New You’ve Earned a Say Ad: Americans Have Earned the Facts about the Future of Medicare and Social Security

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 6, 2012

CONTACT:

AARP Media Relations

202-434-2560

media@aarp.org

New You’ve Earned a Say Ad: Americans Have Earned the Facts about the Future of Medicare and Social Security

National conversation continues with balanced information about options

on the table in Washington

WASHINGTON, DC – A new national television ad for You’ve Earned a Say encourages viewers to visit www.earnedasay.org for balanced information about the Medicare and Social Security options being debated in Washington. Beginning today on network, cable news and lifestyle channels, the ad points Americans towards resources to get the facts and make their voices heard about how different proposals would affect them and their families.

In response to its members’ and many Americans’ frustration with political rhetoric and spin, AARP commissioned experts from the Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation, National Academy of Social Insurance and Avalere Health to provide analyses of the pros and cons of the major Medicare and Social Security options on the table. Those analyses, along with fact sheets, infographics, questionnaires and events across the country, are designed to help Americans have their say about the future of the programs.

“Americans have paid into Social Security and Medicare, and they deserve to know what changes politicians are talking about,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy A. LeaMond. “They want straight talk about these programs and the new You’ve Earned a Say materials will help them cut through the political clutter and make their voices heard.”

Two new opinion questionnaires – one on Medicare and one on Social Security – ask how best to strengthen the programs. The questionnaires are available in the June issue of the AARP Bulletin and at www.earnedasay.org, and will also be distributed at community conversations and town halls nationwide in the coming months.

You’ve Earned a Say – a national conversation about the future of Social Security and Medicare – has already engaged more than a million people online and in more than a thousand events since it launched in mid-March. An article in the June AARP Bulletin highlights the results of the first You’ve Earned a Say questionnaire which, while not scientific, reflect the opinions of many Americans.

“What we’re hearing is that people feel Washington isn’t listening when it comes to Medicare and Social Security,” LeaMond concluded. “They believe they’ve earned the facts and the right to be heard.  That’s what You’ve Earned a Say is all about.”

About AARP

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with nearly 35 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, our bilingual multimedia platform for Hispanic members; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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