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Name: AARP
Location:
Madison, Wisconsin
United States
My Websites:
www.aarp.org/wi
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My Journals (42)

Stop the pain, take action for the common good

By Al Majkrzak

State President – AARP Wisconsin
 
Last summer I traveled throughout Wisconsin as AARP members met in community conversations concerning the state of health care reform.
 
Two powerful impressions remain with me from those conversations. The first is pain. The pain of seniors who are struggling to pay medical bills. The pain of seniors who are trying to stay healthy without health insurance. The pain of seniors who cannot afford the prescription drugs that they need.
 
The second is courage. There was an underlying sense that our health care system would soon be reformed and courage to persevere through the pain.  Our state office has over 800 letters from Wisconsinites that speak of the pain and the courage of their lives. It is time for our political leaders to recognize the pain and to show political courage.
 
That is why AARP is working so hard to ensure older Americans are getting the health care coverage they deserve. After a lifetime of hard work, no one deserves to spend their later years struggling with medical bills or risking their health and life because they cannot afford a visit to the doctor or a needed drug.
 
After reading the Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, AARP has endorsed these bills and we are pleased that the Affordable Health Care for America Act was recently passed by the House. These are just a few reasons that we endorsed the bill.
 
The coverage gap in Medicare Part D will begin to be filled immediately, and will close completely over time. The bill also allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug costs.
 
The House plan stops insurance companies from profiting on the backs of older Americans. It stops the practice of denying coverage because of age or pre-existing conditions and prohibits dropping people because they get sick.
 
There are measures in the plan that support preventive care and wellness, as well as primary and specialty care, chronic care coordination, and coverage for hospitalization, rehabilitation, emergency care, mental health, and prescription drugs. These are all things that will improve the health of our nation as a whole.
 
We’re making progress but we have a long way to go, so we’ll keep working with the House and Senate to ensure that our priorities are included in any final health care reform bill.  We’ll use the strength of our nearly 40 million members against any proposal that would hurt rather than help Medicare or older Americans’ access to affordable, quality health care.
 
The time has come to stop the pain and take action for the common good.
 
###
Added: November 16, 2009
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House Passes Health Reform

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


SUMMARY: Yesterday 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.

VOTED YES ON THE AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICA ACT

Baldwin, Tammy X
Obey, David X
Kind, Ron X
Moore, Gwen X
Kagen, Steve X



VOTED NO ON THE AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICA ACT

Ryan, Paul X
Sensenbrenner, James X
Petri, Tom X

* 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 Wisconsin State Director D’Anna Bowman. “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.”

“It’s disappointing that some lawmakers voted against this bill and the opportunity to fix our health care system,” Bowman added. “When millions of older Americans are struggling to afford quality insurance and millions of seniors must choose between their prescriptions and other necessities, we know this legislation must move forward. We hope they will reconsider their votes when a health care bill returns to the House for final approval.”

AARP notified the 111th 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,” Bowman 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. 

Added: November 8, 2009
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AARP Applauds House for Moving Health Care Reform Forward

WASHINGTON—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 effort, please visit http://www.aarp.org/health/articles/health_reform_get_the_facts.html.
 
Added: October 29, 2009
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TAKE ACTION CALL SENATOR FEINGOLD TODAY 10/21 for LTC!

This is an urgent request that needs your action TODAY!  

 

As you probably know, the Senate is currently working on merging the health care reform bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee with the bill passed earlier this summer by the Senate Health (HELP) Committee.  A top priority for AARP right now is to ensure that the final merged bill has home and community-based services provisions that are present in each separate bill. 

 

The HELP Committee bill has a provision called CLASS (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) that would help people pay for long term care insurance.  The Finance Committee bill has additional funds for home and community-based services.  We want both of these pieces in the final merged Senate health care reform bill. 

 

Please call Senator Feingold by 5:00 pm TODAY to urge him to support the inclusion of both the CLASS Act and Home and Community Based services provisions in the merged Senate bill.  Please call using a special toll-free number set up by AARP: 1-800-944-6723.

 

It is important to call as soon as possible because the Senate Democrats are meeting at 6:00 pm today to discuss this issue. 

 

 HCBS/CLASS TALKING POINTS

Senate

 

ü      As the Finance and HELP Committee bills are merged in the Senate, we urge you to retain key long-term services and supports provisions from both bills in the final Senate bill.

 

ü      Americans need greater access to home and community-based services (HCBS) and more financing options to help them pay for these critical services. 

 

ü      HCBS can help slow the growth in health care spending and keep millions of Americans out of nursing homes and in their own homes. 

 

ü      HCBS are cost-effective: On average, Medicaid can provide HCBS to three people for the cost of serving one person in a nursing home.  And the vast majority (89%) of Americans age 50+ want to live in their homes and communities as long as they can.

 

ü      That’s why we strongly urge you to support and retain Finance Committee provisions to expand access to Medicaid HCBS to help individuals live in their homes, including by providing financial incentives to states. 

 

ü      We also strongly urge you to support and retain HELP Committee provisions on the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) plan to establish a national voluntary insurance program for long-term services and supports to help individuals plan ahead so they can afford to pay for services when they need support to help them live independently in their homes and communities. 

 

ü      AARP strongly supports these important HELP and Finance provisions and asks for Senator Feingold’s support to keep them in the final Senate health care reform bill.

 

Added: October 21, 2009
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AARP Statement on Senate Finance Committee Passage HR 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.”

 

Added: October 14, 2009
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AARP Wisconsin State President Video Blog

Introducing Al Majkrzak AARP Wisconsin State President http://www.youtube.com/user/aarpwi#play/uploads/3/E2QFCXbEkS0

 

AARP Wisconsin and how we are fighting locally and nationally for our members in the health reform debate.

http://www.youtube.com/user/aarpwi#play/uploads/2/F-oc5Q_-_L4

 

More Myths and Facts surrounding healthcare reform - Will HCR be paid for by cuts in Medicare?

http://www.youtube.com/user/aarpwi#play/uploads/1/aFtFdiMP0gs

The Health Reform Process and where we're at right now 10/29

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CbT8qN9IHA

 

These videos will be updated regularily! Please check back here for new videos or subscribe to AARPWI on Youtube! You can also find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/aarpwisconsin or TWITTER at www.twitter.com/aarpwi

Added: September 18, 2009
Views: 82 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

What Health Insurance Reform Means to Wisconsin

   

HOW HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM WILL BENEFIT WISCONSIN

Topics on this page:

The New Numbers:
Health Insurance Reform Cannot Wait in Wisconsin

Last week, the U.S. Census released its new numbers for the uninsured. The results are sobering and confirm that health insurance reform cannot wait another year. Nationwide, the number of uninsured increased from 39.8 million in 2001 to 46.3 million in 2008. The facts below underscore the urgency of health insurance reform for residents of Wisconsin.

  • The status quo is not an option. The number of uninsured in Wisconsin has increased from 390,000 in 2001 to 535,000 in 2008. The percent of non-elderly adults without insurance increased from 9.9% to 13%. And this number only considers people who are uninsured for an entire year – it does not include people in Wisconsin who have more recently lost coverage through the recession, or who had shorter gaps in their coverage.
     
  • Private coverage is eroding under the status quo. The percentage of people with employer-based coverage decreased from 81.7% of the population in 2001 to 74.3% in 2008.
     
  • More workers are being left without protection from health care costs. Too many workers in Wisconsin do not have health coverage, at 361,000 in 2008. And the proportion of workers from Wisconsin without insurance has increased, from 9.1% in 2001 to 12.3% in 2008.
     
  • The problem of the uninsured is a problem that crosses income brackets. The new Census numbers also drive home the fact that everyone in Wisconsin is vulnerable to losing health insurance. An additional 30,000 people from high-income households are now uninsured.

 

Stable and Secure Health Care for Wisconsin
How Health Insurance Reform will Benefit Wisconsin

LOWER COSTS FOR RESIDENTS OF WISCONSIN

  • Ending the Hidden Tax – Saving You Money: Right now, providers in Wisconsin lose over $876 million in bad debt which often gets passed along to families in the form of a hidden premium “tax”.1 Health insurance reform will tackle this financial burden by improving our health care system and covering the uninsured, allowing the 124 hospitals2 and the 17,311 physicians3 in Wisconsin to better care for their patients.
  • Health Insurance Premium Relief: Premiums for residents of Wisconsin have risen 90% since 2000.4 Through health insurance reform, 459,400 to 522,000 middle class Wisconsin residents will be eligible for premium credits to ease the burden of these high costs.5
  • Strengthening Small Businesses: 94,633 employers in Wisconsin are small businesses.6 With tax credits and a health insurance exchange where they can shop for health plans, insurance coverage will become more affordable for them.
  • Reforms that Reduce Your Costs: Under health insurance reform, insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.  Insurance companies will also have to abide by yearly limits on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses, helping 29,100 households in Wisconsin struggling under the burden of high health care expenses.7

INCREASE YOUR CHOICES: PROTECTING WHAT WORKS AND FIXING WHAT'S BROKEN

  • Insurance Stability and Security: Health insurance reform will strengthen our system of employer-based health insurance, with an additional 62,300 people in Wisconsin potentially getting insurance through their work.8 Health insurance reform will also ensure that you will always have guaranteed choices of quality, affordable health insurance if you lose your job, switch jobs, move or get sick.
  • Eliminating Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions, Health Status or Gender: 7% of people in Wisconsin have diabetes9, and 26% have high blood pressure10 – two conditions that insurance companies could use as a reason to deny you health insurance. Health insurance reform will prevent insurance companies from denying coverage based on your health, and it will end discrimination that charges you more if you’re sick or a woman.
  • One-Stop Shopping – Putting Families in Charge: With the new health insurance exchange, you can easily and simply compare insurance prices and health plans and decide which quality affordable option is right for you and your family. These proposals will help the 465,800 residents of Wisconsin who currently do not have health insurance to obtain needed coverage, and it will also help the 292,600 Wisconsin residents who currently purchase insurance in the individual insurance market.11 
  • Guaranteeing Choices: The largest health insurer in Wisconsin holds 32% of the market, which limits the choices that you have for finding coverage.12 With a competitive public insurance option, you will have more choices and increased competition that holds insurance companies accountable.

ASSURE QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICANS

  • Preventive Care for Better Health: 33% of Wisconsin residents have not had a colorectal cancer screening, and 21% of women have not had a mammogram in the past 2 years.13 By requiring health plans to cover preventive services for everyone, investing in prevention and wellness, and promoting primary care, health insurance reform will work to create a system that prevents illness and disease instead of just treating it when it’s too late and costs more. 
  • Improving Care for Children and Seniors: 20% of children in Wisconsin have not visited a dentist in the past year14, and 26% of seniors did not receive a flu vaccine15. Health reform will ensure coverage for kids’ dental, vision, and hearing needs, and will promote quality coverage for America’s seniors, including recommended immunizations.

 

1 Hospital uncompensated care cost is estimated using a GAO model and the Hospital Cost Reports. Total uncompensated care is computed as hospital uncompensated care divided by 63% (Hadley and Holahan’s study on “The Cost of Care for the Uninsured” for Kaiser in 2004 found that hospitals account for 63% of total uncompensated care). Data expressed in 2009 dollars using Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “National Health Expenditure Data.”
2 2007 AHA Annual Survey Copyright 2009 by Health Forum LLC, an affiliate of the American Hospital Association, special data request, March 2009. Available at http://www.ahaonlinestore.com.
3 American Medical Association, Physicians Professional Data, year of data 2008, copyright 2008: Special Data Request.
4 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2000, Table II.D.1.
Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2006, Table X.D. Projected 2009 premiums based on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “National Health Expenditure Data.”
5 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey. Annual Social and Economic Supplements, March 2007 and 2008.
6 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2006, Table II.A.1a.
7 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2006.
8 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey. HIA-4 Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Coverage by State--All Persons: 1999 to 2007, 2007. Calculations based on Congressional Budget Office. Letter to the Hon Charles Rangel on America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, July 14, 2009.
9 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008.
10 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007.
11 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey. Annual Social and Economic Supplements, March 2007 and 2008.
12 American Medical Association. (2008,2009). "Competition in health insurance: A comprehensive study of U.S. Markets: 2008 Update," American Medical Association.
13 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007.
14 Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health.
15 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007.

The Health Care Status Quo:
Why Wisconsin Needs Health Reform

Congress and the President are working to enact health care reform legislation that protects what works about health care and fixes what is broken. Wisconsinites know that inaction is not an option. Sky-rocketing health care costs are hurting families, forcing businesses to cut or drop health benefits, and straining state budgets. Millions are paying more for less. Families and businesses in Wisconsin deserve better.

WISCONSINITES CAN’T AFFORD THE STATUS QUO

  • Roughly 3.7 million people in Wisconsin get health insurance on the job1, where family premiums average $13,488, about the annual earning of a full-time minimum wage job.2
  • Since 2000 alone, average family premiums have increased by 90 percent in Wisconsin.3
  • Household budgets are strained by high costs: 17 percent of middle-income Wisconsin families spend more than 10 percent of their income on health care.4
  • High costs block access to care: 8 percent of people in Wisconsin report not visiting a doctor due to high costs.5
  • Wisconsin businesses and families shoulder a hidden health tax of roughly $900 per year on premiums as a direct result of subsidizing the costs of the uninsured.6

AFFORDABLE HEALTH COVERAGE IS INCREASINGLY OUT OF REACH IN WISCONSIN

  • 9 percent of people in Wisconsin are uninsured, and 67 percent of them are in families with at least one full-time worker.7
  • The percent of Wisconsinites with employer coverage is declining: from 74 to 67 percent between 2000 and 2007.8
  • Much of the decline is among workers in small businesses. While small businesses make up 77 percent of Wisconsin businesses,9 only 41 percent of them offered health coverage benefits in 2006 -- down 7 percent since 2000.10
  • Choice of health insurance is limited in Wisconsin. Blue Cross Blue Shield WI alone constitutes a dominant percent of the health insurance market share in Wisconsin. 
  • Choice is even more limited for people with pre-existing conditions. In Wisconsin, premiums can vary based on demographic factors and health status, and coverage can exclude pre-existing conditions or even be denied completely.

WISCONSINITES NEED HIGHER QUALITY, GREATER VALUE, AND MORE PREVENTATIVE CARE

  • The overall quality of care in Wisconsin is rated as “Strong.”11
  • Preventative measures that could keep Wisconsinites healthier and out of the hospital are deficient, leading to problems across the age spectrum:
    • 13 percent of children in Wisconsin are obese.12
    • 21 percent of women over the age of 50 in Wisconsin have not received a mammogram in the past two years.
    • 33 percent of men over the age of 50 in Wisconsin have never had a colorectal cancer screening.
    • 74 percent of adults over the age of 65 in Wisconsin have received a flu vaccine in the past year.13

The need for reform in Wisconsin and across the country is clear. Wisconsin families simply can’t afford the status quo and deserve better. President Obama is committed to working with Congress to pass health reform this year that reduces costs for families, businesses and government; protects people’s choice of doctors, hospitals and health plans; and assures affordable, quality health care for all Americans.

 

1 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey. HIA-4 Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Coverage by State--All Persons: 1999 to 2007, 2007.
2 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2006, Table X.D.
Projected 2009 premiums based on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "National Health Expenditure Data," available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/nationalhealthexpenddata/.
3 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2000, Table II.D.1.
Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2006, Table X.D.
Projected 2009 premiums based on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "National Health Expenditure Data," available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/nationalhealthexpenddata/.
4 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2006.
5 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007.
6 Furnas, B., Harbage, P. (2009). "The Cost Shift from the Uninsured." Center for American Progress.
7 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey. Annual Social and Economic Supplements, March 2007 and 2008.
8 U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey. HIA-4 Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Coverage by State--All Persons: 1999 to 2007, 2007.
9 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2006, Table II.A.1a.
10 Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component, 2001, 2006, Table II.A.2.
11Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. 2008 State Snapshots. Available http://statesnapshots.ahrq.gov/.
12 Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health.
13 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007.

 
 

Added: September 18, 2009
Views: 120 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

Reaction to President Obama's Address to Congress this evening
WASHINGTON—AARP CEO Barry Rand released this statement following President Barack Obama’s address to Congress:

“Over the last several weeks, the health care debate shifted from a conversation to a shouting match, and legitimate concerns about how we fix our health care system were drowned out by myths and mischaracterizations. It’s time to get back to the goal of fixing our system so everyone has quality, dependable health care they can afford. We are optimistic that tonight’s address will help move us toward an agreement on these important issues.

“At AARP, we’re fighting for reforms that protect and expand benefits for people in Medicare, prevent discrimination based on age or health, and ensure no one—not an insurance company or a government bureaucrat—can come between you and your doctor. We need to close the dreaded gap in Medicare drug coverage that forces many to stop taking the medicines that keep them healthy. And we need to ensure that older Americans can buy and keep affordable health coverage.

“AARP will fight on behalf of our 40 million members to ensure health care reform works for them by making coverage available and affordable and by improving the quality of care they receive.

“We applaud the president’s effort to keep health care reform moving forward. Tonight, he laid out thoughtful goals for health care reform. We share many of those goals and we will continue to work for our members and their families to ensure health care reform meets their needs.”

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 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.
 
 
Added: September 10, 2009
Views: 85 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

Lowering health care costs a high priority for 8th CD seniors

 

More than 40 percent of the callers who took part in an AARP-hosted health care telephone townhall with special guest Rep. Steve Kagen (D-8th CD) on Aug. 19 responded in an informal poll that lowering health care costs is their top priority for health reform.
 
Nearly 7,000 constituents of Rep. Kagen – all AARP members – were on the call, asking the congressman and AARP representatives questions about the health reform legislation currently circulating in Congress.
 
A poll question during the hour-long conversation asked callers, “What is your top priority for health reform?” Of those who answered the poll question, 41 percent said “lowering health care costs” was their top priority. Another 22 percent said, “covering the uninsured,” and 21 percent said “lowering costs for prescription drugs.” Another 16 percent said, “improving Medicare.”
 
Rep. Kagen said, “any reform of our health care system must include protection for seniors.
 
“In order to guarantee access to affordable health care for all of us, we must fix what is broken and improve on what we already have. The health care legislation currently being considered by Congress will fill the donut hole in Medicare Part D and strengthen Medicare by ending all co-payments and deductibles for prevention services,” Kagen said.
 
“I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss these provisions with seniors in Northeast Wisconsin and to hear from them about their concerns with the current legislation.  This legislation is changing everyday, but I am working hard to protect the elements that are important to people in Northeast Wisconsin. It is a good bill, and it is getting better every week,” he added.
 
 
 
AARP has not yet endorsed any health reform plan, but has been supporting reform of the nation’s health care system for years.
 
“We're working closely with Republican and Democratic members of Congress to lower health care costs and to ensure quality affordable coverage for older Americans – and we want reform legislation passed and signed by the president this year,” said AARP Wisconsin State Director D’Anna Bowman.
 
AARP is stressing four major priorities in health care reform:
  1. Stopping insurance companies from charging older Americans unaffordable premiums because of their age.
  2. Ending the practice of excluding people from insurance because of pre-existing conditions.
  3. Holding down health costs and making insurance coverage more affordable for all Americans.
  4. Making prescription drugs more affordable by narrowing the Medicare doughnut hole, bringing generics to market faster, and allowing Medicare to negotiate better drug prices.
Added: August 20, 2009
Views: 118 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

Breaking News! SeniorCare Extended through 2012!

 

Three-year SeniorCare extension is great news for Wisconsin
 
AARP Wisconsin today applauds Governor Jim Doyle and the leaders of Wisconsin’s state and congressional delegations for working so diligently to extend the waiver for the state’s popular SeniorCare prescription drug program through 2012.
 
“This extension means that approximately 90,000 Wisconsinites age 65-plus will continue to benefit from SeniorCare, which provides them with affordable prescription drugs,” said AARP Wisconsin State Director D’Anna Bowman. “We will also be able to retain federal funding and rebate revenues from pharmaceutical companies so that these seniors won’t have to pay so much out of pocket. This extension is a lifesaver for folks like Louise Toth of Milwaukee, who pays $70 a month for her medications instead of about $600 that she would be paying without SeniorCare.
 
“Wisconsin has a long and proud tradition of making sure all residents, young and old, are well cared for,” Bowman said. “We have been working with the governor and legislators from both parties to extend SeniorCare beyond 2009. And we look forward to the governor’s continued leadership on senior issues for the rest of his term. Today’s announcement by Governor Doyle that SeniorCare will continue for at least three more years is great news for all Wisconsin residents.”
Added: August 18, 2009
Views: 135 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0
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