A Response From AARP Regarding Proposed Healthcare Changes

Priorities of AARP's health care reform efforts:

   Keep what you have: Allow Americans who like their doctor and their
plan to keep what they have.
   Guarantee affordable coverage: Guarantee Americans ages 50-64 a
choice of affordable, quality health care plans regardless of age or
pre-existing condition;
   Lower Prescription Costs: Close the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole"
and lower drug costs so people in Medicare can afford the medications
they need.
   Improve Care: Enhance quality so all Americans have peace of mind
that comes with good care.

AARP Endorses:

   Medicare Part D Doughnut Hole Assistance - to enable those who must
pay for their entire prescription (in the doughnut hole) to better
afford their medication
   Closing doughnut hole completely over time.
   Proposals to prohibit insurance companies from denying you insurance
based on your health status, and to prevent insurance companies from
charging you much higher premiums based on you
   Subsidies to Americans who would otherwise be unable to afford
coverage

AARP Does Not Endorse:

AARP has not yet endorsed any comprehensive health care reform bill.
AARP is fighting for a solution that improves health care for all our
members. We have been working with leaders from both sides of the
aisle for many, many months, and we will continue to do so. We know
that the final package will include a mix of ideas from both parties
and both houses of Congress.

Current Myths:

AARP Endorses Bills that Ration Care for Seniors (also known as
Comparative Effectiveness Research)

   Absolutely not. AARP will fight, with everything we've got, any
attempt to prevent a doctor or hospital from giving the best possible
care to all their patients.
  
   Comparative Effectiveness Research
  
   Some opponents of health reform are badly distorting the truth on
"comparative effectiveness research.
   This is a long name for a simple thing: researching two or more
treatments so you can decide which option will keep you healthier.
   This research is done all the time - both by government agencies and
by the private sector (like pharmaceutical companies and health
plans). All the legislation would do is to provide additional funding
for more independent research. No part of this bill will prevent your
doctor from prescribing the treatments that are most appropriate for
you.

AARP Supports Mandatory End of Life Counseling for all Seniors

   This myth is a misleading and cruel scare tactic. AARP believes that
individuals should have the ability to speak with their doctors in
advance about difficult choices every family must make when a loved
one nears the end for their life. AARP supports compensating doctors
for taking the time to talk to individuals about difficult end-of
life care decisions.
   It's entirely up to the doctor and patient whether this counseling
takes place, and completely up to patients whether they take steps
based on the counseling to put their end-of-life wishes into legal
documents.

AARP Supports Medicare Cuts

   AARP believes that any health care reform legislation should result
in a better and stronger Medicare program for current and future
beneficiaries not in a Medicare program that delivers less than
today.
   The proposed changes to Medicare will help to get fraud, waste and
abuse out of the system and create payment incentives to reward
doctors and hospitals for the quality, rather than the quantity, of
care they provide. They will not cut the benefits our members rely on
in the traditional Medicare program, but will help to keep it
affordable to make sure you get the care you need.
   AARP knows that there are ways to eliminate wasteful spending and
inefficiencies from Medicare - such as reducing preventable hospital
readmissions or overpayments to private insurance companies - that
will actually improve care and strengthen the program. For example,
we support adding a follow-up care benefit in Medicare that will help
individuals safely transition home after a hospital stay.
   We want to make certain that any Medicare savings proposals will
reduce beneficiaries' health care costs so that our members realize
real savings in their own out-of-pocket spending, which has been
increasing at a rapid rate.

AARP Supports Higher Income Medicare Beneficiaries to Pay Higher
Premiums

   No. We share our members' concerns about the President's proposal to
once again ask higher income beneficiaries to pay higher premiums,
this time for the Medicare Prescription Drug Program.
   Higher income seniors already pay more for Medicare Part B, and
contribute more in taxes to the program. Asking seniors to pay more
is not a solution to the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs.
   Rather than shift more costs to seniors, AARP urges that we do more
to reduce the soaring increases in health care and drug costs (e.g.,
biologics, more generic use, importation, and drug price
negotiation).

AARP Supports Providing Health Care for Illegal Immigrants

   While AARP believes the government must enforce our immigration
laws, we're focused on lowering health care costs and ensuring our
members have access to affordable care. A critical component of our
health care agenda is ensuring that everyone who receives health care
in America pays their fair share.
   No health care reform proposal currently under discussion by
Congress gives health care to illegal immigrants with taxpayer
dollars

AARP Endorses the Current Obama Health Care Reform
BillHealthActionNow.org

As of July 2009, AARP has *not* endorsed any comprehensive health
care reform legislation yet [not withstanding what media may say].
   While AARP does not support all of the President's ideas like
income-relating Part D premiums we are committed to reforming the
health care system for all Americans.
   We will fight with the strength of our 40 million members against
any policy that unfairly burdens Americans 50-plus.
   Although the answer to HCR is still open, AARP realized that if we
do nothing, the average family health premium will nearly double
within ten years. That's why our country cannot afford to keep our
broken health care system; the cost of doing nothing is too

I hope this information is helpful.

Siva
Member Communications
Member@aarp.org

Toll-free 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277)
Toll-free 1-877-434-7598 TTY

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