Friday Alert
Friday, February 26, 2010(Alliance for Retired Americans)
Response to President's Health Care
Plan and Summit: Three Things You Can
Do
In order to bridge the
differences between the U.S. House and
Senate-passed health care bills - and
continue to move reform forward -
President Obama unveiled his
Administration's own health plan on
Monday. The plan contains several major
steps toward improving the well-being of
current and future retirees. "President
Obama's plan recognizes the millions of seniors
who are struggling to afford to see a doctor or
get a prescription filled," said Edward
F. Coyle, Executive Director of the
Alliance. "For retirees, continued
inaction would be devastating. Medicare
premiums and out-of-pocket costs would soon eat
up more than one-third of a retiree's Social
Security benefits." For the Alliance's
comparison of Obama's health reform bill with
those passed by the U.S House and Senate, go to
http://bit.ly/aMvKTJ.
On Thursday, President Obama led a televised
health care reform summit, which focused on
discussing ideas and grievances about the
proposed health care bill from both
parties. White House officials named 21
lawmakers the president wanted to attend the
summit: the top leaders in the House and Senate
and of the committees with jurisdiction over
the health legislation. Obama also
invited the top four leaders to invite four
more lawmakers each, bringing the total to 37;
20 Democrats and 17 Republicans. For a specific
list of the attendees, go to http://bit.ly/aTLD6n.
As a follow-up to the summit, concerned senior
activists are encouraged to do 3 things:
- Contact your U.S. House member and two
Senators by calling 202-224-3121. Tell
them that President Obama's proposal would
close the "doughnut hole" coverage gap in
Medicare Part D; finally end the $3.60 per
month every senior pays in higher premiums to
subsidize the big insurance corporations that
run Medicare Advantage; and make long-term care
more affordable for middle-class
families.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local
paper reiterating the need for reform.
You may find it helpful to use the language at
http://bit.ly/8YMsgI as a
guide; and
- Share Alliance materials like the comparison chart above and the fact sheet at http://bit.ly/a1qtC8 with your friends and neighbors.
Further evidence of the need for reform came last Friday, with the release of a study by a major consulting firm showing that spiraling costs are a problem even for seniors with solid insurance. The Avalere Health study found that premiums for private Medicare Advantage plans offering medical and prescription drug coverage jumped 14.2% on average for 2010. Some 8.5 million seniors and disabled Americans who signed up for the private plans will therefore be facing sharp premium increases this year, following an increase of 5.2% last year.
More Debt Commission Appointees
Named
Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) on Tuesday
appointed Senate Majority Whip Dick
Durbin (D-Ill.), Senate Budget
Committee Chairman Kent Conrad
(D-ND) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman
Max Baucus (D-MT) to serve on
the President's fiscal panel tasked with
developing a plan to bring down the $12.3
trillion national debt. The President
said that the commission can consider
everything, including new taxes, spending cuts
and changes to Medicare, Social Security, and
Medicaid, in order to reach his goal of
balancing the federal budget except for debt
interest payments by 2015. Obama is
asking Congress to consider the panel's
recommendations. Obama will appoint six
people to the 18-member panel and up to four
can come from the same party. Leaders in
Congress will choose the other 12 members, with
three coming from the Republican and Democratic
caucus in each chamber. Reid is the first
congressional leader to announce his
picks. The majority leader said that he
would make sure that the panel's
recommendations, which are non-binding, receive
votes in the Senate. Both Baucus and
Conrad are noted centrists, a group of
lawmakers that has made debt and deficit issues
a priority. Obama last week selected
former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine
Bowles and former Sen. Alan
Simpson (R-WY) to head the
panel. Today, the president named former
Clinton White House budget director
Alice Rivlin; Service
Employees International Union President
Andy Stern; former Young &
Rubicam Brands CEO Ann Fudge;
and Honeywell CEO and Chairman David
Cote to fill remaining slots, an
administration official said. "I would
like to say to the panel: Social Security's
long-term solvency can be resolved by
relatively modest adjustments, and without
cutting benefits," stressed Barbara J.
Easterling, President of the
Alliance. To see the Alliance's latest
document on Social Security, which refutes
opponents' charges that today's budget problems
are due to Social Security, go to http://bit.ly/c68Nom.
Requests for Heating Assistance Rise
By 15%
As the winter wears on, the
number of households applying for home heating
assistance has risen to record levels for the
third straight year, rising by 15% to include
8.8 million households. The majority of
these applicants are low-income seniors,
disabled people, and families living beneath
the federal poverty line. Under LIHEAP
(the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance
Program), states provide grants of about $500;
however, due to increased demand, many states
have had to cut the grants or applications to
stretch funds, leaving many in the lurch.
"While several states forbid the cut-off of
utilities during the winter, struggling
retirees often put off payments and build up
debt," said Ruben Burks,
Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. "In
the spring, seniors may find themselves lacking
gas and electricity as companies seek
payment."
Sign Up By March 2 to Get Special
Room Rate for the Las Vegas
Convention!
As 2010 political
campaigns heat up, retirees need to begin
learning more about elections that will see the
entire U.S. House, one-third of the U.S.
Senate, and 36 gubernatorial races on the
November ballot. A great place to start
is this year's Alliance National Convention,
April 5-8 in Las Vegas, which will feature
noted speakers and training workshops on
mobilizing retirees for electoral
success. Alliance members will elect a
president and secretary-treasurer, and
community members will elect six
community-based board members. Hotel
reservations must be made by contacting Bally's
Las Vegas directly at 1-800-358-8777. To
guarantee the low room rate of $89, you must
make your hotel reservation by March 2,
2010. To register for the convention
itself, please go to http://bit.ly/1jIzz2.