Apr 3, 2018 2 min read

BELLE VERNON – Many Americans assume federal health care benefits will survive untouched for older adults, children and those with disabilities, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey told senior citizens Tuesday in the Mon Valley.

“Unfortunately, we’re living in a time period when Medicare and Medicaid are being targeted in Washington, D.C.,” the Democrat said to about 50 people who had gathered to see him in Center on the Hill.

“The fight’s not over,” Casey said in the senior citizen center in Washington Township, Fayette County.

Casey began Tuesday at Mapletown Junior/Senior High School in Greene County, discussing efforts to increase that area’s access to high-speed internet. He said lawmakers have been trying to increase money to companies to expand service in places such as Greene, where 28 percent of the population is underserved when it comes to quality internet.

He later traveled to Duda’s Farm near Brownsville for a roundtable discussion.

While at Center on the Hill, he warned the crowd about the the growing problem of fraud and schemes that target senior citizens over telephones.

He said the callers pretend to be contractors or the IRS to steal money.

“The IRS does not call you out of the blue. They send you a letter first,” Casey said.

He said the scam artists are “very aggressive and use strong-arm tactics” in their schemes.

“The best thing to do is hang up. It’s as simple as that,” Casey said.

He said there has been some good news in D.C., pointing to the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program for the next decade.

“We’re going to take care of our seniors and our kids,” he said.