U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon Promises Nearly 7,000 AARP Members That He Will Fight to Improve, Protect Medicare

Tennesseans 50-plus really want to know the truth about health care reform legislation pending in Congress. More than 6,300 AARP members in the 8th Congressional District listened in - and many asked questions - during a tele-town hall with Rep. John Tanner.

``I believe the guiding principle in this debate should be this: We need to fix the parts of the health care system that are broken and keep the parts that work,’’ said Tanner, who plays a key role in the debate as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

It was the first tele-town hall for AARP Tennessee, but won't be the last. 

``It was a great opportunity to allow thousands of our members to communicate directly with their congressman from the comfort of their own homes,’’ said AARP Tennessee State President Margot Seay, who participated in the call from her home in Kingsport. 

AARP Knoxville Regional Volunteer Leader Bill Schall is quoted in a story about financial fraud on WATE-TV in Knoxville. Bill is a retired investment banker who also served as a security analyst. He said the scam that was used in the case investigated by WATE's Don Dare is called twisting or churning. "Churning is a technique of turning the portfolio over. That is selling new securities to replace old securities. The idea is to create commissions for the person who is doing the churning," he said.

Kudos to Gail Kerr, a columnist for The Tennessean, for saying what so many are thinking: that we should be talking, not yelling, about how to fix this nation's health care system. Health care rants won't help Cindy Haggard Anderson - or anyone else - fight cancer.

One of the many myths making the rounds during the health care reform debate is that the legislation will allow the government to make life-and-death decisions for you.

That's just false. No one - including the government or your insurance company - will have that power, regardless of your age. Those decisions will continue to be made by you, your family and your doctors.

For proof, go to www.HealthActionNow.org and help us bust that myth. Or take a look at some recent stories from The Associated Press and National Public Radio debunking it, as well as a YouTube video by noted geriatrician Bill Thomas.

Several AARP volunteers traveled from Tennessee recently to visit their congressmen, including U.S. Rep. John Tanner, who represents the 8th District, to talk about the need for health care reform. Tanner told Jessica Krekeler, Geraldine Brooks, Myrtle Hall and Lexie Jean Waggener that something must be done to fix the broken parts of the health care system without changing the parts that work. That's exactly what AARP is fighting for!

Tanner said in a recent radio address recorded for stations in his district that  ``medical costs – insurance premiums, deductibles and so on – are breaking the budgets of families and small businesses in Tennessee, as well as the federal budget. We will never be able to balance the federal budget and maintain our economic freedom if we do not somehow stem the ever-rising cost of health care.''

Read the entire transcript at The Dickson Herald and learn more about AARP's priorities for health care reform at www.HealthActionNow.org.

AARP lauds Sen. Lamar Alexander for trying to insert civility and ``good manners'' into the health care reform debate. In response to disruptive, raucus heckling of protestors at health care reform discussions around the country, the Tennessee Republican told The Hill blog that  ``We're full of people who want to express their point of view. But I think good manners are important. We're all used to direct exchanges and people speaking their minds, but we all ought to be able to do that in a civilized way."

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.

Three Tennessee women wanted to make sure their U.S. representatives knew how much they want action on health care reform now, so they flew to Washington, D.C. to tell them on Thursday, July 30. Myrtle Hall of Huntingdon, Geraldine Brooks of Camden and Lexie Jean Waggener of Franklin were among 100 AARP members who visited Capitol Hill to advocate for health care reform and tell their personal stories. Escorted by AARP Tennessee Advocacy Director Patrick Willard, the three women met personally with U.S. Reps. Jim Cooper, Lincoln Davis and John Tanner.