An Important National Conversation About Our Future

We want you to have a say on the important issues of Social Security and Medicare. That is why AARP has launched a national conversation called “You’ve Earned a Say” – because we’ve earned our benefits by paying into Social Security and Medicare for years, and deserve to know what changes Washington politicians are putting on the table, so we can speak out about how they would impact our families.

See also: You’ve Earned a Say Questionnaire

For more than a year, the President and Congress have been talking about changes to Medicare and Social Security as part of a backroom deal without any discussion about how changes would affect our families, businesses, and places where we work. Starting in our state, we’ve taken the debate out from behind the closed doors in Washington, and launched “You’ve Earned a Say” so that Colorado’s 651,000 AARP members, and all Americans have a voice in the debate.

In the coming months, AARP will sponsor town halls, community conversations, debates, webcasts, bus tours and other events – all with the goal of giving our members – here in Colorado and across the nation – a chance to state their views and offer ideas about how to keep Social Security and Medicare strong.

Your voice matters, because Social Security and Medicare are the foundation of income and health security in retirement for most Americans – a role that has become even more important in today’s tough economy. There are nearly 700,000 Colorado residents who depend on Social Security benefits to help pay the bills every month, and over 630,000 whose families count on Medicare to help them afford health care, including guaranteed coverage for doctors, hospitals and prescription drugs. Medicare is facing financial challenges, especially due to ever-rising costs in the broader health care system and the Medicare fund that pays hospital bills will face a shortfall in 2024. Social Security can pay all promised benefits until 2036, and after that, it can still pay 75%. But politicians have been fighting about these changes without enough input from the people their decisions will impact most.

That’s why we’re going to ensure you have easy access to information about the programs and the challenges they face, free of Washington spin and jargon. On the You’ve Earned a Say website, we’ll give straightforward information and enable you to share your ideas about how to strengthen these programs with Congress and the political candidates.

You also can show that it’s possible to discuss important issues without all the partisan bickering and posturing we’ve come to expect from Washington. Americans have an interest in keeping Social Security and Medicare strong for our children and grandchildren so Americans should have the chance to hear the facts and speak our minds.