Friday Alert
Friday, October 30, 2009(Alliance for Retired Americans)
Speaker Pelosi Unveils House Health
Care Bill
The U.S. House Speaker,
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), unveiled
an $894 billion health care package on Thursday
that would provide insurance to up to 36
million people by offering subsidies to
moderate-income Americans to buy insurance,
either from private carriers or a new
government-run plan, and by broadly expanding
Medicaid for those with limited incomes.
House Democratic leaders, citing a cost
analysis by the Congressional Budget Office,
said the bill would reduce future federal
deficits by about $30 billion over the next 10
years, meeting President
Obama's demand that the health
legislation not add "one dime" to the national
debt. The measure is a combination of
bills approved by three separate House
committees. Action on the bill is
expected next Thursday. Speaking at the
Capitol Hill event was Priscilla
King, a member of the Alliance from
Bow, New Hampshire, who, along with her
husband, has gone into debt due to the doughnut
hole gap in prescription drug coverage.
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D) of
New Hampshire introduced her. The House
bill would begin to close the doughnut hole in
2010 by $500 and completely close it in 5
years. "Seniors win with this bill," said
Barbara J. Easterling,
President of the Alliance. "It will
strengthen Medicare by reducing skyrocketing
health care costs."
Alliance Praises Senate Majority
Leader Reid's Support of Public
Option
Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) announced on
Monday that he would include a public option
plan in the Senate's health care legislation,
but would allow states to opt out of the
program. "Members of the Alliance are
pleased to learn of the Senate Majority
Leader's inclusion of a public option in the
still-developing Senate health reform
bill. His action on Monday is a solid
step toward legislation that will help
Americans of all ages better afford to see a
doctor or get a prescription filled," said
Edward Coyle, Executive
Director of the Alliance.
Roundtable, Conference Call Events
Discuss House and Senate Health
Bills
Also on Monday, Speaker
Pelosi took part in a senior health care
roundtable in Sunrise, Florida. Rep.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz and
the South Florida Congressional Delegation
sponsored the event, which included Florida
Alliance President Tony
Fransetta.
During a national conference call with
Alliance leaders and members on Wednesday,
kudos were given to the International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace
Workers, whose website fought back against a
propaganda campaign of misinformation about the
Canadian health care system that was similar to
a campaign of falsehoods in the U.S. The
conference call also covered elements already
known to be in the House and Senate health care
bills. In its size and scope, the House
bill is very similar to the bill measure under
development by Sen. Reid, who is seeking to
combine bills passed by two committees.
But there are crucial differences. The
House bill would impose an income surtax on
individuals earning more than $500,000 and
couples earning more than $1 million. The
Senate bill would impose a tax on higher-end
insurance policies, which could have a
detrimental effect on coverage for retirees and
older workers. In addition to expanding
coverage for the uninsured, both the House and
Senate versions of the legislation would bar
the denial of coverage based on pre-existing
medical conditions. Both the House and
the Senate bills would cut subsidies currently
given by the government to insurance companies
under the private Medicare Advantage
prescription drug program. Both bills
would also help reimburse employers who cover
early retirees aged 55-64, and would include
the Community Living Assistance Services and
Supports (CLASS) Act for long term
care.
November 5: National
Day-of-Action for Health Care Reform
Please join the Alliance, the AFL-CIO, and
other progressive groups on November 5 for a
National Day of Action for health care
reform. A special, toll-free phone number
(1-877-323-5246) will connect you to your U.S.
House and Senate members so you can tell them
to support a bill that will be good for
retirees and workers. "With all the money
the big insurance companies are spending to
block reform, our voices are needed more than
ever," said Ruben Burks,
Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance.
Get the Word Out About Health Reform
with a New 2-Minute Video for Retirees!
A video from Seniors to Seniors
(www.seniorstoseniors.org), a
coalition of aging groups including the
Alliance, shows how health reform will improve
Medicare. The video, featuring Alliance
state and national leaders Phil
Feaster and Judy
Cato, is available to you free by
turning on your computer's speakers and going
to: http://ara.typepad.com/blog/2009/10/seniors-to-seniors.html.
Ms. Cato, Executive Vice President of the Alliance, also appeared in Pittsburgh on Saturday. She discussed health care reform with residents of a senior housing facility.
Alliance Stands Up for Those in
Bridge Years
The Alliance has
joined labor, advocacy, and business groups in
the "Bridge Years Health Coalition" to call
attention to the 33 million Americans ages
55-64 who are moving from full employment to
what they hope will be a secure
retirement. In letters to Congress and an
ad in the Washington publication, Politico, the
Coalition notes that this demographic is too
young for Medicare but yet is often unable to
afford private insurance because of bias
against age and medical condition. The
group urges Congress to pass a health reform
bill that provides permanent access to health
care coverage that is not contingent upon age,
health, or employment status.
Rep. Weiner, Seniors Tell GOP Public
Option Opponents to Give Up Their Medicare
Last Thursday, Rep.
Anthony Weiner (D-NY) revealed
that 151 members of the House and Senate
presently accept government-funded and
administered single-payer health care -
Medicare. Weiner requested that the 55 of the
151 members who fervently oppose a public
option in the health insurance reform bill
relinquish their Medicare benefits.
Today, seniors in Arizona are calling out Sen.
Jon Kyl (R-AZ) for accepting Medicare benefits
but opposing a public option for
Arizonans. They are gathering in front of
Kyl’s Phoenix office in Halloween costumes,
telling him that it is inappropriate to receive
Medicare and fight against a public option.