AARP Applauds President’s Commitment to Health Reform in 2009, Tells Congress It’s Their Turn to Act

Source: AARP Press Center | 2009-02-25

February 26, 2009

Contact: Media Relations, AARP, 202-434-2560, media@aarp.org

WASHINGTON—AARP today announced the next phase of its campaign to reform America’s health care system, capitalizing on an eventful week in Washington—including the release of President Obama’s budget plan—to build more momentum across the country.

“President Obama used his bully pulpit earlier this week at the Fiscal Responsibility Summit and in his speech to Congress to highlight the importance of health care reform,” said AARP CEO Bill Novelli. “We also saw key health reform champions, like Senators Max Baucus and Ted Kennedy—as well as other leaders from both parties and both chambers of Congress—discuss the urgency of action and begin to consider the hard choices on funding reform.

“We applaud their commitment to pass reform legislation this year,” said Novelli. “It’s now time for all our elected officials to follow these leads.

Novelli responded to today’s release of President Obama’s budget plan for the coming year, which AARP had asked to include a commitment to health care reform in 2009.

“The president’s budget plan includes an important down-payment on health care reform,” said Novelli. “As he said, however, he will need bipartisan action from Congress this year to get the whole job done. It’s time for Congress to put its own solutions forward.”

AARP is launching the next phase of its health care reform campaign. Wrapping up a week in which Washington focused heavily on the toll of our health care crisis, teams of AARP volunteers are visiting state offices of members of key Congressional committees with a simple message: “It’s your turn—do it right.”

“We are making it clear to our leaders that they need to work with the president in a bipartisan fashion to complete the plan for reform and finance reform in a fiscally—and morally—responsible way,” said Novelli. “They must make sure that any savings from Medicare and Medicaid are dedicated to reforms that strengthen the quality, efficiency and performance of our health care system, including these critical lifeline programs.”

AARP also announced key priorities to be included in health reform legislation in 2009, including:

o Making affordable health care coverage options available to everyone, especially people ages 50-64 who are among the fastest growing group of uninsured;
o Keeping Medicare affordable by rewarding doctors and hospitals for quality rather than the quantity of care;
o Promoting prevention and healthy behaviors;
o Eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; and
o Improving care coordination for people with chronic conditions and helping them stay in their homes and out of institutions.

For more information, please visit www.aarp.org.

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