older Americans Month, 2023
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 3, 2023
Signed
April 28, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 2023)</title>
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[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 [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[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.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-09537
Filed 5-2-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 3, 2023.
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