Do you want to bookmark ?

Hubert “Skip” Humphrey III will headline a town hall meeting in Fargo-Moorhead on June 18 as North Dakotans grapple with the twin issues of affordable health care and financial security.

An estimated 75,000 North Dakota residents—almost equal to the entire population of Bismarck and Burleigh County—lack health insurance. According to Families USA, between 2000 and 2006 an estimated 200 North Dakotans between the ages of 25-64 died prematurely because they did not have health insurance. In the financial arena, more than a quarter of older North Dakotans rely on Social Security as their only source of income, and fewer and fewer people working now can count on receiving a pension.

The result? Many people in our state are one illness or accident away from bankruptcy.

Humphrey, who sits on the national board of AARP, will be joined in Fargo-Moorhead by AARP North Dakota State President Betty Keegan in a freewheeling discussion of how we in North Dakota can turn up the heat—and the volume—to demand political leadership on health care and financial security issues.

On June 17, AARP will be at the Red River Valley Fair from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We’ll be part of the Joel Heitkamp show on KFGO Radio that afternoon as well.

The events—designed to express the concerns of thousands of state residents who are tired of Washington gridlock standing in the way of affordable, quality health care and lifetime financial security—are part of AARP’s Divided We Fail effort to demand action and answers from our nation’s leaders on these two pressing domestic issues.

If North Dakotans of all ages get involved in this historic initiative, we can shape the debate on health care and financial security today and for years to come.

Humphrey says, “We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be part of the solutions. Let's find a way to address the issues of health and financial security in a way that does not burden future generations. Make your voice heard by joining in this debate.”

The town hall meeting will be held from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, at the Hjemkomst Community Center in Moorhead. Space is limited, so please register by calling toll-free 1-877-926-8300.

For more information on Divided We Fail events in North Dakota, call toll free 1-866-554-5383. If you are unable to attend an event, but would still like to become involved, read the Divided We Fail platform at http://www.aarp.org/issues/dividedwefail/about_issues/our_platform.html and then sign the pledge.