Wyoming Candidates for Governor Discuss Telecommunications, Retirement Savings

AARP asked candidates for Wyoming governor how they would help residents save for retirement, protect affordable phone service, provide quality senior services at home, promote telehealth and maintain essential services.

QUESTION 1:  93,000 residents in our state don’t have a way to save for retirement at work. Knowing that employees are 15 times more likely to save merely by having access to payroll deduction, what can you commit to do to reverse the trend of under saving for retirement, above and beyond education efforts?

AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Join Now

QUESTION 2:  Affordable and reliable telephone service is a basic necessity, allowing older people to maintain social contact, preserve health and safety, and call for assistance in an emergency. The United States is undergoing a telecommunications technology transition that has, in some places, deregulated telephone service.  Phone customers expect telecommunications service providers, including wireless and broadband providers, to offer services that they can depend on, regardless of the technology used.  How will you assure that access to phone services are affordable and reliable as the industry evolves?

QUESTION 3:  The majority of Wyoming residents want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. One way to ensure that they don’t have to move from their homes is to redirect spending away from more costly nursing home care and into home and community based services (HCBS).  How will you help expand Wyoming seniors’ access to quality services provided at home and in the community?

QUESTION 4:  Telehealth helps older adults, people with disabilities, those with language access issues, and all Wyomingites’ access health and home and community care in new ways and makes it easier for family caregivers to care for their loved ones.  What would you do to help family caregivers and their loved ones have greater access to telehealth?