With the arrival of the novel H1N1 (“swine flu”), many people are understandably confused about how to protect themselves against the flu this year. AARP is working with the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) to encourage older Americans to protect themselves and those in their care by getting vaccinated.

Experts say that, this year, a seasonal flu vaccination for people 50 and over is as important as ever. Even before novel H1N1 became a threat, flu claimed an average of 36,000 lives and hospitalized more than 200,000 Americans every year. Health authorities have long recommended that people 50 and over get a seasonal flu vaccine each year.

Experts also recommend people 65 and older get a pneumococcal vaccination, which they can get at the same time as their seasonal flu vaccination. Pneumococcus is a bacteria that can cause a range of conditions, including pneumococcal pneumonia, blood infection, and meningitis. Young children and people over 65 are the hardest hit.

Both pneumococcal and seasonal flu vaccines are available now. Have you gotten yours?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older Americans are less likely to get sick from novel H1N1, perhaps due to exposure to a similar virus many years ago. However, they are more likely to suffer serious complications – and even death – from seasonal flu. Vaccination is the first line of defense, but good hygiene habits, like frequent hand washing and covering your mouth when you cough are also important. If you get sick, antiviral medications are also available to help treat the flu.

“We must not get distracted by H1N1 – we must remember our annual seasonal flu vaccination,” said Dr. Susan J. Rehm, Medical Director of NFID. “Pneumococcal vaccination is also important, and now is a great time to get both vaccines.”

Last year in North Dakota , 44.5 percent of adults age 50-64 and 73.2 percent of adults 65+ got vaccinated for influenza. In North Dakota 68.4 percent of adults 65+ have received the pneumococcal vaccine.

Vaccination will help more Americans stay healthy this fall and winter, so that we can keep moving – at home and at work.

Influenza and pneumococcal vaccines are free for anyone in Medicare and are available now at doctor’s offices, pharmacies, and health departments in our area. For more information, speak with your healthcare provider or visit www.aarp.org/flu or www.nfid.org. For up-to-date information on flu activity in North Dakota, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm.

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Today the U.S. Senate blocked critical legislation to protect access to doctors for the 44 million Americans who rely on Medicare. The Medicare Physician Fairness Act (S. 1776) would have replaced today’s broken doctor payment system, which calls for a 21.5 percent cut in physician pay in January. The bill failed to pass a key procedural vote in the Senate today.

“We are disappointed that Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan voted to block this important Medicare bill from open debate and an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. This bill would permanently replace the broken Medicare physician payment system so people in the program could continue to see their doctor,” said AARP North Dakota spokesperson Lyle Halvorson.

AARP strongly supports the Medicare Physician Fairness Act, introduced by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). This legislation permanently repeals Medicare’s flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) physician payment formula, which has required repeated Congressional action to prevent unwarranted cuts that could harm access to doctors for people in Medicare. Repealing the SGR will stop an unprecedented 21.5 percent pay cut that otherwise will occur in January 2010, and additional cuts in future years.

AARP notified the 111^th Congress that it was tracking roll call votes on key legislation important to its 40 million members and reporting the outcomes of these votes back to its members.

“We believe people make the right choices when they understand the issues and position taken by their elected officials. AARP intends to ensure that its 86,000 members in North Dakota get that information,” Halvorson said.

The late Frances “Fran” Koppang, Bismarck, has been selected by AARP to receive North Dakota ’s 2009 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service. The award is the membership organization’s most prestigious and visible volunteer award for community service and symbolizes that individuals have the power and ability to make a difference in the lives of others.

AARP North Dakota selected Koppang for her significant volunteer service and for the impact she had on the lives of others and on her community.

Koppang was an active volunteer, not only for AARP, but other organizations as well. She was a volunteer for the AARP Tax-Aide and Driver Safety Training programs. She also volunteered for the North Dakota State Health Insurance Program, MedCenter One, Thrivent for Lutherans, and Faith Lutheran Church.

“Fran was an active community volunteer, never turning down an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of so many others,” said one of her nominators, Muriel Peterson, Bismarck. “Fran inspired others by the example she set through her own commitment and dedication to volunteerism. She actively encouraged others to become involved in volunteer opportunities and her enthusiasm to help others was infectious.

Koppang’s volunteer positions often benefited low-income families and seniors seeking health and support services. As an example of her volunteer advocacy, she spent hours researching, making telephone calls, and writing letters trying to win Medicare’s approval to pay for dental surgery for a person with uncontrolled diabetes. Until the dental infection was resolved, the person could not have other needed medical surgery.

The AARP Andrus Award for Community Service recognizes members and volunteers who, through volunteer service, are significantly enhancing the lives of individuals age 50 and over. The award will be formally presented to Koppang’s family at a 2 p.m. Oct. 2 ceremony at Faith Lutheran Church in Bismarck .

“This award acts as a symbol not only to our members, but people of all ages, that we can all work together for positive social change,” says AARP North Dakota State President David Peterson . “AARP has long valued the spirit of volunteerism and the important contributions AARP volunteers make to their communities, neighbors, and the programs they serve.” 

Stay in the know! Sign up to receive e-mail from AARP North Dakota. Have news and announcements from the state office delivered to your in-box. Register at www.aarp.org/stateemail.

There's been a lot of confusion about what's involved in health care reform, and even more confusion about who is supporting what. At AARP, our core goal remains the same. We are fighting for our members today, just as we've fought for them for the last 50 years. Today, that means we're fighting to protect the Medicare benefits you’ve earned. To guarantee that you’ll never be denied coverage because of your health or age. To prevent anyone from coming between you and your doctor.  And to make sure patients don’t take a backseat to insurance companies.

More specifically, AARP is fighting to:

Protect Medicare Benefits. Medicare is a sacred promise that was made to seniors – because no one should be left to struggle with medical bills after a lifetime of hard work.  We must protect the Medicare benefits seniors have earned and strengthen the program for future generations. We’re also working to fill in gaps in today’s benefit package, such as closing the Part D prescription drug coverage gap (the so-called “doughnut hole.”) and eliminate out-of-pocket costs for important preventive care like cancer screenings and diabetes tests.

Eliminate Waste: We must reduce waste in Medicare so we can ensure today’s seniors continue to get the benefits they’ve been promised.   Currently, Medicare hands out billions in subsidies to private insurance companies.  These are tax dollars that should be going to seniors’ care not insurance company subsidies.   By eliminating this waste, we can protect senior benefits and fill in some of the gaps in Medicare.

Preserve Your Choice of Doctor:   AARP is fighting to ensure doctors get paid fairly so seniors will have the freedom to choose the doctors they need. Without health reform, Medicare doctors will be forced to take a 21 percent pay cut.    

Protect Your Right to Make Medical Decisions:  AARP is fighting to ensure that all health decisions are made by you and your doctor, not your insurance company or the government.  No matter what your age, your care should be your choice. 

Prevent Discrimination. Health reform must end insurance abuses, such as denials of coverage due to a person’s health history, or using age as an excuse to charge sky-high premiums. Such discrimination has become a serious problem for Americans age 50-plus who need insurance, and AARP is fighting to make sure needed protections are in a final health reform plan.

Protect Consumers:  AARP is fighting to stop the high prices charged by drug companies by: enabling drug price negotiation; allowing safe, legal importation of lower-priced prescription drugs from abroad; and permitting the sale of generic versions of biologic drugs – costly medications for diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis.

AARP will continue to scrutinize health reform proposals, to determine whether they make sense for our members and their families. We are watching this process closely and will continue to work to make sure all Americans have the health coverage they need.

Stay informed. Read the latest news on how AARP is fighting for you. http://www.aarp.org/getthefacts.

All Medicare beneficiaries in North Dakota would see the cost for their Medicare Part B premiums remain steady under bipartisan legislation passed yesterday by the U.S. House of Representatives. The House voted 406-18 to eliminate all premium increases for Medicare Part B, which provides coverage for doctor’s visits.

AARP State President David Peterson, Bismarck, says holding Medicare premiums steady for all beneficiaries for the next year is especially important since no Social Security cost of living increase is projected in 2010. “For the first time in many years, Social Security recipients will not see an increase in their Social Security payments. However, many still face much higher Medicare Part B premiums next year, taking away from their ability to pay for other necessities like prescription drugs, rent, utilities and food.”

Medicare premiums have doubled since 2000. The “Medicare Premium Fairness Act” (H.R. 3631) would help ensure that health care is more affordable for people in Medicare.

The majority of Medicare beneficiaries would not see a Part B premium increase because of a hold-harmless provision in federal law that premiums cannot rise higher than last year’s cost of living adjustment. Even so, without this legislation an estimated 20,000 North Dakotans would still see their premiums increase, including those who do not have their Part B premiums withheld from Social Security checks, those who are newly enrolled in Part B, and those who have their Part B premiums paid by Medicaid.

“As health care costs continue to soar despite lower inflation throughout the economy, older Americans are hit particularly hard. Retirees have seen their savings wiped away by market losses while their health care bills continue to climb. People in Medicare today spend nearly a third of their income on health care. The lack of a cost-of-living update in Social Security means more older Americans could see their health care costs rise further out of reach,” Peterson said.

Medicare Part B premiums are used for Medicare-covered services such as physician services, durable medical equipment and outpatient therapy.

Are you for or against health care reform – or are you still trying to figure it out? Wherever you stand on health reform, many of you are telling AARP that this issue is just plain hard to understand. So many numbers, ideas and claims are floating around, it’s hard to get a grip on this complicated issue.

There is lots of misinformation swirling around. Where do you go for the truth? Check out the new AARP.org page www.aarp.org/getthefacts, dedicated to providing detailed facts about the debate: AARP's positions, plus links to independent analyses of current legislation, text of bills, and third-party reports -- such as from Politifact, a fact-checking Web site -- about the wild rumors that are flying.

You can also read a new AARP Bulletin story -- Health Care Reform: The Assault on Truth -- here.

AARP’s popular driver safety course is now being taught in a one-day, four-hour class. The AARP Driver Safety Program is the nation’s first and largest classroom driver refresher course specially designed for drivers age 50 and older.

“The course helps drivers refine existing skills and develop safe driving strategies,” says Allen Dockter, state coordinator for the driver safety program.

• Dec. 2, Senior Center, Grand Forks
• Dec. 2, Parker Center, Minot

• Myron Bender              Grand Forks       701-772-5418
• Ed Anderson                Fargo                  701-235-8133
• Al Bervig                        Williston             701-572-7061 
• Curtis Herman             Minot                   701-837-8006
• Duane Bergeson         Bismarck           701-258-2534

Stay in the know! Sign up to receive e-mail from AARP North Dakota. Have news and announcements from the state office delivered to your in-box. Register at www.aarp.org/stateemail.

The 2009 North Dakota Legislature made a significant step forward in efforts to recruit and maintain an adequate workforce for our most vulnerable citizens when they approved a reimbursement increase for long-term care workers. The wage hike, which took effect July 1, includes $1 per hour plus 6 percent for each year of the biennium for Qualified Service Providers (QSPs), those who care for people with developmental disabilities, and 80 cents per hour plus 6 percent for workers in nursing homes.

QSPs are people who take care of individuals in their homes. Those who contract independently as QSPs and individuals working in facilities received the increase automatically, while QSPs registered as in-home care agencies are expected to pass the reimbursement increase along to their direct care workers.

“The Legislature directed that the increases in wages for people working in nursing homes, individuals working in developmental disability facilities, and all QSPs will go directly toward increases in employee compensation,” said Representative Chet Pollert, Carrington, who chaired the House appropriations subcommittee for the Department of Human Services budget.

The increase is especially important in rural areas, where in-home care workers must travel several miles to client homes but are not reimbursed for mileage or time spent in the car. In those areas, it has been more difficult to recruit and retain good people in the profession.

Senator John Warner, Ryder, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, “It has been especially difficult to recruit good workers in areas of the state where there is strong wage growth, like oil country. For far too long the state has expected these dedicated employees to subsidize their own employment by working for free in the time they drive between clients or by working without health coverage of their own. With our action in this last session, the state has stepped up to the plate and provided the money necessary to adequately pay these providers for their service. Now it is up to the agencies to pass through the intended raises.”

North Dakota ranks fifth in the nation for elderly population and projections show that by 2020 nearly 25 percent of our population will be 65 or older. By providing more in-home care options, North Dakotans can stretch the dollars they spend on long-term care, says Linda Wurtz with AARP in North Dakota .

By the end of this summer, more than 24,000 older North Dakotans will have fallen into the “doughnut hole” – a coverage gap in Medicare’s prescription drug program that leaves individuals on the hook for all of their own drug costs while still paying premiums.  AARP this week launched a new online resource to help more than one million older Americans avoid this dreaded coverage gap.

The AARP Doughnut Hole Calculator, available at www.aarp.org/doughnuthole, guides visitors through their prescription drug options using localized information about their plans and prescriptions to determine if or when they will fall into the coverage gap.  In about 15 minutes, visitors can view a graph of their out-of-pocket spending by month, look up lower cost drugs for their conditions, create a Personal Medication Record and print out personalized letters to their doctors to help start a conversation about safely switching prescriptions.

“One in three North Dakota residents in Medicare fall into the gap each year, and thousands more nervously wonder if they might fall in,” said Janis Cheney, AARP State Director. “For the first time, people in Medicare have a simple way to learn if they’ll fall into the doughnut hole and find ways to avoid it by switching to safe, less expensive medications.”

As a part of its Health Action Now campaign, AARP is calling on Congress to close the doughnut hole and lower prescription drug prices so that no one has to go without the prescriptions they need to stay healthy.  Earlier this week, AARP joined President Obama to endorse an agreement by Senate leaders and the pharmaceutical industry that would reduce brand name drug costs for most people who fall into the doughnut hole by half.  Research has shown people cut back on their prescription drugs when their costs become unaffordable, which can lead to more serious health conditions and larger health care bills.

“Saving money on prescription drugs is going to mean pressing hard in Washington to close the doughnut hole. Monday we were proud to help announce significant progress toward that goal,” Cheney said. “In the meantime, we also want to give Americans the tools they need to cut their drug costs and stay out of the gap in the first place. We encourage every person in Medicare to take a few minutes to find the right drugs at the lowest prices.”

The calculator is powered by DestinationRx as part of a special arrangement between AARP and Medicare. The data is the same used by the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder, giving users the most accurate and up-to-date drug pricing information available.

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