Campaign couples power of 40 million members, reach of national ad blitz

WASHINGTON—This week, AARP will launch the next phase of its Health Action Now campaign with a multimillion-dollar national advertising and grassroots push to ensure every American has a choice of doctor and dependable, affordable health insurance. The Association’s paid advertising—available online now—will run nationally on television, locally on radio, in print publications and online. AARP activists will also be in action in every state to ensure every member of Congress knows the 50-plus community wants action to fix what’s wrong with health care and preserve what’s right.

AARP’s advertising campaign will bust the myths some are spreading to frighten Americans, including false assertions that fixing the health care system will lead to rationed health care, a government takeover or even euthanasia.

“We won’t stand idle when opponents of health care reform attempt to scare or mislead the American people—and older Americans in particular—about what fixing the system really means,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “The truth is we need to fix health care, whether it’s ensuring affordable coverage for Americans age 50 to 64 or improving benefits for people in Medicare. It’s time for the public to get the real facts.”

AARP will combine this effort with grassroots action by millions of volunteers and activists. AARP members will visit their representatives and senators in their district offices and attend events in support of health care reform. The Association will also host more than 80 events across the country, including dozens of town hall meetings with legislators and community leaders.

LeaMond added: “The opponents of reform will stop at nothing to derail the process and protect their own vested interests—even if it means misleading older Americans. We’re here to make sure everyone knows the facts and not the myths.”

One of AARP’s new print ads reads: “Special interest groups are trying to block progress on health care reform using myths and scare tactics. Like the myth that health care reform will give the government the power to make life-and-death decisions for everyone. That’s simply false. The fact is, no one, including the government or your insurance company, will be given power to make life-and-death decisions for anyone regardless of their age. Those decisions will be made by you, your doctor and your family.”

This round of advertising is scheduled to run through mid-September in national outlets and in select local markets. Television advertisements will appear on networks including CBS, Fox News Channel, Lifetime and MSNBC, while online ads will appear on web sites including CNN.com and ABCNews.com, as well as social networking sites.

To view the ads or to get more information about AARP’s Health Action Now campaign, please visit www.healthactionnow.org.

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.

30 – 30 – 30
 

Throughout the debate on how to fix what’s broken about our health care system, AARP pledges to help you cut through the noise and find the facts about what health care reform means for you and your family.  When we see special interests using scare tactics, we’ll make sure you’re given the facts so you can make informed decisions about health care reform. Check out AARP’s blog this week, which is highlighting some of the most common myths being spread about health care reform and the facts that prove them wrong.

Obama Vows No Cuts to Medicare Benefits
President talks about his own experiences with the health care system
By: Patricia Barry | Source: AARP Bulletin Today | July 29, 2009
 

President Obama again took his appeal for health care reform directly to the American people Tuesday, this time at a telephone town hall meeting at AARP’s Washington headquarters where he answered questions from older men and women concerned about how proposed changes to the current health system would affect them.

“Nobody’s trying to change what does work in the system,” Obama told the estimated 180,000 listeners. “We are trying to change what doesn’t work in the system.”

In the face of growing public skepticism and congressional delay, the president used his 75-minute town hall to address the concerns of callers from across the country and to answer recurring questions—including the bizarre charge that every five years government bureaucrats would visit all older Americans to counsel them on ending their lives early. Will care be rationed? Is America heading toward socialized medicine and a system like Canada’s? Will Medicare benefits be cut?

“Nobody is talking about cutting Medicare benefits. I just want to make that absolutely clear,” he said emphatically.

Seated on a stool in front of the small studio audience, Obama appeared relaxed and confident, sometimes using kitchen table analogies to explain knotty health care proposals and to untangle some of the myths now widely circulating on the Internet.

Introducing Obama, AARP CEO A. Barry Rand said: “There’s a lot of misinformation about health care reform—even on what AARP stands for, and what AARP supports. This town hall is part of our ongoing effort to debunk myths and provide accurate information.”

He added: “I want to make it clear that AARP has not endorsed any particular bill or any of the bills being debated in Congress today. We continue to work with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and with the administration to achieve what is right for health care reform.”

AARP president Jennie Chin Hansen also cited confusion expressed in questions that have come from thousands of members who have participated in previous AARP town halls. “Like, will the government tell my doctor how to practice medicine?”

Obama said he understands that overhauling the health care system is not easy. “I know there are folks who will oppose any kind of reform because they profit from the way the system is right now. They’ll run all sorts of ads that will make people scared.”

But, he added, this has all happened before. “Back when President Kennedy and then President Johnson were trying to pass Medicare, opponents claimed it was socialized medicine,” he said. “When you look at the Medicare debate, it is almost exactly the same as the debate we’re having right now. Everybody who was in favor of the status quo was trying to scare the American people saying that government is going to take over your health care, you won’t be able to choose your own doctor, they’re going to ration care.” Obama added: “You know what? Medicare has been extraordinarily popular. It has worked. It has made people a lot healthier, given them security. And we can do the same this time.”

Here’s how he answered tough questions on a range of topics at the town hall session:

Will Medicare benefits be cut?

“Nobody is talking about reducing Medicare benefits,” Obama said. “Medicare benefits are there because people contributed into a system. It works. We don’t want to change it.” However, he added, “we do want to eliminate some of the waste that is being paid for out of the Medicare trust fund that could be used more effectively to cover more people and strengthen the system.”

For example, he said, “right now we’re paying about $177 billion over 10 years to insurance companies to subsidize them for participating in Medicare Advantage [private health plans, such as HMOs, offered as an alternative to the traditional Medicare program]. “Now, insurance companies are already really profitable. So what we said is, let’s at least have some sort of competitive bidding process where these insurance companies who are participating [in Medicare] are not being subsidized on the taxpayer dime,” he added. “That’s the kind of change we want to see.”

End-of-life care

One caller, Mary from North Carolina, said she’d heard rumors that all Medicare beneficiaries would be visited and “told to decide how they wish to die.”

Obama seemed amused by the idea, pointing out that the government didn’t have enough employees to make millions of personal visits. “Nobody is going to be knocking on your door,” he promised.

The president said the rumor could be linked to a measure in one of the proposed bills that would allow Medicare coverage, once every five years, for consultations between doctors and patients about hospice care, living wills and other discussions about people’s wishes on the kind of care they want at the end of their lives. “The intent here is to simply make sure that you’ve got more information, and that Medicare will pay for it,” he said.

He referred to the recent death of his grandmother and the living will that gave her some control toward the end of her life.

“The problem right now is that most of us don’t give direction to our family members, so when we get really badly sick … the [doctors] are making decisions in consultation with your kids or your grandkids and nobody knows what you would have preferred,” he said, emphasizing that the provision is only one of many proposals in one bill and that Congress could revisit it. Both he and his wife, Michelle, had already made living wills, Obama added.

What will happen if nothing is done to reform the system?

Ollie, from Texas, noted the “many negative advertisements and articles about the tremendous cost for health care reform.” He asked the president: “What would it cost if we do nothing?”

Obama responded: “Health care costs are going up much faster than inflation,” more than twice the rate of wage increases every year, “and your premiums will probably double again over the next 10 years.” Plus: “We’re already seeing 14,000 people lose their health insurance every day. So the costs of doing nothing are trillions of dollars over the next couple of decades—trillions, not billions … without anybody getting any better care.”

If health care inflation can be controlled, he added, “then not only can we stabilize the Medicare trust fund, not only can we help save families money on their premiums, but we can actually afford to provide coverage to the people who currently don’t have health care.”

Noting that the United States spends $6,000 more per person on health care—50 percent more—than any other industrialized country, he observed: “That’s money out of your pocket. If you’re already retired, that money could have been going into your retirement fund instead of going to pay for your health care. If you’re working right now, some of that money could be going into your paycheck. … It’s money that’s being given away and we need to save it. That’s why health reform is so important.”

Will I be able to get health care if I have a preexisting medical condition?

Responding to a caller who said her 56-year-old brother was “uninsurable” because of his health, the president said that under reform proposals, “If you’ve got a preexisting condition, insurance companies will still have to insure you.”

Referring to his mother, who died of cancer, he said: “She had to spend weeks fighting with insurance companies while she’s in the hospital bed, writing letters back and forth just to get coverage for insurance she’d already paid premiums on. And that happens all across the country. We’re going to put a stop to that.”

Also, he said, “We’re going to reform the insurance system so that they can’t just drop you if you get too sick. They won’t be able to drop you if you change jobs or lose your job. … We want clear, easy-to-understand, straightforward insurance that people can purchase.

“The idea behind reform is: Number one, we reform the insurance companies so they can’t take advantage of you. Number two, we provide you a place to go to purchase insurance that is secure, that isn’t full of fine print, that is actually going to deliver on what you pay for. Number three, we want to make sure that you’re getting a good bargain for your health care by reducing some of the unnecessary tests and costs that have raised rates.”

Will I be able to keep the insurance I’ve got now?

Answering a question from Margaret of Greeley, Colo., who said she wants to keep the good coverage she already has, Obama said, “Here’s a guarantee that I’ve made: If you have insurance that you like, then you’ll be able to keep that insurance. If you’ve got a doctor that you like, you’ll be able to keep your doctor. Nobody is going to say you’ve got to change your health care plan.

“This is not like Canada where suddenly we are dismantling the system and everybody’s signed up under some government program. If you’ve already got health care, the only thing we’re going to do for you is, we’re going to reform the insurance companies so that they can’t cheat you. … If you don’t have health insurance, we’re going to make it a little bit easier for you to be able to obtain health care.”

What if I haven’t got insurance or don’t like the coverage I have now?

People without good coverage—those currently uninsured, underinsured or purchasing expensive individual insurance for themselves and their families without benefit of the group negotiating power that employer-sponsored plans wield—will be able to choose from a menu of private health plans (plus maybe one government-run plan) through a national health insurance exchange.

The way this would work, Obama said, is that “anybody who wants insurance but can’t get it on their job right now can go to this exchange. They can select a plan that works for them or their families … but whatever you select, you will get high-quality care for a reasonable cost, the same way members of Congress are able to select from a menu of plans. And if the plan you select is still too expensive for your income then we would provide you a little bit of help so that you could actually afford the coverage.”

In response to Jeanine of Fairmont, Neb.—who said that she and her husband, both self-employed, currently pay $900 a month for insurance with an $8,000 deductible—Obama said that the exchange would offer people in their situation not only more choices but the protection of being in a large bargaining pool. “The exchange will provide that same market power [as large employers have] to help negotiate with the insurers to drive prices down.”

Will care be rationed?

Carolyn, from Joliet, Ill., asked: “Even if I decide when I’m 80 that I want a hip replacement, am I going to be able to get that?”

Obama responded: “My interest is not in getting between you and your doctor—although keep in mind that right now insurance companies are often getting between you and your doctor. [Decisions] are being made by private insurance companies without any guidance as to whether [they] are good decisions to make people healthier or not.

“So we just want to provide some guidelines to Medicare, and by extension the private sector, about what [treatments] work and what doesn’t.”

That guidance, under current health care reform proposals, would come from a new medical advisory committee that, Obama said, would recommend “what treatments work best and what gives you the best value for your health care dollar,” independent of political considerations.

“We don’t want to ration by dictating to somebody [that] we don’t think this senior should get a hip replacement,” he said. “We do want to provide information to [you and your doctor about what] is going to be most helpful to you in dealing with your condition.”

Later, to illustrate the point, Obama used a family budget analogy: “If you figure out a way to reduce your heating bill by insulating your windows … you’re still warm inside. [But] you’re not wasting all that energy and sending it in the form of higher bills to the electric or gas company. And that’s then money you can use to save for your retirement or help your kid go to college. Well, it’s the same principle within the health system.”

Does reform mean socialized medicine?

Addressing the widespread concern that reforms would move the country toward socialized medicine, Obama assured the audience that they would not.

“A lot of people have heard this phrase ‘socialized medicine,’ ” he said. “And they say, ‘We don’t want government-run health care. We don’t want a Canadian-style plan.’ Nobody is talking about that. We’re saying, let’s give you a choice.”

Smiling, he continued, “I got a letter from a woman the other day. She said, ‘I don’t want government-run health care. I don’t want socialized medicine. And don’t touch my Medicare.’ ” As the audience laughed, he added: “I wanted to say, ‘That’s what Medicare is. It’s a government-run health care plan that people are very happy with.’ ”

Winding up his remarks, Obama said he didn’t expect to achieve a perfect health care system. “But we could be doing a lot better than we’re doing right now. … We shouldn’t have people who are working really hard every day without health care or with $8,000 deductibles—which means basically they don’t have health insurance unless they get in an accident or they get really sick. That just doesn’t make sense. So we’ve got to have the courage to be willing to change things.”

After the phone-in town hall ended, Bonnie M. Cramer, AARP’s board chairman, said that she thought the president “really made it very clear that Medicare beneficiaries will not see cuts in Medicare services.” In speaking directly to older Americans, she said, “He put to rest a lot of their concerns.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Patricia Barry is a senior editor of the AARP Bulletin.
 

             Association fighting proposals that would unfairly burden people in Medicare

WASHINGTON—AARP CEO Barry Rand today wrote to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, urging Congress to find ways to pay for comprehensive health care reforms beyond the Medicare savings already announced that will improve the program’s efficiency.  In a letter to Chairman Waxman, Rand applauded the committee’s reported compromise agreement for “hold[ing] the line on additional Medicare savings.”  Rand emphasized that AARP members would not support legislation that finances reform through higher out-of-pocket costs or reduced benefits for people in Medicare.

“AARP cannot support any efforts to target Medicare beneficiaries for increased cost-sharing or other benefit cuts,” Rand wrote.  “In addition, we cannot support backdoor attempts to finance health care reform through increases in beneficiary costs or reductions in benefits, for example, through use of commissions or other process mechanisms.”

Rand noted that people in Medicare today already spend, on average, nearly 30 percent of their income on out-of-pocket health care costs, restating the Association’s fight against proposals that would unfairly burden people in Medicare.

Rand added: “We know you share the position, expressed by the President in his July 22 press conference—and reiterated this week in AARP’s own tele-town hall—that health reform will not result in less generous Medicare benefits.”

AARP has reassured its members that proposals it has reviewed so far to save money in Medicare will not raise their out-of-pocket costs or reduce access to care.  AARP has urged Congress to find smart Medicare savings, such as reducing payments to private insurers in Medicare, lowering drug costs and preventing avoidable hospital readmissions.

In the letter, Rand applauded the Energy and Commerce Committee’s compromise agreement, which reportedly retains many of the key priorities of AARP’s members, including closing the Part D doughnut hole, strictly limiting age-rating and creating subsidies to help more Americans purchase their choice of coverage.

“We are pleased the House bill retains a stricter 2 to 1 limit on how much more insurers can charge older Americans for premiums,” Rand wrote.  “In addition, we are pleased that the House Energy and Commerce bill still provides sliding-scale subsidies up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.  These subsidies are essential to making certain our members can afford coverage and not pay an unfair percentage of their incomes for health care expenses.”

For a complete copy of Rand’s letter to Chairman Waxman, please contact AARP Media Relations at the number above.

For more information about AARP’s Health Action Now campaign, please visit www.healthactionnow.org.

     Commentary by Betsy McCaughey “rife with gross, cruel distortions.”

WASHINGTON—AARP Executive Vice President John Rother issued the following statement in response to recent commentary by Betsy McCaughey in various media outlets on health care reform measures passed or currently being considered by Congress.

“Betsy McCaughey’s recent commentary on health care reform in various media outlets is rife with gross—and even cruel—distortions.

“Ms. McCaughey has again launched her customary broadside attack against comparative effectiveness research. She describes this term as ‘code’ for ‘limiting care based on a patient’s age.’ In fact the term for that is ‘age rating,’ a practice used by insurance companies to discriminate against older Americans against which AARP is vigorously fighting, and we look forward to her next column to help the cause.

“‘Comparative effectiveness research,’ on the other hand, is a technical term that just means giving doctors and patients the ability to compare different kinds of treatments to find out which one works best for which patient.

“Some estimates say that only about half of all therapies that patients receive have been backed up by head-to-head comparisons with alternatives. While our country spends more than $2 trillion a year on health care, we spend less than 0.1 percent on evaluating how that care works compared to other options.

“This research has been around (although sadly not enough) for decades, enjoying support from political leaders of both parties, doctors, patients, and consumer advocacy groups.

“The main opponents of this research are those groups with a vested interest in a health care system that wastes billions of dollars each year on ineffective or unnecessary drugs, treatments or tests. Given Ms. McCaughey’s position as a Director of a medical device producer, I would hope that any potential conflict of interest has not influenced her commentary.

“More concerning, Ms. McCaughey’s criticism misinterprets legislation that would actually help empower individuals and doctors to make their own choices on end-of-life care.

“This measure would allow Medicare to pay doctors for taking the time to talk with individuals about difficult end-of-life care decisions. It would help provide people with better information on the positives and negatives—both physical and financial—that different treatments can mean for them and their families.

“Facing a terminal disease or debilitating accident, some people will choose to take every possible life-saving measure in the hopes that treatment or even a cure will allow them more time with their families. Others will decide that additional treatment would impose too great a burden—emotional, physical and otherwise—on themselves and their families, declining extraordinary measures and instead choosing care to manage their discomfort. Either way, it should be their choice.

“This measure would not only help people make the best decisions for themselves, but also better ensure that their wishes are followed.

“To suggest otherwise is a gross, and even cruel, distortion—especially for any family that has been forced to make the difficult decisions on care for loved ones approaching the end of their lives.

“AARP is committed to improving the quality, effectiveness, and affordability of health care for our 40 million members and their families. We will fight any measure that would prevent individuals and their doctors from making their own health care decisions. We will also fight the campaign of misinformation that vested interests are using to try to scare older Americans in order to protect the status quo. Profits should never be allowed to come before people in this debate.”
 

Washington – AARP today reacted to the Senate’s decision to put off voting on health care reform legislation until after the August recess.  A statement from AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond follows:

“AARP is disappointed in the failure to reach agreement on passing comprehensive health care reform until after the August recess.  The millions of people impacted by high drug costs and those that can’t get adequate health insurance because of age or a pre-existing condition need help now.  An August of waiting will not lower costs, increase access or improve quality.  Few understand the enormous challenge of this task better than AARP.  We have been working to reform health care for more than 50 years and we know this is difficult.  But Congress needs to get this done.  American families simply cannot afford Washington’s stalemate any longer.”

WASHINGTON—AARP CEO Barry Rand released this statement following the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s passage of the Affordable Health Choices Act:

“Today’s vote brings us one big step closer to comprehensive health care reform that ensures every American has a choice of quality, affordable coverage.  We are proud of the committee’s leadership on this issue and their commitment to passing legislation this year, but we remain concerned with some of the bill’s specifics.

“The bill passed today includes several smart provisions that will help Americans get affordable health care.  By strictly limiting insurers’ discriminatory practices, the bill ensures Americans can purchase affordable health coverage, regardless of age or health status.  It also helps struggling middle-class families by limiting premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, providing true relief from rising health costs.

“The bill’s long-term care provisions will put more people on track to get the health and long-term care services and supports they need throughout their lives and take some of the burden off of struggling Medicaid programs.  The bill also takes needed steps to strengthen the health care workforce and prepare it to meet the needs of an aging population, particularly in the critical fields of primary care and nursing.

“However, we remain concerned about the bill’s unreasonable exclusivity period for brand name biologic drugs, which will keep less costly generic versions from the people who need them and result in billions of dollars of profit for the brand name drug industry.

“AARP thanks Chairman Kennedy, Senator Dodd and their colleagues for their strong commitment to health care reform.  With their help, America is closer to finally achieving the goal of quality, affordable health care for all.”

“This bill would make great strides for all of our members and their families”