• Costs, including the monthly premium, the annual deductible and cost-sharing.
• Coverage for as many of your drugs as possible, which could save a person from paying more out of pocket.
• Convenience of participating pharmacy locations or access to mail-order pharmacies.
• Customer Service.  Check Medicare.gov, which includes quality ratings for plans.  Ask you doctors, pharmacist and friends about their experiences.

Hundreds Rally at Capitol to Halt Next Round of Budget Cuts

Hundreds of seniors and their supporters rallied in the state Capitol to protest more state budget cuts to aging and home and community based services serving the disabled and supports for Grandparents raising grandchildren. Preventing more cuts is the top priority on AARP’s advocacy agenda in the 2010 General Assembly. Monday’s rally was held to deliver a message to Governor Beshear and lawmakers in Frankfort – no more cuts.

Preventing more budget cuts to HCBS saves taxpayer dollars, improves quality of life for individuals who need services to better enable them to live at home - where they want to be. Barnett added, “These basic support services must become non-negotiable priorities as the Governor and General Assembly struggle with even more cuts to balance the budget. And it’ll take real grassroots work to make this a priority in the 2010 General Assembly.”

AARP Praises House Passage of Health Care Reform Bill

AARP Endorses Affordable Health Care for America Act in House

For the more than 45 million Americans in Medicare - 30% in Kentucky alone –the House plan completely closes the dangerous gap in prescription drug coverage known as the doughnut hole, adds cost-free preventive benefits like cancer screenings, cracks down on waste and fraud and protects the traditional Medicare benefits people in the program rely on.

Comparing the House, Senate health proposals

Source: Denver Post | October 30, 2009

Erica Warner

WASHINGTON — House Democratic leaders presented a new health care overhaul bill Thursday that melds legislation passed by three committees over the summer and makes a series of changes to accommodate lawmakers' concerns. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is finalizing legislation merging the work of two committees and making other changes. Here are details on the two bills. The Senate bill has not yet been made public, so some specifics are unknown.

Who's covered

House: About 96 percent of legal residents under age 65 ? compared with 83 percent now. About one- third of the remaining 18 million non-elderly people left uninsured would be illegal immigrants.

Senate: The Senate Finance version covered an estimated 94 percent of Americans. Illegal immigrants would not receive government benefits.

The cost

House: The Congressional Budget Office says the bill's cost of expanding insurance coverage over 10 years is $1.055 trillion. The net cost is $894 billion, factoring in penalties for individuals and employers who don't comply with the new requirements. That's under President Barack Obama's $900 billion goal. However those figures leave out a variety of new costs, including providing more prescription-drug coverage for seniors, so there's no official estimate on the total cost of the legislation.

Senate: Leaders aim to keep it under $900 billion over 10 years.

How it's paid for

House: $460 billion over the next decade from new income taxes on single people making more than $500,000 a year and couples making $1 million. There's also more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid; a new $20 billion fee on medical-device makers; $13 billion from limiting contributions to tax-free flexible spending accounts; sizable penalties paid by individuals and employers who don't obtain coverage; and other corporate taxes and fees.

Senate: Fees on insurance companies, drug makers, medical-device manufacturers. Tax levied on "Cadillac" insurance policies. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. A fee on employers whose workers receive government subsidies to help them pay premiums. Fines on people who fail to purchase coverage.

Requirements for individuals

House: Individuals must have insurance, enforced through a tax penalty. People can apply for hardship waivers.

Senate: Almost everyone must get coverage through an employer, on his or her own or through a government plan or face a fine.

Requirements for employers

House: Employers must provide insurance to their employees or pay a penalty of 8 percent of payroll. Companies with payrolls under $500,000 annually are exempt. Small businesses get tax credits to help them provide coverage.

Senate: Employers aren't required to offer coverage, but some companies face substantial fees if the government ends up subsidizing employees' coverage.

Subsidies

House: Individuals and families with annual income up to 400 percent of poverty level would get subsidies to help them buy coverage, beginning in 2013.

Senate: Tax credits for individuals and families. Tax credits for small employers.

How you choose insurance

House: Beginning in 2013 through a new Health Insurance Exchange open to individuals and, initially, small employers; it could be expanded to large employers over time. States could opt to operate their own exchanges in place of the national exchange if they follow federal rules.

Senate: Self-employed people, uninsured individuals and small businesses could pick a plan offered through new state-based purchasing pools.

Benefits package

House: A committee would recommend a so-called essential benefits package including preventive services; out-of pocket costs would be capped.

Senate: All plans sold to individuals and small businesses would have to cover basic benefits. The least generous plan would pay an estimated 65 percent of health care costs per year; the most generous would cover an estimated 90 percent.

Insurance industry limits

House: No denial of coverage based on pre-existing conditions. No higher premiums allowed for pre-existing conditions or gender. Limits on higher premiums based on age.

Senate: The same, plus limits on higher premiums based on family size.

Government-run plan

House: A new public plan available through the insurance exchanges would be set up and run by the secretary of Health and Human Services.

Senate: A similar version has been proposed, but states could opt out of the plan. The bill also would create nonprofit, member-owned co-ops to compete with private insurers.

Changes to Medicaid

House: The federal-state insurance program for the poor would be expanded to cover all non-elderly individuals with incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

Senate: Income eligibility levels are likely to be standardized to 133 percent of poverty for all parents, children and pregnant women. States could negotiate with insurers to arrange coverage for people with incomes slightly higher than the cutoff for Medicaid.

source: http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/policy/articles/comparing_the_house_senate_health_proposals.1.html

 A Legacy of Service, A Committment to Others

In recognition of his tireless work on behalf of his community, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and AARP, William (Bill) H. Harned is the receipent of AARP Kentucky's 2009 Andrus Award for Community Service.

 AARP’s commitment to volunteer service can be traced back to the life and vision of our founder, Dr.Ethel Percy Andrus. From the beginning, her motto, “To serve, not to be served,” has shaped our community service efforts at the national, state, and local levels. Each year, AARP honors the legacy of Dr. Andrus with the AARP Andrus Award for Community Service, our most prestigious and visible volunteer award.

The 2009 Andrus Award for Community Service recognizes unique individuals, one from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, who have demonstrated the power to make it better in their communities in ways that are consistent with AARP’s mission, vision and commitment to volunteer service, and that inspire others to volunteer.

Bill’s service includes citizen advocacy on state and federal issues, protecting andeducating consumers from financial fraud, supporting retired educators, grandparents raising grandchildren, and fighting budget cuts to long term care initiatives supporting home and community-based services. His leadership is especially recognized for defending Medicare and Medicaid recipients. Most recently, Governor Steve Beshear appointed Bill to serve on the Consumer Advisory Council.

AARP Applauds House for Moving Health Care Reform Forward

AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond issued this statement following today’s (10/29/09) introduction of the Affordable Health Care for America Act in the House of Representatives:

“Today, the House brings us one step closer to a decades-long goal of repairing America’s broken health care system. AARP commends the leadership of Speaker Pelosi and the committee chairs for making progress on an issue that has ended in failure too many times before.

“The Affordable Health Care for America Act will strictly limit insurance companies from discriminating against older Americans because of their age, while making other critical reforms that will make insurance available to every American, regardless of gender or medical history. At the same time, this bill brings improvements to the Medicare program by closing the dreaded prescription drug doughnut hole and adding new benefits to make preventive care more affordable.

“In the coming days, AARP will carefully review this comprehensive bill to determine precisely how it will affect the health care of all older Americans. The urgency for health reform continues to grow, and we cannot afford to delay action.

“We look forward to continuing our work with members of the House and Senate to pass a health care bill this year that protects and improves Medicare and makes quality health coverage available to Americans of all ages.”

For more information on AARP’s health care reform effort, please visit http://www.aarp.org/health/articles/health_reform_get_the_facts.html

Senate Finance Committee Passage of the Affordable Health Choices Act

Legislation passed today is yet another milestone in the long journey to health care reform

WASHINGTON—AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond released this statement following the Senate Finance Committee’s passage of the Affordable Health Choices Act:

“We applaud the Senate Finance Committee for taking another important step toward fixing what’s wrong with our health care system.  Under the leadership of Chairman Baucus, the legislation reported today moves us even closer to providing much-needed relief to millions of older Americans who still face challenges accessing affordable, quality health care services. 

“The Senate Finance Committee bill makes important improvements to the Medicare program by increasing preventive benefits, making sure Medicare’s doctors do not face a pay cut this year, and most notably for AARP members—by reducing drug costs for seniors who fall into the dreaded Medicare doughnut hole, a costly gap in prescription drug coverage.   Too often, those who fall into this coverage gap stop taking their prescription drugs because they simply can’t afford to.  While we applaud this assistance with drug costs in the doughnut hole, we urge the Senate to go further to meet the President’s pledge to completely close the doughnut hole.  With the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs, we believe this bill should be improved so that it can help millions of older Americans afford their needed medications and avoid more intensive and costly care later in life.

“The bill also makes some improvements on age-rating, a discriminatory practice that allows insurers to charge exorbitant, age-based premiums to older Americans.  Unfortunately, the bill will still allow insurance companies to charge older Americans premiums that are four times more than premiums for younger Americans, making it difficult for older Americans to afford health coverage.   We hope the final Senate bill will be improved in this area. 

“Finally, we strongly support provisions in the Senate Finance bill to expand home and community-based services (HCBS).  The vast majority of Americans age 50 and over want to live in their homes and communities as long as they can.  HCBS provisions are not only cost-effective, but can also help slow the growth in health care spending and keep millions of Americans out of nursing homes and in their own homes.

“The legislation passed today is yet another milestone in the long journey to health care reform.  We look forward to continuing our work with Chairman Baucus and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to further strengthen the bill, and we will continue to fight for reform that protects benefits for people in Medicare, improves health care affordability, and improves the health of every American.”

# # #

What the Health Care Debate is Really About

(The following is a Letter to the Editor published in the Courier-Journal (10-12-09) from Bill Harned a volunteer member of AARP KY's Executive Council. See related articles on the Courier-Journal website at http://topics.gannett.com/Health+Care+Reform/?template=courier-journal)

Sen. Mitch McConnell is right to be troubled about what health care and prescription drug costs are doing to families and employers budgets. As the health care debate drags on, everyone is getting a little numb from the rhetoric — but the most important days of the whole debate are in the next few weeks. And it's time to remember why we're having this debate in the first place.

It's not about Republicans and Democrats; it's about working people who can't afford health care, the unbelievable increases in health care and drug costs. It's about the fact that other countries are providing better health care for much less money and the idea that surely we can do better. It's about kids getting the health care they need and seniors continue to receive Medicare they deserve. It's about families not having to worry that an illness will send them into bankruptcy or that the loss of a job will end their health insurance coverage.

Those are just a few of the reasons we're in this debate. We've seen the special interest lobbyists digging in to try to derail reform. Politics have taken it over and volume has tried to replace thoughtful and real dialogue. But this issue is too important to give up on — and start over.

I hope all our members of Congress seize this historic opportunity to fix our broken health care system.

BILL HARNED
AARP Kentucky
Executive Council

Contact Senator Mitch McConnell

Washington Office
361-A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202.224-2541
Fax: 202.224-2499

Contact Senator Jim Bunning

Washington Office

316 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202.224.4343
Fax: 202.228.1373

KY's Department for Public Health Launches Toll-free Flu Hotline

Kentucky is preparing for the flu season and the Dept. for Public Health announces launch of new toll-free hotline. Get answers and information related to the swine flu (H1N1 virus) as well as seasonal influenza. 

KY's toll-free number is 1-877-843-7727 and operated from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. More Kentucky information on seasonal and swine flu at  http://healthalerts.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx

More flu information you need is available at the AARP Bulletin http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/diseases/articles/swine_flu_cases0.html