It is unconscionable that in a country as prosperous as the United States is, the number of uninsured children has increased by nearly 1 million over the past two years.
Assertions that the bill expands coverage to higher-income children are baseless. In fact, the bill puts tremendous pressure on states to not cover higher incomes. Just like now, the only way a state may cover higher income families is with administration approval, which the Bush administration has given repeatedly.
When it comes to the presidential race, the problem of runaway entitlement spending is something like the weather: All the candidates complain about it, but few want to get specific about what they would do to change it.
Today, the titans of industry have convened for a daylong meeting in Williamsburg, VA to chat about the issues of the day. The focus of today’s event? Health care. It is definitely a sign of changing times that CEOs are talking about this as an issue. When Starbucks spends more on health care than coffee and GM spends more on health care than steel, you know it’s time for a change.
Nice clip here and here from CNBC talking with WebMd and Aetna on the need for changes to the healthcare system, with lots of interesting ideas from the private sector about how we can make health care work for everyone.
If McCain is rewarded for his attention to the issue, it will prove groups like the powerful AARP/SEIU Divided We Fail organization right; they believe that health care is a crucial issue that crosses party lines, and that candidates who harness health care voters will see healthy support on caucus night.
Washington Post: On the Race to the White House, Clinton Talks More 'When' Than 'If'
When we raised the issue of Social Security, for example, we got nowhere trying to pin her down on the specifics of what she might support to deal with the retirement program's long-term solvency. Instead we got an answer that suggested she begun to calculate which battles she wants to take on in her first term and which she doesn't.
As America's mortgage markets began unraveling this year, economists seeking explanations pointed to "subprime" mortgages issued to low-income, minority and urban borrowers. But an analysis of more than 130 million home loans made over the past decade reveals that risky mortgages were made in nearly every corner of the nation, from small towns in the middle of nowhere to inner cities to affluent suburbs.
It’s not what you think anymore, this over 50 stuff. There is no more fading into the sunset when it comes to work and relationships. CNN has a report about dating over 50 and how people are not necessarily looking for a spouse, but they are dating. And the Chicago Tribune reports how folks are opting to stay in the workplace, if only because they actually enjoy it.
I guess this means we have a lot more fun (and work) to look forward to…
CNET: As boomers go gray, will big money mean better tech?
Companies like Nintendo, Microsoft and others are targeting this lucrative market. For the first time, Nintendo had a booth at the national 2007 AARP conference in Boston, which took place in September.
Marketwatch: Couples working together can cut health-care costs
"People need to remember that the shared-care marketplace is a fairly new phenomenon," said Cheryl Matheis, a health strategist at AARP. "They need to ask a lot of questions and carefully examine all of the details in each policy."
New York Times: Clinton Unveils Her Retirement Savings Plan
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York unveiled the second biggest domestic policy idea of her Democratic presidential campaign today, proposing to spend $20 billion to $25 billion a year to create 401(k)-style retirement accounts for all Americans and provide federal matching money of up to $1,000 to middle-income people.
John McCain on Tuesday proposed updating the unemployment system and retooling training programs to help people who have lost their jobs -- particularly older workers -- adapt to a changing economy.
A CNBC online poll asks,” What is the most important economic issue the next president should focus on?” with the choices being taxes, free trade, government spending or health care. It’s nice to see that they included health care as an economic issue.
But the EEOC figures don't offer a complete picture of age bias, said Laurie McCann, a senior attorney with AARP who works on age-discrimination cases.
"There are so many reasons why people may choose not to file," she said, including the fear of losing their job or being labeled a troublemaker, or the desire to simply move on.
More companies are offering workers and their families help managing their medical care, right down to adding services that arrange for doctors' second opinions and suggest specialists and hospitals.
USA Today: Social Security hits first wave of boomers
On this one issue, liberals and conservatives agree: It's an unsustainable path, it must be altered, and Democrats and Republicans must do it together.
"Partisanship on this issue is as foolish as a food fight on the Titanic," says Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn. Adds Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va.: "It's not red or blue."
Sports medicine, long geared to the needs of young athletes, is branching out to help older people remain active and athletically competitive as they age.
IowaVotes 2008 picked up an AARP poll about likely Democratic caucus goers, which shows that health and financial security are top issues. With the caucus creeping ever closer, these results serve as a reminder about how important these issues are to the 50+ voters.
The cost of health care is impacting everyone. New ads today from two powerful forces, AARP and the American Medical Association, asking Congress to help Medicare patients keep their doctors and still be able to afford their health care. This comes as Congress is looking at reducing payments to doctors, as well as recently announced increased premiums for people in Medicare, many of whom lived on fixed incomes.
We agree with Robert J. Samuelson's assessment ["Escaping the Budget Impasse," op-ed, Oct. 3] that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid need to be strengthened for future generations. But he doesn't take into account the full picture, and his list of "only four" solutions ignores a more important fifth remedy -- controlling the skyrocketing costs throughout the health-care system that drive spending on these programs.
In a report about the struggles of caregivers to the elderly, AARP found that about 23 percent of caregivers said their assistance was creating a financial hardship.
The Rahm Emanuel proposal, coming from the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, looks like an important signal that a compromise may now be possible between Republicans and Democrats along the general lines originally proposed by President Bush.
The administration and Congress should work to avoid mass foreclosures. Meanwhile, bankruptcy reform would give borrowers a shot at keeping their homes.
