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WASHINGTON—AARP today announced six specific elements that must be part of health reform, including closing the Medicare Part D coverage gap and ensuring 50- to 64-year-olds have access to affordable health care choices. AARP members and activists were the first to learn about the announcement when the organization posted its goals on its Government Watch website this morning.
“The next few weeks will be an all-out blitz for health reform,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “As leaders on Capitol Hill hammer out the details of their legislation, we want to make sure they include the priorities that we’re hearing from our members. Any final package must include these critical issues.”
AARP’s health reform campaign will focus on six critical priorities:
1) Guaranteeing access to affordable coverage for Americans age 50-64;
2) Closing the Medicare Part D coverage gap or “doughnut hole”;
3) Creating a Medicare transition benefit to help people safely return to their homes after a hospital stay and prevent costly hospital readmissions;
4) Increasing federal funding and eligibility for home and community based services through Medicaid so older Americans can remain in their homes and avoid more costly institutions as they age;
5) Creating a pathway for the approval of generic versions of biologic drugs to reduce the price of these costly treatments; and
6) Improving the Medicare Savings Programs and the Part D Low Income Subsidy (LIS) so more Americans can afford the health care and prescription drugs they need.
Tomorrow, AARP President Jennie Chin Hansen will participate in the Senate Finance Committee’s roundtable on health coverage. Four AARP members from states represented by members of the Senate Finance Committee will visit Capitol Hill to discuss with their Senators the struggle of getting and affording health insurance, particularly for people 50 to 64. AARP will also be distributing to the entire Congress booklets of its members’ personal stories—real life experiences that put a human face on why their priorities should be included in any health care reform legislation.
Beginning today, AARP is launching a month-long television and print advertising campaign. The ads use personal stories to communicate the priorities of AARP members to lawmakers in Washington. The campaign will include full-page ads in the Capitol Hill publications CongressDaily, The Hill, Politico and Roll Call, as well as television ads on Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, Meet the Press and This Week.
AARP will also leverage the power of its state offices across the country over the coming weeks, with events to build support behind comprehensive health reform. Among the events, AARP New York will co-host a health fair to highlight the need for health reform, including coverage for people 50 to 64. Reps. Jason Altmire and Kathy Dahlkemper will join the AARP Pennsylvania office for a town hall meeting, and Rep. Frank Pallone will host a tele-town hall meeting to discuss health reform with New Jersey AARP members.
LeaMond added: “Whether it’s on Capitol Hill, in their district offices or in the media, our lawmakers will hear from AARP this month. We’ve been working for more than two years to set the stage and the time for health reform is now. We’re excited about the work happening in Washington to address the needs of older Americans as a part of comprehensive health reform.”
