For Immediate Release :                                                       Contacts: David Irwin (312) 458-3621                                                                                            

Tuesday, June 16, 2009                                                                            Gerardo Cardenas (312) 458-3609           

AARP SAYS ILLINOIS BUDGET TO CREATE DISASTERFORSTATE’S ELDERLY

 AARP Vows to Fight Harsh Cuts to Health Care, Rx and Community Services - Urges Legislators and Governor to Fix the Budget

CHICAGO , Illinois – With one of the worst budgets in Illinois state history looming, older Illinoisans are bracing for disaster.  While letters are in the mail to those who will be dealt the harshest blow, AARP has vowed to fight the hurtful budget which is set to slash health care, prescription drug assistance and programs providing critical community services for the elderly. 

With nearly 2 million members in Illinois, AARP is urging the legislature and the Governor to go back to Springfield and fix the broken budget they left behind, before the harsh cuts take effect.

“This budget is devastating for Illinoisans of all ages; many who have already fallen on tough times will have the rug pulled out from under them,” said Bob Gallo, State Director for AARP in Illinois.  “Legislators and the Governor cannot, in good conscience, implement a budget that hurts so many people, including several hundred thousand of the state’s most vulnerable elderly.”

Key among the cuts opposed by AARP:

·          Community Care Program slated to cut by more than half, leaving over 20,000 without the services they need to remain in their communities, subjecting them to more costly institutional care, such as nursing homes.

·          Closing all four Illinois veterans’ homes – leaving over 1,000 veterans without health care and other services.

·          Circuit Breaker program cut by 50% – which helps over 270,000 older Illinoisans struggling with high Rx costs and property taxes.

·          Slashing funding for the investigation of neglect and abuse in nursing homes.

·          Cutting home services for the disabled – leaving over 5,000 people with no community access to the programs that help them remain independent.

“On behalf of our over 2 million AARP members in Illinois State, we are calling on our state elected officials to go back to Springfield and fix the nightmare budget they left behind,” added Gallo.

AARP has set up the Illinois State Budget Hotline, toll-free at 1-888-616-3322, to connect the public directly to their legislators on this issue.       

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For Immediate Release:                                                            Contacts: David Irwin (312) 458-3621                                                                                           

For Immediate Release                                               Contacts:

Monday, June 8, 2009                                                 David Irwin                312-206-6755

                                                                                           Gerardo Cardenas             312-351-0228

NATIONAL EXPERTS TO TACKLE CHALLENGES OF DIVERSE AGING POPULATION IN U.S. 

AARP Hosts Three-Day Conference on Diversity and Aging – Focus on Workforce, Economy & Future

CHICAGO , Illinois– The face of the nation is rapidly changing - a third of the nation now describes themselves as being members of ethnic minorities, while 30 percent of the population is now over the age of 50.  To address the demographic changes and challenges, AARP has convened a national conference of policy makers, health care professionals, business leaders and other experts, aimed at looking at the impact of the diverse, aging population in today’s society.

“Business leaders, employers, policy makers and service providers need to develop strategies to respond to the challenges an aging and diverse workforce brings to the marketplace and the workplace,” said Bob Gallo, AARP Illinois State Director. “AARP is proud to host this conference in Chicago, one of the more diverse cities in the nation.”

The conference, titled Diversity and Aging in the 21^st Century: The Power of Inclusion, will be held June 8-10 at the Marriot Chicago Downtown.

The three-day event will bring together more than 200 national experts on issues of the economy, finances, social policy, labor, health and the law, to discuss how these issues impact and are impacted by diversity.

Among the highlights, the conference will be the framework for the national release of “Older Hispanic American Workers: Current Status and Future Prospects”, a groundbreaking report put together by AARP and the Urban Institute. The study looks at what are the specific issues that Hispanic workers 50 and older bring to the workforce, and what policy recommendations can be made.

The Conference will also look at the impact of the economic crisis on older Americans, women’s and diversity issues, legal and ethical issues for older adults, racial disparities, elder care in the LGBT community, employment and disability, the digital revolution, and many others.

Conference headliners include: Jennie Chin Hansen, President of AARP; Harry Pachon, President of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute; Dory Rand, President of the Woodstock Institute; Joseph Podlasek, Executive Director of the American Indian Center; and nationally renowned comedian Josh Blue, who will perform in the Closing Plenary Session on June 10.

More information about the Conference is available online at: http://www.aarp.org/aarp/human_resources/diversity/articles/2009_diversity_aging_conference.html

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For Immediate Release                                               Contacts:

Monday, June 1, 2009                                                 David Irwin                312-458-3621

                                                                                           Gerardo Cardenas             312-458-3609

ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY MOVES TO ADDRESS SOARING UTILITY RATES

AARP-backed Measure to Help Consumers Struggling with High Utility Bills & Make the Illinois Commerce Commission Accountable Sent to Governor  

SPRINGFIELD , Illinois– With nearly half of the nation reporting difficulty paying for their utilities - for Illinois consumers help may be on the way soon.  Over the weekend the General Assembly passed legislation, Senate Bill 1918, aimed at providing relief to struggling consumers.  AARP is urging Governor Quinn to sign the bill into law.

The legislation, sponsored by Senator Kimberly Lightford and Representative Bob Flider, will bring relief to low-income households by allowing eligible customers to pay no more than 6% of their income and use their LIHEAP benefits to maintain affordable year-round utility service.  Consumers will also get help in better managing their utility bills, aiming to break the cycle of disconnections and reconnections that often occur when households struggle with paying their utility bills.

“Individuals on limited incomes, especially older adults, are making tough choices in order to pay their utility bills. In this economy, people need help to afford basic necessities,” said Bob Gallo, AARP Illinois State Director. “AARP commends Senator Lightford and Representative Flider for their leadership on this issue, and urges the Governor to sign it into law.”

Aiming to eliminate any “back room” discussions between the Illinois Commerce Commission and utility companies, the legislation will also require all such meetings are open to the public.

“The Illinois Commerce Commission has failed to strike a fair balance between the interests of utility companies and those of consumers – this legislation looks to change that,” added Gallo.  “This bill will help make the ICC more accountable to consumers, and open the process by which the ICC and utility companies make decisions affecting the public.”

In the current economy, older adults, low-income residents and people with disabilities may pay up to 25 percent of their limited income in utilities.  A recent AARP survey found that nearly half (44%) of adults have found in difficult to afford their utilities in the past several months, while 63% have limited their use of home energy, or have had to adopt other cost-cutting measures, including cutting on medical care of prescription drugs, because of rising utilities costs.

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For Immediate Release                                               Contacts:

Friday, May 29, 2009                                                  David Irwin                312-458-3621

                                                                                           Gerardo Cardenas             312-458-3609

AARP PRESSES TO CLOSE PAYDAY LENDING LOOPHOLES IN ILLINOIS

Urges General Assembly to Pass Legislation To Reform the Payday Loan Industry – Put a Stop to Loans Carrying up to 700% Interest Rates

SPRINGFIELD , Illinois– Consumers in dire straits because of the unrelenting economic crisis often need cash to deal with financial emergencies – and just as often fall prey to predatory lenders who charge them astronomical, triple digit interest rates, and send them into an unending cycle of debt.

Legislation aimed at reforming the payday loan industry seeks to provide urgently needed protections to consumers. But pressure from the payday loan industry is keeping the legislation – Senate Bill 1435 – stuck in the crucial House Executive committee. On behalf of its 1.8 million Illinois members, AARP urges legislators to do the right thing, pass the legislation and send it to the Governor so it can be enacted into law.

Illinois payday lenders are charging up to 700 percent interest on longer term, 120+ day loans. A 2005 law regulated the short-term payday loan industry, protecting consumers from the worst abuses of the industry. But lenders found a loophole in the law allowing them to issue longer term, consumer installment loans with triple-digit interest.

Low-income older adults are particular susceptible to the abusive high interest rates charged through consumer installment loans. An AARP survey found almost one-fifth of people aged 50-64 have cashed a check at a payday loan outlet. Additionally, older adults on fixed incomes have a much more difficult time repaying these loans as their bills for health care, food, utilities, and housing often match their income, leaving no room to afford predatory lending rates.

SB 1435, introduced by State Representative Julie Hamos and supported by Governor Pat Quinn and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, would provide key consumer protections by:

·         Setting interest rates from 36% to 99% for small consumer installment loans;

·         Establishing a 36% rate cap on loans over $4,000

·         Closing the loophole in the Payday Loan Reform Act, ensuring that all small consumer loans carry important protections.

AARP is urging the General Assembly to put the interests of Illinois consumers first, and help make sure they are protected from industry abuses by passing SB 1435.

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For Immediate Release :                                                            Contacts: David Irwin (312) 458-3621                                                                                           

Friday, May 29, 2009                                                                               Gerardo Cardenas (312) 458-3609           

ILLINOIS CLOSER TO LAW “SHINING THE LIGHT” ON SOARING HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS

AARP Top Priority - Insurance Reform Legislation Requires Companies to Justify Premium Increases & Profits vs. Spending on Patient Care  

SPRINGFIELD , Illinois – Soaring health care premiums, already a concern for nearly 80% of Illinois residents, are expected to nearly double in the next four years alone.  Consumers are looking for answers – and they are now one step closer to a new law “shining the light” on premium increases, company profits and how much is spent on actual health care. 

The Health Insurance Consumer Protection Act (House Bill 3923) passed out of the crucial Senate Executive Committee yesterday, with bipartisan support and is expected to come to a full Senate vote this week.  The legislation, which passed the House in April, is a top priority for AARP and its nearly 2 million members in Illinois.

The legislation, introduced by State Representative Greg Harris and State Senator Heather Steans, would bring transparency to the health insurance industry by requiring companies to report and justify their profits and how much they spend on health care for the consumer to the Illinois Department of Insurance.  The information will be made available to the public on the Department’s website on a biannual basis – giving consumers insight into soaring health insurance premiums. 

“Across Illinois, most families are living in a health care crisis – cutting back on the essentials just to keep up with skyrocketing insurance premiums,” said Bob Gallo, State Director for AARP in Illinois. “This legislation is a critical step towards reforming health insurance in Illinois and I commend Representative Harris and Senator Steans for their leadership on this issue.”

Several important consumer protections are also included in the legislation, such as providing the Office of Patient Protection with authority over insurance companies, and providing an external review process for denied insurance claims and premium increases.

“AARP has made tackling the health care crisis a priority – we’re working on it at the national level and in every state,” added Gallo.  “We urge the Senate to pass the Health Insurance Consumer Protection Act and the Governor to sign it into law.”

Nationally, AARP is pressing for several key health care reform measures, including closing the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole,” creating access to generic versions of expensive biologic prescription drugs, and preventing costly hospital readmissions by creating a follow-up care benefit in Medicare.  

According to a new AARP survey, Health Care in Illinois: In a State of Crisis, 80% of AARP members are worried about having to pay more for health care in the coming year, while 57% have reported difficulty in paying for essential items such as health care due to the economy.  Of those surveyed, 54% said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports making health care affordable.

The full survey can be found online at: http://www.aarp.org/research/health/carefinancing/il_hcr_09.html

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This Saturday, May 23^rd at 2pm: AARP will be featured on **** Kay’s “Back on the Beat” on WCPT Chicago - AM 820* - discussing the current national debate around health care reform – what’s the current problem, and what Congress and the President must include in any reform in order to get it right.

 Show call in number:   773-838-9278

 Where show will air:

 *820 AM in the City of Chicago only. If you live in the suburbs, please tune in to:

92.5 FM: Western suburbs.

92.7 FM: Northern suburbs.

99.9 FM: Southern suburbs.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 15, 2009

Contact

David Irwin                312-458-3621

Gerardo Cardenas       312-458-3609

AARP: Health Reform Must Cut Medicare Waste, Fraud

New follow-up care benefit would prevent costly hospital readmissions

CHICAGO , Illinois —With the federal government now predicting an even shorter lifespan for the Medicare trust fund, AARP is pressing lawmakers to make Medicare improvements that will save the program and its members billions of dollars each year.  Specifically, the Association is telling Congress to crack down on Medicare fraud and include a follow-up care benefit in Medicare that would reduce costly hospital readmissions.

During a nationwide tele-briefing today, AARP officials discussed the findings of their recent report, “Chronic Care: A Call to Action for Health Reform.”  The report, which surveyed older Americans with chronic disease, found 1 in 5 people has suffered because of poor communication with and among their health care providers.  Many reported getting conflicting instructions from their doctors and nurses.

“The lack of coordination in health care is needlessly sending millions of Americans back to the hospital each year, including nearly 22 percent of Medicare recipients in Illinois,” said AARP Illinois State Director Bob Gallo.  “Simply by adding a follow-up care benefit to Medicare, we can help people move from the hospital back into their home or nursing home with the information and resources they need to stay healthy.”

During the briefing, AARP also announced its endorsement of new legislation to crack down on the billions of dollars lost each year to Medicare fraud.  The bipartisan Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection (STOP) Act, sponsored by Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and John Cornyn (R-TX), would provide the resources needed to detect and prosecute fraud and take common-sense steps to protect people in Medicare.

Gallo added: “At a time when Americans are counting every penny, we cannot afford to waste billions of dollars each year on health care fraud.  As lawmakers work to enact comprehensive health reform, they must crack down on the waste, fraud and abuse that are costing our health care system too much.”

For details on AARP’s health reform priorities, visit http://www.aarp.org/governmentwatch.

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Summer vacation may be approaching fast for Illinois school kids, but your AARP Illinois volunteers will be working hard on an advocacy blitz to improve the health care system. Keeping Medicare strong for current and future generations is a top priority. We want to lower costs for people on Medicare, while also eliminating waste, fraud and abuse that squander money, and result in medical errors and poor care.

Skyrocketing costs and our economic crisis are pricing millions of beneficiaries out of the care they need. Medicare patients now spend an average of 30% of their incomes on out-of-pocket health costs -- six times more than those with employer coverage

These runaway health costs burden families and the Medicare program itself. To address them, AARP supports an array of actions to contain costs, attack waste and make care more efficient. For example , AARP is also fighting to reduce unnecessary rehospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries. A recent study found that one in five people on Medicare who leave the hospital have to go back within 30 days, and about one-third have to go back within 90 days. These unplanned and often avoidable readmissions cost Medicare $17.4 billion in 2004.

A way to reduce them would be for Medicare to establish a follow up care benefit that helps patients transition home safely after a hospital stay. Under such a benefit, a team of health professionals could establish an individual plan for each patient, to make sure he or she gets adequate follow-up help -- including medication management and education -- to thrive after discharge to home or another facility.

These common-sense health reforms are not likely to be enacted without AARP’s leadership. We need your support and your voice to convince Congress to act on them. So please sign up today at www.healthactionnow.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Michelle Alvarez, (202) 434-2555; malvarez@aarp.org

David Irwin – (312) 458-3621; dirwin@aarp.org

AARP to Host Cross-Generational ‘Life Festival’
in Chicago, June 5-6

Event Will Feature Nearly 100 Exhibits, Forums on Health Care and Financial Security, Interactive Marketplace, Job Fair for Older Workers, Free Health Screenings and Top Musicians

***R&B/GOSPEL DUO MARY MARY TO HEADLINE ENTERTAINMENT***

CHICAGO, IL (May 11, 2009) – AARP, the world’s largest advocacy organization for people age 50+, today announced it will bring its new “Life Festival” event to Chicago on June 5-6, 2009.  The two-day, cross-generational celebration will serve the diverse city of Chicago and its surrounding communities by delivering a vibrant combination of learning and sharing in the form of high-profile speakers addressing health, wellness and financial security topics, exhibits, free health screenings, a job fair, and musical entertainment. Upwards of approximately 5,000 attendees are expectedand UnitedHealth Group has signed on as the premier sponsor for the AARP Life Festival.

“With people across the state struggling with job loss and soaring health care costs, they need help, tools and resources more than ever to get back on track,” said Bob Gallo, AARP Illinois State Director.  “AARP is looking to connect them with employers, financial resources and experts, and other valuable information at the Life Festival to help people weather the storm.”

The AARP Life Festival will be held at Chicago’s Navy Pier and is free to all AARP members and only $10 for non-members age 40 and up (includes a 1-year AARP membership, a $16 value). Featured speakers/activities include:

·         James Brown (“J.B”), TV personality (CBS Sports/Showtime’s Inside the NFL) and AARP’s Community Ambassador.

·         Stedman Graham, author, educator and entrepreneur.

·         Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments and Financial Contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America.

·         Tom Joyner, nationally syndicated radio personality.

·         Dr. Reed Tuckson, UnitedHealth Group's executive vice president and chief of medical affairs.

·         Patricia Russell-McCloud , inspirational and motivational speaker.

·         Free Health Screenings: the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour bus will be on-site to provide six free health screenings to attendees.

Additionally, Grammy Award-winning R&B/Gospel duo Mary Mary will be on hand for a special in-person Q&A session with attendees of the Life Festival (no additional cost) on Friday evening (June 5^th). Immediately following this session, AARP’s Life Festival will present an evening concert with Mary Mary, sponsored by Walgreens. The concert is open to attendees for an additional fee and tickets are $25. All concert tickets must be purchased on site and will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Daytime festival activities for attendees will include a “marketplace” full of great things to see and buy, featuring approximately 100 national and local businesses, and engaged organizations that are working to build up our communities and empower people.  Attendees will be able to participate in health and wellness events, financial-security presentations and explore an interactive exhibit floor featuring music, entertainment, and “Painting Across Generations,” a cross generational activity for grandchildren and their grandparents. Additionally, there will be a job fair featuring local and national companies with job opportunities specifically for older workers.

Parking will be discounted to $16 each day for Life Festival attendees and parking discount chaser tickets will be available at registration. Additional information on the AARP Life Festivals, transportation to the event and pre-registration is available online at www.aarp.org/events .  Sponsorship and exhibit information is available by calling 202-434-2767 or email exhibits@aarp.org .

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