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Survey finds Washington seniors support health care reform leg

For Immediate Release

November 16, 2009

Contact: Jason Erskine / 206-517-9345

Survey Finds Washington State AARP Members Back Critical Provisions of Health Care Reform Legislation

Washington - A new poll of Washington state AARP members released today finds strong support across party and ideological lines for elements of health care reform included in the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which recently passed the House of Representatives. The bill, which strictly limits how much more insurance companies can charge based on age and closes the Medicare prescription drug doughnut hole, was endorsed by AARP.

Among AARP members, strong majorities reported that many of the bill’s key provisions were convincing reasons to support the legislation. These include closing the gap in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage known as the “doughnut hole” (70%), allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies (75%), strictly limiting insurers from charging much higher premiums because of age (68%), and improving coverage for critical preventive services like cancer screenings (75%). AARP has more than 930,000 members in Washington state.

“This survey demonstrates what we’ve been hearing from our members for a long time,” said AARP State Director Doug Shadel. “Despite an inflammatory debate on a very personal and important issue, our members—across party and ideological lines—support health care reform that protects Medicare, lowers the price of prescription drugs, increases their access to coverage and protects their choice of doctors.”

While a partisan divide was evident when respondents were asked about the current plan in Congress, Washington AARP members supported the legislation by a margin of roughly 2-1. Fifty-seven percent of self-described independents indicated support for the plan.

Other reform elements with high levels of support among AARP members included: ensuring Americans can see the doctor of their choice (78%), stopping insurance companies from denying coverage because of a person’s health history (72%) and ensuring Americans can keep their current coverage (78%). Majorities of self-identified Republicans supported most of the reform elements presented, including covering routine preventive care (53%), allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices (55%), and ensuring people can see the doctor of their choice (57%).

Shadel added: “The bill recently passed by the House incorporates the reforms that our members care most about. We’ll continue the fight for these critical elements as the Senate takes up its own legislation in the coming weeks. Our members, and all older Americans, are counting on lawmakers to reform the health care system this year.”

Starting on Tuesday, November 17th, AARP will launch a new national television ad on a mix of news, lifestyle, cable and sports channels. The ad, entitled “HELP,” demonstrates that people from all walks of life are feeling stranded by the current health care system. It calls attention to the need for the kind of health care reform AARP has been fighting for: reform that will put patients first, protect Medicare, bring down drug costs and ensure that no one can be denied affordable health care because of their age or health history.

AARP Washington surveyed its members from October 30 to November 8, 2009 on key health care reform provisions supported by AARP, as well as other contentious issues being discussed in the debate. The survey of 423 members is representative of AARP members in the state of Washington and has a margin of error of +/- 4.8%.

A full copy of the report is included on AARP's website at http://www.aarp.org/research/surveys/care/health/hcreform/articles/hrhcr.html

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization 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 over 35.5 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's nearly 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; 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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Added: November 16, 2009
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AARP, Members Reach Out to Congress in Support of Health Reform

For Immediate Release: Nov. 10, 2009

Contact: Jason Erskine / 206-517-9345

“Nearly four million calls to action were sent to AARP members”

WASHINGTON—After an historic vote in the House of Representatives this past Saturday, AARP and its nearly 40 million members remain hard at work, fighting for comprehensive health reform. As the health care reform debate moves to the Senate, AARP members are continuing to engage their friends and families in sending a message to Members of Congress that the time to fix the problems with our health care system is now.

“While we’re pleased with the vote in the House, there is still much work to be done to ensure that any final health care reform bill helps older Americans get the coverage they need,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “We’ll continue to work with our members and activists to tell senators that Americans age 50-plus need quality, affordable health coverage options, and to protect Medicare—not only for seniors, but also for future generations.”

In the coming weeks, AARP will renew its efforts to ensure that Senate health reform legislation includes provisions to strengthen Medicare by improving prescription drug benefits, making preventive benefits free, boosting payments for primary care doctors and nurses, and cracking down on waste and fraud. We will also be fighting to ensure that any final health reform bill makes coverage more affordable by strictly limiting how much more insurance companies can charge based on age and ensuring no Americans will be denied coverage because of their health history or discriminated against because of gender, and those who cannot afford insurance will receive help to purchase affordable coverage.

In addition, we will fight to ensure that older Americans and persons with disabilities have the support they need to live in their own homes and communities. Other AARP efforts will include:

* National ad buy, both print and television, to promote and support health care reform;

* Community briefings—hundreds of on-the-ground events and presentations to educate members on the specifics of what health care reform means to them;

* Tele-town hall meetings—40 direct conversations with AARP members and others to answer questions about the health care reform measures now being hammered out in Congress; and

* Emails to members with the facts about the legislation and how it meets AARP’s health care reform goals, and a call to action for supporters of health care reform to tell the Senate to vote for moving health reform forward.

After endorsing the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), AARP sent nearly four million emails and made over one million calls to its members. “We provided our members with the facts about the legislation and the opportunity to contact their Member of Congress and request that they vote to improve the health care system,” added LeaMond. “Thousands of our members called Congress to make the point that the health care needs of older Americans cannot be ignored. We’re following up with anyone who made a call or sent an email to let them know which way their Member voted.”

“America is closer than it has ever been to fixing what’s wrong with our health care system,” LeaMond said. “AARP will continue to work with lawmakers to address the needs of older Americans as health care reform takes one more step towards becoming reality.”

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Added: November 10, 2009
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AARP Praises Passage of House Health Care Reform Bill

AARP NEWS

AARP Washington, 9750 3^rd Ave. NE, Suite 450, Seattle, WA 98115

206-517-9345, 206-517-9350 Fax, www.aarp.org/wa

For Immediate Release:

November 7, 2009

Contacts:

Ingrid McDonald / 206-330-6531

Jason Erskine / 206-604-7085

AARP WASHINGTON KEY VOTE NEWS ALERT

ATTENTION NEWS DESKS: AARP is recording House and Senate roll call votes on key issues throughout the 111^th Congress, and informing its nearly 40 million members of the results of these key votes.

AARP Praises House Passage of Health Care Reform Bill

Critical legislation would strengthen Medicare, improve coverage for all Americans

SUMMARY: Today the United States House of Representatives passed critical health care reform legislation that would strengthen Medicare for seniors and end discrimination by insurance companies that prices millions of Americans out of affordable health coverage.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) makes prescription drugs more affordable for seniors by closing the dangerous gap in Medicare drug coverage and allowing the program to negotiate lower drug prices. It adds cost-free preventive services like cancer screenings and cracks down on waste and fraud to protect and strengthen traditional Medicare benefits. In addition, the legislation provides benefits to help seniors and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities by establishing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.

For all Americans—especially those age 50 to 64 who often struggle to find affordable insurance—this plan strictly limits how much more insurance companies can charge based on age, and stops insurers from denying coverage based on a person’s health history or gender. For those who still cannot find affordable coverage on their own, this bill offers help so they can purchase insurance.

Votes on H.R. 3962 by Washington state House delegation

Inslee, Jay: Yes

Larsen, Rick: Yes

Baird, Brian: No

Hastings, Doc: No

McMorris Rodgers, Cathy: No

****, Norm: Yes

McDermott, Jim: Yes

Reichert, Dave: No

Smith, Adam: Yes

** How a legislator votes on issues is only one factor in evaluating his or her legislative performance, which should also include such things as constituency services and committee work.

“We applaud those members of the House who supported this crucial legislation,” said AARP Advocacy Director Ingrid McDonald. “This bill will help millions of older Americans get the health coverage they need, while strengthening Medicare for today’s seniors and future generations. We look forward to working with these lawmakers to pass the Affordable Health Care for America Act this year.”

AARP notified the 111^th Congress that it was tracking roll call votes on key legislation important to its nearly 40 million members and reporting the outcomes of these votes back to its members. “When Americans understand the issues and where their lawmakers stand, they can make smart decisions. AARP will be there to give our members, as well as all Americans, the most accurate information we can,” McDonald concluded.

AARP members can see how their representatives voted on health care reform by going to www.aarp.org/governmentwatch . AARP’s Government Watch is a one-stop online portal that will be tracking and publicizing every designated key vote on issues facing Americans age 50-plus. A “Key Vote Summary” highlighting votes on these issues will be published at the end of each congressional session.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization 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 over 35.5 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's nearly 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; 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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Added: November 7, 2009
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Special Teletown Hall Opportunity with AG Rob McKenna

AARP Washington invites you to join a special “Teletown Hall” meeting with Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna on Tuesday, November 24 from 10:30am – 11:30am.

This is your opportunity to be on the phone with and ask questions of AG McKenna. The call will be in a “Town Hall” format and questions from the audience are encouraged. McKenna will talk about the latest on scams targeting seniors in our state, how to fight back, and how to get involved in your community.

It’s free to participate, and you do not need to be an AARP Member. But you must pre-register online here. When completing the registration form, be sure to provide your phone number. AARP will call you.

Added: November 5, 2009
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AARP Endorses Affordable Health Care for America Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 5, 2009

Contact: Jason Erskine / 206-517-9345

AARP Endorses Affordable Health Care for America Act

“As members of the House gear up for this historic vote, they will hear from older Americans”

Seattle, WA - Today AARP announced its endorsement of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) and the accompanying Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act (H.R. 3961). The Association’s support follows nearly two years of work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to craft a health care reform plan that meets the needs of AARP’s nearly 40 million members and all older Americans. Among those needs are reforms that strictly curb insurance companies’ discrimination against older Americans and Medicare improvements that strengthen benefits while protecting the program for future generations.

“We started this debate more than two years ago with the twin goals of making coverage affordable to our younger members and protecting Medicare for seniors,” said AARP Washington Advocacy Director Ingrid McDonald. “We’ve read the Affordable Health Care for America Act and we can say with confidence that it meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage.”

Today’s endorsement marks the first time in this legislative battle that AARP has put its full weight behind a comprehensive health care reform package. In the coming days, AARP will be educating its members about the health care reform package through its publications, paid advertising and more than five million calls and e-mails to its grassroots activists.

“As members of the House gear up for this historic vote, they will hear from older Americans,” said McDonald.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act contain critical components AARP has been fighting for on behalf of its members and all older Americans to improve health care for them and their families. They include:

· Protecting and strengthening Medicare for today’s seniors and future generations of retirees;

· Ensuring seniors can see the doctor of their choice or find a doctor if they need one by improving Medicare’s payments to doctors;

· Lowering drug costs for seniors by closing the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole” and allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug makers for lower drug prices;

· Taking steps to reduce waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiency in the Medicare program;

· Requiring Medicare and insurance companies to provide for important preventive services like screenings for diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis free of charge;

· Stopping insurance companies from denying you affordable coverage because of your age;

· Preventing insurance companies from denying you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition or dropping your coverage if you get sick;

· Limiting how much your insurance company can make you pay out-of-pocket;

· Providing affordable health insurance options for those who don’t have insurance; and

· Providing benefits to help seniors and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities by establishing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.

McDonald added: “We cannot continue to let insurers price older Americans out of the market, just as we cannot stand idle while millions of seniors are forced to choose between their groceries and their prescriptions. AARP is proud to endorse the Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, and we urge members of the House to pass this critical package in the coming days to help fix our broken health care system.”

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization 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 over 35.5 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's nearly 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; 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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Added: November 5, 2009
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Washington voters deliver a resounding "NO" on I-1033

For Immediate Release

November 3, 2009

Contacts:

Scott Whiteaker ("No on 1033” campaign), 206-303-9716

Jason Erskine (AARP), 206-517-9345

Voters reject Eyman’s Initiative 1033

No on 1033 campaign declares victory

(Seattle, WA) – The No on 1033 campaign is pleased to announce that voters today rejected Eyman’s Initiative 1033 with 55 percent of the vote (and counting).

“Voters have seen the impacts of the recession in their classrooms, communities and businesses, and understood that Eyman’s initiative would have made things worse,” said Doug Shadel, president of AARP Washington. “I believe that’s why we saw tonight’s rejection of Initiative 1033.”

The No on 1033 campaign coalition was made up of more than 270 labor unions, businesses, environmental groups, education advocates, chambers of commerce, health care organizations and others who all agreed that I-1033 would have gone too far and cut too deep.

“Hospitals, health care workers, community clinics, and nurses just couldn’t afford Initiative 1033. But the people who would have been hurt worst by this initiative are our patients. The work to defeat this initiative was for them,” said Cassie Sauer, vice president of the Washington State Hospital Association.

With the full support of this coalition, the No on 1033 campaign ran an aggressive statewide operation to educate voters about the impact I-1033 would have in their communities. The campaign and coalition members called 295,341 voters in the final six weeks of the election, canvassed in dozens of cities, and advertised on television statewide.

“Tonight voters rejected I-1033 because it would have slashed funding for students and schools by millions, if not billions. Washington voters know we should be investing in public education, not cutting it,” said Mary Lindquist, Washington Education Association president.

This effort led to the precipitous drop in support for the initiative that led to tonight’s victory in a just over one month: just four weeks ago, a KING5/Survey USA poll and Rasmussen poll by Eyman’s campaign showed Initiative 1033 with a double-digit lead.

“With Initiative 1033’s failure, we can ensure Washington’s infrastructure, colleges and universities remain competitive with other states and nations around the globe,” said George Allen of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

Read more in the AARP Bulletin here.

Added: November 4, 2009
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Keep Medicare Strong for Current and Future Generations

In today’s video, “How Can We Keep Medicare Strong for Current and Future Generations?”, doctors and people from organizations that have been representing seniors for years talk about how health care reform must eliminate waste in Medicare in order to protect Medicare benefits and ensure future generations have the health care they need when they retire.

We need your help in spreading the word about these videos. Please forward them to family and friends who may be concerned about what health care reform means for them.

For more information about health reform and seniors, including information on sharing your health reform story and contacting legislators, visit the Seniors to Seniors coalition at www.seniorstoseniors.org

Added: November 3, 2009
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Will Health Care Reform Keep My Doctor in Medicare?

In a new series of videos, older Americans and people from organizations that represent them speak honestly about how health care reform would impact seniors.

In today’s video, “Will Health Care Reform Keep My Doctor in Medicare,” doctors explain why Medicare, without health care reform, will require physicians to take considerable pay cuts, potentially forcing them to refuse Medicare patients or close their practices.

We need your help in spreading the word about these videos. Please forward them to family and friends who may be concerned about what health care reform means for them.

For more information about health reform and seniors, including information on sharing your health reform story and contacting legislators, visit the Seniors to Seniors coalition at www.seniorstoseniors.org

Added: November 2, 2009
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Will Health Care Reform Improve Long Term Care Choices?

In a new series of videos, older Americans and people from organizations that represent them speak honestly about how health care reform would impact seniors.

In today’s video, “Will Health Care Reform Improve Long Term Care Choices,” seniors and caregivers talk about the need for better long-term care choices as part of health care reform, as family members bear the brunt of caregiving and one year of long term care can cost as much as four years of college.

We need your help in spreading the word about these videos. Please forward them to family and friends who may be concerned about what health care reform means for them.

For more information about health reform and seniors, including information on sharing your health reform story and contacting legislators, visit the Seniors to Seniors coalition at www.seniorstoseniors.org

Added: October 30, 2009
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AARP Applauds House for Moving Health Care Reform Forward

Oct. 29, 2009

CONTACTS:
AARP National: 202-434-2560 or media@aarp.org

AARP Washington: Jason Erskine / jerskine@aarp.org

AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond issued this statement following today’s 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 efforts, please visit www.aarp.org/getthefacts.

Added: October 29, 2009
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