ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

Check out this editorial in Politico from Nancy LeaMond, Executive Vice President at AARP. She talks about the "sobering" realities that senior citizens face when it comes to health care, and where AARP stands on the issues at hand with health care reform. She discusses the need to close that "doughnut hole" in Medicare prescription drug coverage, and that discrimination by insurance companies must end. LeaMond says:

"AARP has been fighting for years to abolish age rating for the same reasons that we want to end private insurance discrimination based on a person's gender or medical history: because fairness is a fundamental American value, and arbitrary discrimination in any form runs counter to who we are. This year we have an opportunity to make great progress toward ending discrimination and ensuring that those who need affordable, high-quality health care can find it."

In other News of Note...
Here is an article worth checking out from the Wall Street Journal. It talks about an interesting dilemma: how caring for your aging parents can cause problems in your career - especially when it comes to relocation for that career. The story highlights the stories of three executives who had to do just that - and how each of them tackled the problem and found a solution in different ways.

After the Senate Finance Committee passed the Affordable Health Choices Act yesterday, Nancy LeaMond (AARP Executive Vice President) released this statement:

"We applaud the Senate Finance Committee for taking another important step toward fixing what's wrong with our health care system. Under the leadership of Chairman Baucus, the legislation reported today moves us even closer to providing much-needed relief to millions of older Americans who still face challenges accessing affordable, quality health care services.

"The Senate Finance Committee bill makes important improvements to the Medicare program by increasing preventive benefits, making sure Medicare's doctors do not face a pay cut this year, and most notably for AARP members--by reducing drug costs for seniors who fall into the dreaded Medicare doughnut hole, a costly gap in prescription drug coverage. Too often, those who fall into this coverage gap stop taking their prescription drugs because they simply can't afford to. While we applaud this assistance with drug costs in the doughnut hole, we urge the Senate to go further to meet the President's pledge to completely close the doughnut hole. With the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs, we believe this bill should be improved so that it can help millions of older Americans afford their needed medications and avoid more intensive and costly care later in life.

"The bill also makes some improvements on age-rating, a discriminatory practice that allows insurers to charge exorbitant, age-based premiums to older Americans. Unfortunately, the bill will still allow insurance companies to charge older Americans premiums that are four times more than premiums for younger Americans, making it difficult for older Americans to afford health coverage. We hope the final Senate bill will be improved in this area.

"Finally, we strongly support provisions in the Senate Finance bill to expand home and community-based services (HCBS). The vast majority of Americans age 50 and over want to live in their homes and communities as long as they can. HCBS provisions are not only cost-effective, but can also help slow the growth in health care spending and keep millions of Americans out of nursing homes and in their own homes.

"The legislation passed is yet another milestone in the long journey to health care reform. We look forward to continuing our work with Chairman Baucus and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to further strengthen the bill, and we will continue to fight for reform that protects benefits for people in Medicare, improves health care affordability, and improves the health of every American."

It looks like some of the fear and skepticism are starting to fade as older Americans learn more about the benefits of health care reform. You've read it here before: reform can mean lower drug prices, better coverage and the end of discrimination by health insurance companies. Now a new Associated Press-GfK poll shows that the opposition stirred up by the scare tactics of August is subsiding, dropping 16 points in September.

Check it out for yourself here.

From the mouth of the American Medical Association - Dr. James Rohack talks about protecting patient-doctor relationships.

As many of you may know, President Obama is scheduled to address the nation in a speech on health care reform tonight. Here's a preview from AP - an interview with the White House Communications Director on Health Care Reform, Linda Douglas.

Speech time is at 8 pm tonight Eastern, so make sure to tune in and let us know what you think right here in the comments section.

I've been getting a lot of questions in my inbox lately, and below is one of the most commonly asked. It's my hope that by answering these questions we can get the word out about why health care reform is important and debunk some of the myths that are floating around right now.

Q: We're worried health-care reform may go too far. Will we be forced into a plan or have to change doctors?

A: AARP will not support reform that would deny you the freedom of choice to keep your current plan, including keeping your current doctor. That's what AARP's fight for health-care reform is all about--creating the kind of quality, affordable, and uniquely American health-care system you want.

AARP's policy agenda is driven by you, our members. We developed our health-care reform priorities from nationwide member surveys, from member focus groups in a number of cities, and from the thousands of letters and phone calls we've received. You've told us what you need and what you want in health-care reform, and that's exactly what we've been fighting for.

Those of you who like your current plan and your doctors have told us in no uncertain terms that you want to keep them. Those of you ages 50 through 64 who have had trouble getting coverage have told us that you're tired of being told you can't get insurance because of an illness you had five years ago, or because of some other preexisting condition, or because of your age. AARP supports reform that ensures Americans ages 50 through 64 a real choice of quality, affordable health-care plans.

Those of you on Medicare let us know, in overwhelming numbers, how the Medicare Part D prescription-drug coverage gap--the dreaded "doughnut hole"--is hurting you. Annually, about one-quarter of Part D enrollees fall into the gap, paying so much more for brand-name meds that some people stop taking them altogether. Only 4 percent make it across the gap to the other side, when costs drop substantially.

There is good news at press time: AARP has endorsed an agreement--brokered by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.)--between President Obama and U.S. drug manufacturers, who have offered to pay half the costs for most people who reach the coverage gap, as part of health-care reform legislation. This could take effect as early as July of next year. (For more information on dealing with the doughnut hole, see the "Drugs for Less" sidebar on this page.)

Another serious problem we've been hearing more about lately is that of hospitals discharging older patients without any follow-up, or "transitional," services. One of every five Medicare beneficiaries is readmitted within 30 days of discharge; and one of every three, within 90 days--often because of poor communication between patients, caregivers, and health-care providers. We need a benefit in Medicare to help people safely transition to home or another setting to prevent costly and unnecessary hospital readmissions.

Our work is to see that you get more from health-care reform, not less. You deserve the peace of mind of knowing you will always have quality, affordable care. But we need your support to persuade Congress to act on AARP's commonsense health-care reform priorities. Please visit our health-care reform Web site--healthactionnow.org--to see how you can make a difference in getting to needed solutions.

If you have a question and would like me to answer it you can send it to:

Dear Jennie
AARP
601 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20049
or e-mail DearJennie@aarp.org.

The Washington Post hosts regular online chats about the news of the day...and today AARP's Legislative Policy Director David Certner will be discussing health care reform and fielding questions from listeners.

You can submit questions and comments before the session which happens today Wednesday, Aug. 19th, at Noon ET.

Tune in, learn more and have your questions answered!

For over fifty years, AARP's mission has been educating and engaging in the issues most important to you, our members. With over 40 million members we understand the importance of debate. Even when some members don't agree with our advocacy positions, it is critical that we make sure those differences of opinion are based on facts, not myths designed to derail a long overdue effort to fix what's wrong in our health care system.

Doing nothing is not an option. But any reform must not get between a patient and their doctor. It must not cut Medicare benefits. It must not allow insurers to continue to line their pockets by covering only the healthiest and the youngest.

AARP is committed to making sure health care reform will do the following for our members:

Lower Drug Costs and Strengthen Medicare: Close the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole," ensure patients' access to their doctors, and crack down on fraud and wasteful spending;

Protect Your Health Care Choices: Make sure you can choose your doctor, your health insurance plan and where to receive care;

End Discrimination by Insurance Companies: Prevent insurance companies from denying you coverage because of a pre-existing condition or using age to price Americans age 50-64 out of affordable, quality health insurance; and

Guarantee Stable, Affordable Coverage: Ensure you have the security of knowing that if you lose or change jobs, you will be able to get affordable, quality health insurance.

Since July 1st, when we started seeing a rise in phone calls and emails here at AARP as a result of the health care debate, we have lost approximately 50,000-60,000 members. While we are encouraged that almost 1.8 million people have either joined AARP or renewed their memberships over that same time span, we take the loss of any member seriously. ‪We don't want to see you, our members, leave for any reason, and understand that even when we all have the facts reasonable people may agree to disagree on the proposals being put forth by Congress.

AARP's strength has always been our members, and we're working hard to represent them as best we can. Each of our policy positions have been carefully considered and are set by our all-member volunteer board of directors based on input from our members.

We're also working to dispel several of the myths and lies that have warped the health care reform debate, targeting older Americans in particular with horror stories about euthanasia and rationed care. We believe that, at a time when a lot of the information about health reform surfacing on the Internet, cable news and talk radio simply isn't true, it's important that each of our members are armed with all the facts about this very important debate.

As we continue to fight on your behalf and work to fix our health care system, we are bound to have different opinions among our members. We respect each opinion and choice you make, and will do our best to represent the individuals who have, with their membership, shown that the collective voice of 40 million members working together have the power to make our health care system better - for themselves and for generations to come.

Sincerely,
A. Barry Rand

I saw these two articles promoted on the "Moderate Voice" and thought I'd share them. Both give great overviews of the state of the health reform debate. I'd highly recommend them for people looking for some easy primers on what is at stake and some factual information - rather than emails filled with myths and untruths. Both articles ratchet down the rhetoric and give some solid summations of the legislation and controversial pieces of the debate.

Wall Street Journal - "Ten Questions on the Health Care Overhaul"
"It is crunch time for health care. Lawmakers who are trying to fundamentally remake one-sixth of the U.S. economy say this might be the most complicated legislation they have undertaken.

Here are some basics that everyone can grasp -- and probably ought to, because the health bill, if it passes, will affect almost everyone."

Read more here - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124812571962066393.html

New York Times - "A Primer on the Details of Health Care Reform"
"Each side hopes to win ground by boiling down one of the most complex policy discussions in history into digestible nuggets. For beachside viewers who might be more interested in iced-tea service than fee-for-service, here is a guide to the main fight points."

Read the entire piece here - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/health/policy/10facts.html?_r=2&sq=health%20care%20reform&st=cse&scp=2&pagewanted=all

In addition, in the wake of the debate and comments over the potential "demise" of the public option, there is a nice analysis of the situation by Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight at http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/08/life-after-death-of-public-option.html

And finally - have you seen AARP's commercials on television? If not, you really really should. Watch them on Youtube and leave us your thoughts and comments below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNrUAve-opU

See all the ads (tv, print, online and even listen to the radio spot) at:
http://aarp.convio.net/site/PageNavigator/Myths_vs_Facts_campaign

Take a look and let us know your thoughts.

There is a great website out there called "Politifact.com" - take a look at http://www.politifact.com. They are a non-partisan and fact-based organization dedicated to illuminating the truth (or untruth) of statements politicians and other make on television, print and in other settings. Just as you might go and check an urban legend on snopes.com, we'd recommend checking things out on this Pulitzer prize winning site as well when you receive something via email or other source and you wonder about the accuracy of the statement.

Here are a few items Politifact.com is currently taking the time to research:

Obama Claims Endorsement From AARP:
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2009/aug/12/obama-claims-endorsement-from-aarp/

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/aug/12/barack-obama/obama-goes-too-far-when-he-says-health-reform-bill/

Obama would have government require a centenarian to get a pill, not a pacemaker:
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/aug/03/dan-lungren/lungren-says-obama-would-have-government-require-c/

McCaughey claims end-of-life counseling will be required for Medicare patients:
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jul/23/betsy-mccaughey/mccaughey-claims-end-life-counseling-will-be-requi/

And in case you have the time or the inclination, here is the link to ALL of Politifact's research into statements made on health and health reform. Take a look - there's a lot there: http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/subjects/health/

What are you hearing? Tell us! Post some of the myths you're getting in your conversations or email box in the comments section. Or give us your thoughts about why people are resorting to putting forth myths rather than arguing the facts.

In case you didn't catch AARP's Legislative Policy Director, David Certner, on The O'Reilly Factor last night, here's the clip.

David answers some of the same tough questions ya'll have been asking in the comments...

One of the most common questions I'm asked when I meet with volunteers and attend health care reform events is, "We're worried health care reform may go too far. Will we be forced into a plan or have to change doctors?"

In this month's AARP The Magazine, I answer that question but I wanted to share it here, too.

AARP will not support reform that would deny you the freedom of choice to keep your current plan, including keeping your current doctor. That's what AARP's fight for health care reform is all about--creating the kind of quality, affordable, and uniquely American health care system you want.

Those of  you who like your current plan and your doctors have told us in no uncertain terms that you want to keep them. Those of you ages 50 through 64 who have had trouble getting coverage have told us that you're tired of being told you can't get insurance because of an illness you had five years ago, or because of some other preexisting condition, or because of your age. AARP supports reform that ensures Americans ages 50 through 64 a real choice of quality, affordable health care plans.

Those of you on Medicare let us know, in overwhelming numbers, how the Medicare Part D prescription-drug coverage gap--the dreaded "doughnut hole"--is hurting you. Annually, about one-quarter of Part D enrollees fall into the gap, paying so much more for brand-name meds that some people stop taking them altogether. Only 4 percent make it across the gap to the other side, when costs drop substantially.

AARP has endorsed an agreement--brokered by Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.)--between President Obama and U.S. drug manufacturers, who have offered to pay half the costs for most people who reach the coverage gap, as part of health care reform legislation. This could take effect as early as July of next year.

Another serious problem we've been hearing more about lately is that of hospitals discharging older patients without any follow-up, or "transitional," services. One of every five Medicare beneficiaries is readmitted within 30 days of discharge; and one of every three, within 90 days--often because of poor communication between patients, caregivers, and health care providers. We need a benefit in Medicare to help people safely transition to home or another setting to prevent costly and unnecessary hospital readmissions.

Our work is to see that you get more from health care reform, not less. You deserve the peace of mind of knowing you will always have quality, affordable care. But we need your support to persuade Congress to act on AARP's commonsense health care reform priorities. Please visit our health care reform website--healthactionnow.org--to see how you can make a difference in getting to needed solutions.

Did you miss today's townhall with President Obama?

We recorded the event so you could watch it again, or you can read the transcript of the event here.

Got some questions about health care reform? Want some clarity on where AARP stands? Or maybe you're curious about how health care reform will impact you. No matter your question or curiosity get your info straight from the President.

Tune in today at 1:30 p.m. EST for a telephone townhall with President Obama and AARP CEO Barry Rand for a Q&A session with AARP members and volunteers.

You can watch it on the internet here. And share the link to the live video (www.aarp.org/townhall) on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace pages so everyone can learn more.

Thanks to those of you who posted your thoughts in the comments over the weekend. A lot of the concerns posted in the comments are ones we heard during last week's telephone townhalls that we hosted (and more than 400,000 of you attended) so I thought it might helpful if we posted up those questions and answers.

You can check out the whole article from the folks at Bulletin Today here.

From the article as well - here are some of the typical questions and answers fielded during the town hall meetings.

Why is AARP not standing up for seniors when Obama says he will cut Medicare to help pay for health care?
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.

Isn't this socialized medicine?
No. In socialized medicine the government directly owns the hospitals and directly employs the doctors. No one in Washington is talking seriously about anything like that. What health reform will do instead is provide people with a system much like the one members of Congress enjoy today. They will be able to choose from a range of quality, affordable private health plans, and possibly a publicly run option as well. These plans will have to accept everyone regardless of preexisting conditions or age. There also will be sliding-scale subsides for people with moderate to low incomes to make sure the coverage is affordable for everyone.

Will I lose access to my doctor?
No. The legislation will include a much-needed fix to the Medicare physician payment system to prevent an unwarranted 20 percent cut in their rates that otherwise would take effect next January and threaten access to doctors. It also will increase pay for primary care doctors to help preserve access to them, and promote training of more primary care doctors and nurses and geriatricians so we have enough health professionals to treat everyone.

Will there be rationing of health care to seniors based on age?
Absolutely not! That's a very harmful myth that opponents of reform are spreading to scare seniors. Nothing in the proposed legislation would lead to rationing of care for older Americans or anyone, and if it did, AARP would be leading the fight to kill it.

Is there mandatory end-of-life counseling for all seniors? Why?
No. This is another myth that reform opponents are using to scare people. What the bill does is let physicians get paid by Medicare for counseling people about things like advance directives, living wills, durable powers of attorney, hospice care and other steps people can take to make sure their wishes about how they want to be cared for at the end of life are known and followed. 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. Facing a terminal disease or debilitating accident, some people want every possible life-saving measure in the hopes that treatment will give them more time with their families. Others will decide that additional treatment is not what they want and decline extraordinary measures. Either way, it should be their choice; all this does is help them make informed decisions about these issues with their doctor.

Will I be losing Medicare as the result of reform?
No. If you like the coverage you have, you can keep it, and that includes Medicare and your medigap coverage. Reform will help curb skyrocketing inflation throughout our health care system, including Medicare, so that Medicare coverage remains affordable for both you and the taxpayers who help foot the bill.

Will I be able to keep my current insurance coverage, which works well?
Yes. If you like the coverage you have, you can keep it.

Will preexisting conditions continue to exclude people from coverage?
No. There is broad, bipartisan agreement that health reform should ban insurers from discriminating against people based on any preexisting health problems.

Here's the press conference from last night. 90% of the focus was on the debate for health care reform

Our friends at AARP Bulletin have put together a very useful document that spells out the details of the current debate in easily digestible prose. This is a great resource for anyone wanting to get a handle on the current state of play of the health care debate.

The President has decided to make a push for the increased roll of technology in the field of health care. This has a number of interesting and possibly very beneficial effects. While digital medical records offer the promise of reduced medical errors and greater efficiencies in the system, they can also be an economic boon for areas in need of a new industry to provide jobs.

Bringing more tech into medicine can also make life much easier for people. Many doctors are beginning to offer online appointments to patients with mild issues that don't warrant the inconvenience of a trip to the doctor. In fact, there has been a big spike in doctors who communicate with their patients online.

Increased access to health care professionals, added convenience and new jobs?

Sounds like a win-win-win to me:

So President Obama has taken to the road to promote health care reform. Along the way he held a town hall meeting in Green Bay Wisconsin where he got an interesting request. His questioner mentioned bringing his daughter to the event, causing her to miss the last day of school. In response, President Obama offered to write a letter to the girl's teacher to excuse the absence. In fact, the President did write the note which is pictured above. You can see the exchange right here:

A couple of new reports show continued bad signs regarding the health of America's health care system. First off, a study by the National Opinion Research Center found that out of pocket health care costs for those with job-based health insurance jumped 34% between 2004 and 2007. This is an enormous increase and a particularly troubling development for those who don't earn a ton of money and people with expensive or chronic health troubles.

In a separate study, Merritt Hawkins and Associates found that wait times to get an appointment with a family doctor or specialist have spiked since 2004. In the past few years, people in major cities have had to wait, on average, an additional week beyond what they previously had. The study blames much of the increased wait on a lack of training for primary care physicians and some specialists. Experts say the government needs to take an active role in promoting the training of more doctors to address this glaring need. These are just two new signs of the troubles we face with our current health care system and they highlight the need for reform.

Traveling abroad for medical care, sometimes called medical tourism, has grown increasingly popular as Americans continue to seek alternatives to sky-high health care costs domestically. Another reason for seeking medical care outside of the U.S. can be to seek treatments that aren't approved for use domestically. For example, many stem cell treatments that the F.D.A. hasn't approved are being used abroad to treat diseases ranging from Parkinson's to Lou Gehrig's Disease and many others. However, the F.D.A. cautions Americans against traveling for these procedures as many haven't been thoroughly reviewed. For many people in need, leaving the country provides some hope that can't be found at home, but be careful and make sure you know what you're getting into before committing.

Health care reform may just be the buzzword in politics right now. Democrats and Republicans are both rallying their supporters behind their ideas on how to fix America's health care system. There's a pretty good consensus that our current system doesn't work (just check out the facts), but that's where agreement seems to end. Some people say we need the government to take over health care. Others think the solutions can be found on the free market. Many people prefer some sort of middle ground. There are still plenty of unanswered questions: Who will pay? What role should technology play? Should a reformed system focus on treatment or prevention? Check out this fun video that breaks the issue down into easy to understand concepts:

More health care talk folks...

AARP Iowa held a truly amazing forum with Senator Grassley on April 9th to discuss the urgent need for national health care reform during a "Cost of Doing Nothing on Health Care Reform" forum at North Iowa Community College.

C-SPAN was there to tape it so the rest of us can take a look at it. Tune in tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET to catch it and check in here for the schedule and more information.

Hello everyone. There is no question we have health care on the top of of our minds - the cost of it, the need for it, and reforming it. This issue touches all of our lives. I was recently fortunate to have been invited to the White House's Regional Health Care Forum hosted by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Gov. Gregoire which was hosted in Los Angeles. The forums are part of President Obama's administration's national effort to gain insight and input on the President's own health care plan.

Naturally AARP was in attendance, as it's been for several of the other two-hour sessions where key White House officials spoke about the need for health care reform along with elected officials, business and advocacy leaders.

There were also the painful personal stories that individuals shared and people were able to ask questions both there in Los Angeles and from other communities around California. You can watch the whole two hour event on this YouTube video and you can also express your concerns and suggestions about reforming the health care system at HealthActionNow.com. It's clearly the time to make progress on this complex and challenging issue!

Health care reform has been one of the biggest buzzwords in politics and the news this year, but what exactly does it mean. What would an overhaul of the American health care system look like and what changes could Americans expect to see? Well to be certain, there are lots of areas for improvement and many good ideas that could be implemented. Want to ask an expert? Today at 1 P.M. Eastern, AARP's own Executive Vice President of Policy and Strategy, John Rother will be in a web chat to answer questions on health reform. If you have questions about what the face of health care reform could look like, be sure to check out the chat at: http://express.paltalk.com/index.html?gid=1191684214

In the Wall Street Journal's money/personal finance/investment blog "The Wallet," Kelly Greene reports that health care costs in retirement are sky rocketing...and the going rate for health care costs are as high as $240,000!! She goes on to point out:

"A 65-year-old couple who retires this year will need about $240,000 to cover their medical expenses in retirement, according to Fidelity Investments research released this week.

"Keep in mind that this eye-popping number is a lifetime estimate and assumes that the couple has no employer-provided retiree-health-care coverage, since many companies are phasing out that benefit. It also assumes life expectancies of 17 years for the husband and 20 years for the wife after retirement."

So what's a guy or gal to do? Experts Greene spoke with advised keeping yourself and your partner in tip top shape no matter your age. So whether it's that diet you've been thinking about, grabbing a walking partner, quitting smoking or heck, training for a marathon now is as good a time as ever to start thinking about your long-term health.

Kevin Pho, a primary care physician and health/medical blogger, recently mentioned AARP's Bill Novelli in an op-ed he wrote for USA Today all about comparative effectiveness research.

In the op-ed, Dr. Pho answers questions like, "How will it help patients? What are some of the obstacles that may impede the initiative? And, should it be modeled after the US Preventive Services Task Force?" Many elected officials and comparative effectiveness research nay-sayers wonder if doctors find any value in something like this...and they clearly do.

Pho goes on to say:

"As a primary care doctor, I am frequently faced with decisions where the choice is not always clear. Do the latest, more expensive drugs work better than the less costly, older medicat ions? Will ordering an MRI help me treat a patient's lower back pain? Often, the answer to these questions is, "I'm not sure."

With new drugs and technologies being introduced regularly, doctors face an increasing array of diagnostic and treatment choices. We need to realize that the latest isn't always the best, and by using data from comparative effectiveness research, physicians can provide the best care for their patients."

We're glad to hear doctors being vocal about how beneficial comparative effectiveness research can be to them, and their patients. As Dr. Pho noted, AARP has been vocal on this issue for some time now (thanks for the shout out!) and we don't plan on letting this one go anytime soon.

Kevin's blog can be found here.

There has been a good deal of attention paid to the faults of our medical system here on this blog. However, I think this is a great chance to acknowledge that despite its shortcomings, medicine in the U.S. is capable of incredible works. Take seven-year-old Heather McNamara who recently underwent 23 hours of surgery to remove a tumor from her abdomen. The surgeons had to literally remove six of her organs to get to the tumor and then replace them back into her body. The one of a kind surgery has been deemed a great success and Heather is looking forward to getting home and playing with her dog. Just amazing!

Last week's unemployment report was just one more piece of bad news in what seems like an endless stream of negative numbers regarding our economy. The labor market has been shedding jobs left and right, yet despite all the bad news, the health care industry continues to hire new employees. While the country as a whole lost millions of jobs over the last four months, health care added about 100,000 during the same period. One bright spot in a pretty dark report.

In the midst of the terrible economic news, and the passage of the stimulus package, President Obama announced his budget proposal. One of the most noted aspects of this budget is the money allocated for reforms to the health care system. The President isn't the first to try and overhaul America's health care, but he is going about it in an interesting way. Rather than coming up with a whole plan and then trying to gain approval for it, he his budgeting money first, and then working out the details. The plan is to reserve the money for expanding and improving coverage, and then working with Congress to find a solution that will be able to gain the support needed for passage.

President Obama's biggest challenge may just be finding ways to pay for his budget, especially as the government is seeing decreasing revenues during this recession. It will be very interesting to see how the planned spending in this budget will match up with the economic realities we are all facing right now.

After signing the federal stimulus bill into law last week, the White House has convened a Fiscal Responsibility Summit. AARP's CEO Bill Novelli is attending to represent AARP's 40 million members. Here's what he had to say about today's importance:

This can't be good. The New York Times reports that new research at John Hopkins University shows that women are less likely to receive kidney transplants than men. This effects older women primarily, even though they recuperate just as well or better than older men after the surgery.

This was no small study; they took data from a list of 563,197 patients who developed end-stage kidney disease from 2000 to 2005, calculating the likelihood they'd get on the transplant list. And while younger women were just as likely to be on a list, they started dropping off the older they got:

They found that women 45 and younger were as likely as men to be placed on a transplant waiting list. But as women aged, their chances of getting on the list dropped, getting worse with each decade, said the lead author, Dr. Dorry Segev, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins.

By the time women were 46 to 55, they were 3 percent less likely to be put on the transplant list. They were 15 percent less likely to be placed on the list at ages 56 to 65; 29 percent less likely at 66 to 75; and 59 percent less likely to be listed by the time they were 75 or older, Dr. Segev said.

The researcher's suggestion behind this is that caregivers, family members and even the patients themselves presume women are weaker than they actually are. I think doctors have to be accountable as well; after all, they're the experts. Either way, to think a stereotype could have this significant of an impact is pretty upsetting. Let's hope this article sheds some light to others and helps change this disturbing trend.

With the population of older Americans exploding in the coming years, America's geriatricians will be spread even thinner than they already are. Making sure that older people receive age appropriate care is extremely important and the Martha Stewart Center for Living at the Mount Sinai Medical Center serves as a sterling example of the right way to approach this subject. Focused on primary care and catering exclusively to older people, the Center for Living emphasizes individualized care based on medical history and lifestyle. Few patients have to wait more than ten minutes to be seen at the Center for Living, and each patient's unique needs are always made a priority. This is surely the way to approach health care for older Americans.

Anyone who has been to a doctor in the last few years knows how expensive health care can be. Cutting back on doctor's visits and medications may seem like a tempting way to save money, but there are better ways to reduce expenses without risking your health. For starters, be sure to use your Health Savings Account if you have access to one. Reducing your taxable income is a smart way to save on health care. When it comes to your prescriptions, it's a good idea to go generic and buy in bulk when possible. Here are some other smart tips on reducing your medical expenses.

If you're like most people, you're probably looking for ways to save a buck or two. Well the good news is that even in these tough times, there are lots of things you can do to save money without seriously impacting your quality of life. Surprisingly, there are lots of health care choices you can make to save money without compromising quality. For starters, you can always use generic prescription drugs rather than name brands. Also make sure to be aware of any government programs you might be eligible for. You might be surprised to find you can get assistance in paying for medical costs. Being smart in these tough times can really pay off.

So I've spent a lot of time in this space talking about the host of economic troubles we're facing. While I don't want to diminish the horrible impact the economy has had on people, the optimist in me wants to point out a bright spot. With the economy in such bad shape and unemployment increasing, it looks like the calls for health care reform are growing. As people lose their jobs, and their employer-sponsored insurance, they will demand action. Companies themselves are having a tougher time affording healthcare under our current system. All the momentumthat comes with this bad economy might finally force the government to take some action and get Americans insured.

Medicare Part D enrollment starts in just a few days (November 15), so this is the perfect time for AARP to answer your questions.

For those who don't know, Medicare Part D gives you insurance that assists you in paying for prescription drugs. And AARP.org has a special guide to help you choose a plan that's right for you. There is even a glossary of terms. As an intro, here are six important facts you should know about Medicare Part D program:

1. Anyone on Medicare can get drug coverage regardless of income or health.
2. You are not obliged to sign up (but there may be financial consequences if you don't enroll when you're first eligible to do so).
3. To get Medicare drug coverage, you must select one approved private drug plan among many offering different choices. There is no single government plan.
4. Is your income limited? If you qualify for a part of the program known as Extra Help, you'll pay very little for your medications.
5. Are your drug costs very high? You'll pay no more than 5 percent of the cost of each prescription after you've spent a certain amount out of pocket in any one year.
6. Do you have better drug coverage already? You probably won't need Medicare's Part D coverage. But it's wise to check.

Find more here!

Well, a historic election has just wrapped up. While it's definitely a relief to be done with the election, it's time to turn toward actually addressing the real problems facing America. This is certainly a tough time to be taking over as President, and there will be plenty of challenges on the road ahead. For most people the biggest concern has been the economy, but just why has it gotten so bad? AARP's Chief Operating Officer Tom Nelson suggests that a lot of the problem can be traced to the skyrocketing cost of health care in America. It seems as though we will have to address health care in this country if we want any shot of repairing the economy. Let's see how our new President-elect can deal with the hand he's been dealt.

While at Divided We Fail we relish in seeing the number of Americans who have signed our pledge grow more and more each day, the reason that number is already up to 811,994 is because there are real-life, personal human stories to back up the magnitude of health care and financial security issues in our country right now. Take Kathy, from New York, for example, who tells DWF:

"Last year at the age of 42 I was diagnosed with brain cancer. I have a six year old and a one year old. For obvious reasons, I can no longer work and my husband, who works full-time, and I are having a difficult time taking care of our family. My health insurance only covers about two-thirds of my costs (which is not terrible) but now I am trying to figure out how to pay for a live in nanny so she can help me take care of the kids, cook, clean and drive me to doctor appointments. One of us has to keep working so my husband is doing all that he can do. We were doing fine before the cancer hit but now we are floundering."

It's harrowing stories like Kathy's that wake us up as to how far-reaching these issues really go. You can hear more touching tales from your fellow Americans in our new Average American ads on YouTube.

Divided We Fail wants to hear your stories, as well! Tell us why you're making health care and financial security your top priorities for Election 2008 at http://www.capitolconnect.com/dividedwefail/reg_share.aspx. If not a story, then at the very least sign the Divided We Fail pledge at http://www.aarp.org/issues/dividedwefail.

TAGS: Divided We Fail, health care, financial security, pledge, Average American, YouTube, DWF, AARP, ShAARP Session

Crowding in hospitals is reaching record levels. With more and more people using the Emergency Room for primary care, a greater number of patients are forced to deal with diminishing resources. One tactic hospitals are taking is to house some patients in their hallways to reduce overcrowding. It is troubling to think that people with serious health conditions are being forced to stay in hallways with only a privacy screen separating them from the commotion of a busy hospital. However, studies are showing that this strategy may not have any serious medical consequences and could actually be an improvement over simply packing patients into the E.R.

The economy continues to head in the wrong direction. In a logical response, millions of Americans are cutting back and tightening their belts to save where possible. It is certainly responsible and necessary to budget properly in difficult times. However, there are some places, health care comes to mind, where people shouldn't have to sacrifice. Recent surveys show that over a third of Americans may be postponing health care for monetary reasons. This is not only dangerous, but likely more expensive in the long-run. Putting off doctor's visits and not taking medication can aggravate medical conditions and turn a minor problem into a serious situation. Have you had to put off medical care to save money? Tell us about it and comment below.

The sickness that has spread through the economy with the speed of a pandemic has spread to the health care industry. Tightening credit markets are leaving hospitals strapped for cash. What does this mean for us? Hospitals will be delaying improvements such as new emergency rooms and updating high tech equipment such as MRI machines. Worse still, with the economy not showing any signs of turning around any time soon, hospitals will likely fall further into debt as they have an increasingly hard time collecting bills from patients.

New research paints a grim picture for adults who provide care for their parents. The combined stress from a job, caring for children and also your parents can eventually carry over and negatively impact quality of life. Caregivers often see health consequences in their own lives as a result of the time they dedicate to caring for their parents. Good news though, having a spouse and a higher education seems to reduce stress levels. You can also visit aarp.org for caregiving tips.

One of the major problems facing America's health care system today is the astronomical cost of treatment. While you might be able to extend your life through major surgery, the tension that results from the stress of medical debt could end up killing you. However, there are several acts (some easier than others) that people can take to lop off some of that debt and pay off their medical expenses.

Rock the Vote is all about empowering and building the political power of young people in America to achieve progress. Divided We Fail wants to reach out to future generations about the issues of health care and financial security. So what a perfect marriage of these two initiatives, now that DWF Facebook fans can pledge to vote right off of our Facebook fan page, thanks to the Rock the Vote widget!

Divided We Fail recognizes that America's younger generations are going to be the most affected by the state of financial security in their retirement, and to take a stand, it's important not only that they be aware of the issues, but that they vote now, in the upcoming election, and make a difference.

So learn about the issues and sign the Divided We Fail pledge, and then register to vote with the Rock the Vote widget so your opinion is heard!

The Divided We Fail initiative couldn't be possible without the hard work of our state coordinators, who spend tireless hours each week to get the word out about this cause. We'd like to extend our sincerest thanks to all of them, for helping to make the goals of affordable health care and long-term financial security attainable. This week, we'd like to recognize Steve Griffin, the Divided We Fail New Hampshire State Coordinator, in particular, for his stellar work supporting DWF.

Steve recently coordinated a group of 15 volunteers at a Rochester, New Hampshire Town Hall meeting, where Arizona Senator and presidential candidate, John McCain, recognized AARP's healthcare effort, saying that DWF was doing "a tremendous job." Senator McCain reached out to Steve specifically, and asked him to give a 60 second spiel about Divided We Fail.

After letting the crowd know about all the supporters in the audience, who proudly donned their DWF red hats and shirts, Steve turned the speech back over to McCain. The Senator referenced when he and Huckabee had gone on stage together in Iowa at a Divided We Fail event, and he stated that he thought this was one of the most productive conversations he'd had, as it allowed the voters to compare the candidates and issues.

Read the full transcript of McCain's speech on washingtonpost.com or watch the video footage of Steve here.

Thanks again Steve! Keep up the good work for Divided We Fail.

Many Americans have applied for health insurance only to be rejected for unknown reasons. One explanation: insurers using your prescriptions against you. It turns out that databases with personal prescription information can be bought and sold commercially and insurers are taking advantage. They can access the prescriptions people have been given for up to the past five years and manipulate this information to deny coverage. The worst part? Apparently this is completely legal! Just one more hurdle for uninsured Americans to jump over.

Have you heard about the new $40 million campaign in Washington, Health Care for America Now, that's pushing for health care reform and universal insurance coverage for the upcoming presidential election? On the AARP Bulletin, you can see the article, "Coalition pushes for health care reform", where it explains:

"Health Care for America Now's stated goal is 'quality, affordable health care for every American.' The coalition has set out to ensure that health care reform remains a top priority in the presidential and Congressional elections."

Sounds oddly familiar, huh? The Associated Press published an article comparing Divided We Fail and HCAN. Read the article, "Money, ads give health care top political billing," and let us know what you think.

TAGS: Health Care for America Now, Divided We Fail, AARP, health care reform, Associated Press, DWF, affordable health care, health care

I can't tell you how thankful I am that so many are helping us demand affordable health care from political leaders. It means so much to see all of the encouragement in your posts, comments, and new friendships on the DWF community pages.

Your stories, feedback and commitment really keep us going which is why it is so exciting to celebrate a monumental achievement of reaching 650,000 signed pledges for Divided We Fail.

A number of politicians have supported the DWF initiative, but it is the commitment and support that comes from our friends on social networks that are putting the initiative into overdrive so that we reach our goal of 1,000,000 signed pledges.

So, once again, I'd just like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who's participated in the campaign!

If you haven't had an opportunity to make your voice heard, I hope you take action now by signing the Divided We Fail pledge.

If you're looking for new ideas on how to get involved you may want to consider working with one of our state offices, joining us on Facebook or MySpace, posting a banner on your blog or site, commenting on any blog that is talking about health care and financial security, or simply starting conversations in your community about these important topics.

Keep up the great work and together, we can end partisan gridlock and realize real change.

TAGS: Divided We Fail, DWF, Facebook, MySpace, Divided We Fail pledge, blog, health care, financial security

AARP's own John Rother sat down with Dr. Val of Revolution Health to talk about all things health.

They talked about how technology is changing health care...health care reform...and how online communities can help people achieve health goals!

Champ would be proud. On Wednesday, a bi-partisan group of legislators in Congress overwhelmingly passed the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.

You, the grassroots, are largely responsible for this achievement. But we can't yet rest on our laurels. We still need to take action: President Bush is threatening to veto this critical legislation that would protect millions of Medicare beneficiaries as well as the thousands of doctors that are involved in the Medicare program.

Our friends at Keep Medicare Fair have all the tools you need to keep the pressure on our decision makers. If push comes to shove, we will have to mobilize to force congress to override a possible veto. In the meantime, tell President Bush to sign the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 into law immediately.

Medicare enrolled its first members 42 years ago today, forever changing health care for older Americans. But today is also the deadline for Congress to pass legislation that keeps Medicare fair. Well, Congress left town over the weekend, and they still haven't passed a bill.

First things first, though: if you have Medicare, don't panic. You can still see your doctor while Congress works out the details.

But we also need to tell Congress to act quickly when it returns. Lawmakers will only have a few days to pass a bill that keeps Medicare fair. So call your senators at [get a number from Barry, maybe?] and tell them to pass H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act.

Tommy Thompson and Senator Daschle recently spoke about health care in our country at the 6th Annual John M. Templeton, Jr. Lecture on Economic Liberties and the Constitution presented by AARP and the National Constitution Center. The event is also going to be replayed on C-SPAN's American Perspectives at 6:45pm ET on July 4th.

Check out our exclusive chat with them - they even offer a few ideas about how you can do your part to help fix health care...