Johnson touts Medicare during tour of facility

CANFIELD — U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th, this morning toured Windsor House of Canfield, the county's newest skilled nursing facility, which opened in October along State Route 446.

Johnson met with facility representatives on issues such as Medicare and drew attention to its increasing demand in the healthcare sector, with about 10,000 baby boomers retiring each day, or about 3.5 million each year for the next 20 years.

"Medicare is a program that we must strengthen and preserve," Johnson said. "We must ensure that current seniors retain their Medicare benefits with no change.

"You're talking about 509 million Americans going onto the retirement rolls — and there's not enough people paying into the system for the benefits that are being taken out of the system. ... By 2026, Medicare is largely going to be insolvent."

Read more in Tuesday's Vindicator and on Vindy.com.