shAARP Talk: Observations from AARP

Check out the cover of this month's AARP the Magazine, which is highlighted in the current issue of People magazine and online at people.com, for the splashy cover of Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis, who turns 50 later this year, is looking fit and sexy as she dishes on being comfortable in her own skin and embracing aging.

Washington Times: "Radical" Mortgage Aid Proposal

"The Bush administration "is considering a radical approach to alleviate the foreclosure crisis by helping homeowners refinance homes that have fallen in value while protecting the government against losses on the loans." HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson "said a proposal he sent to the White House would enable the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to insure 80 percent of a loan's face value in markets where home prices are falling, instead of providing the usual 100 percent guarantee."

Washington Post: Most Retirees Will Qualify For Stimulus Checks

"This year's economic stimulus law does not count income from pensions for determining eligibility for rebates, and the law's omission of the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System has created some confusion for government retirees." The Post adds, "Most federal retirees, though, should be able to qualify for a rebate under this year's stimulus package."

USA Today: RV Industry See Boom Times With Boomer Retirements

"Sales of RVs, which run the gamut from humble folding camping trailers to luxury motor homes, peaked at 400,000 in 2006," and "with the first wave of 79 million baby boomers poised for retirement, industry experts are betting that boom times are on the horizon." Mike Schneider, president of Affinity, sponsor of the RV Rally 2008 and owner of RV-related clubs and publications, said, "As baby boomers age, they clearly want more than their parents had." Schneider adds, "Their parents were do-it-yourselfers. They're the do-it-for-me generation"

An update from AARP Arkansas' Pat Jones:

Licensed payday lenders in Arkansas are receiving what some consider their walking papers from Dustin McDaniel, the state’s Attorney General, in the form of a strongly worded letter. That gives AARP Arkansas and other members of a broad-based coalition against payday lending reason to celebrate.

"These businesses have made a lot of money on the backs of Arkansas consumers, mostly the working poor. Charging consumers interest in the range of 300 to 500 percent is unlawful and unconscionable, and it is time that it stops," McDaniel reportedly said during a news conference on March 18th. "It is my hope that they comply with my demand but, if they do not, I stand ready to take them to court."

Calling payday lending a “deceptive and unconscionable trade practice” prohibited by the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTP A), McDaniel’s letter demands tells payday lenders to “cease and desist” payday lending
practices immediately, void all current and past-due obligations of their borrowers, and halt any collection activities related to these type loans.

The AG’s announcement adds fuel to the fire created by two recent, precedent-setting state Supreme Court decisions on payday lending. The court rulings state that two bonding companies are liable for paying bonds to partly cover judgments against payday lenders. The state requires a $50,000 bond for every payday lending store, and the court ruling could cause bonding companies to consider bonding payday lenders too risky. Peggy Matson, executive director of the state agency which regulates payday lenders, told the Democrat-Gazette newspaper, “If they cannot obtain a bond, then we cannot grant them a license.”

New research out of the Harvard School of Public Health today says just over half of Americans think health care in the U.S. may not be as good as other nations. And when it comes to costs, America received less than stellar grades with just 40 percent of Republicans, 19 percent of Democrats and 22 percent of independents saying the U.S. did better on affordable health care than France, Canada and Britain.

Sounds like some dissatisfaction with the status quo. Now we just need people to actually let their elected officials know about it.

Washington Post: AMA Protests Medicare Cuts

"Cuts in Medicare payments to doctors have eight out of 10 Americans concerned about access to care for seniors and baby boomers, according to a survey released Wednesday by the American Medical Association. On July 1, there will be a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors. Over the next decade those cuts will grow to about 40 percent, while medical practice costs increase by 20 percent, according the AMA."

Bloomberg News: Harvard Survey Shows Public Concerned About Healthcare Affordability

"The majority of Americans say U.S. private health care may not be better than national systems in Canada, France and the U.K., according to a poll by the Harvard School of Public Health. The survey, co-sponsored with Harris Interactive Inc., a Rochester, New York, research and polling company, found that 45 percent of Americans thought the U.S. medical system generally was the best. The remaining 54 percent either didn't know or thought other countries' systems were better."

USA Today: 'Smart' pillbox helps patients remember

"Doctors and pharmacists say patients and caretakers are increasingly turning to tech-based, drug-tracking tools, including a throng of interactive, consumer-friendly websites, to help keep medication regimens running smoothly and reduce errors. According to Forrester Research, the market for home health monitoring technologies is expected to reach $5 billion by 2010 — and $34 billion by 2015."

New report out today from Divided We Fail that shows Generations X and Y are thinking about their future financial security – that they are not as prepared for it as they should be and they know it.

In the survey, 86 percent of Gen Xers and Gen Yers know they should be more prepared for a "rainy day," many report that they know more about their iPod (40 percent very knowledgeable) than they do about filing their taxes (26 percent), buying a home (21 percent), investing outside of work (15 percent) and saving for retirement (15 percent). Also, three out of four Gen Xers and Gen Yers said saving for retirement is a personal financial goal, and an overwhelming majority (92 percent) feels that they can achieve their most important financial goals in the next ten years. However, many younger Americans grade themselves poorly when it comes to saving money (42 percent gave themselves a D or F) and investing their money outside the workplace (47 percent gave themselves a D or F).

At least we know what we aren’t doing – it’s the first step towards change, right?

A bird dogging update from New York's Kristin Legere and Erin Mitchell:

Presidential Candidate and New York's Junior Senator Hillary Clinton was in Albany earlier this week for Governor Paterson's swearing into office. Anybody who was anybody in New York government could be seen in the Assembly Chamber and so were a dozen AARP volunteers wearing red Divided We Fail shirts and seated across from the national media cameras. After the 55th Governor of the Empire State was sworn in, AARP volunteers stood outside the Assembly chamber when Sen. Clinton walked right by our volunteers and made sure she got a good look at the DWF brigade. And she did.

Associated Press: Allscripts-Misys Merger Could Change Landscape Of Medical Information Technology

"The merger "is expected to create a market leader in the U.S. electronic health record market, forecast at $5 billion by 2015," according to the two companies. The corporations "expect to achieve annual pretax cost savings of up to $25 million to $30 million within three years, with job cuts part of the merger."

US News and World Report: Health Blogger Objects To Certain Trends In Doctor-Rating Sites

"Avery Comarow writes, "I've been following the proliferation of doctor-rating sites." Comarow asserts that although he "can see theoretical value in them," he us "bothered...by the viral spread of these sites and by how thin and potentially misleading they are." Comarow emphasizes, "I don't think doctors should be rated as if they were restaurants or plumbers. ... I'm not a client or customer of a doctor; I'm a patient."

Washington Post: Bush Maintains Cautious Optimism on Economy

"The President also "urged Americans on Tuesday to keep in mind the 'anchors' of low unemployment and flexibility in the US economy." Bush "continued to sound a theme of measured concern amid the events that have shaken financial confidence in recent days. He acknowledged 'challenging' times but insisted that 'we're going to be just fine' in the end."

I try to keep up with the activities of our colleagues across the nation and what’s been coming up lately is a number of surveys about health care. A sample for you:

- In New Jersey, 79 percent of those in the state think everyone should have access to affordable quality health care.

- In Iowa, 93 percent think everyone should have access to affordable quality health care.

- In Hawaii, 60 percent of residents believe the state’s health and long term care services are in crisis.

Health care, a problem everywhere.

USA Today: Pending Alzheimer's Epidemic Among Aging Boomers To Strain Medicare

"Around "14 million, or roughly 18%, of the USA's 79 million baby boomers can expect to develop Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia in their lifetime, a newly released report shows. ... The report, '2008 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures,' states that one out of eight boomers will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the most common type of dementia, at some point." The pending "Alzheimer's epidemic will, if left unchecked, put a huge strain on the health care system, including Medicare."

USA Today: CDC Says Falls Leading Cause Of Injury Deaths Among Seniors

"Adults 65 and older are often susceptible to falls, with often grave consequences. Falls "are much more common -- and devastating -- than many people realize, a point driven home by recent news of prominent older people falling." Falls "are the leading cause of injury deaths among people 65 and older, according" to the CDC. In 2005, "15,800 people 65 and older died from injuries related to falls, and about 1.8 million were treated in emergency rooms for such injuries, the CDC says."

Associated Press: Social Security Numbers, Direct Deposit Status Affect Stimulus Mailing

"If you want to be the first on your block to get your $600 economic stimulus payment, the IRS has a tip: Sign up to get your 2007 tax refund via direct deposit." Recipients with "Social Security numbers whose last two digits are low" will get their checks first, and those who selected direct deposit "begin receiving payments by May 2, with all such deposits expected to be made within two weeks." The IRS expects the "last of the rebate checks" to "be mailed by July 11."

Divided We Fail is out with new ads on the nation's critical need for health care and financial security. The TV spot highlights a woman injured in a car accident but forced to continue working because health care costs are too high. Check it out below.

Washington Post: New Task for a Budget Straight-Talker

"David Broder writes, "As the head of the Government Accountability Office, the auditing arm of Congress," David Walker "has been perhaps the most outspoken official in Washington warning of the fiscal train wreck that awaits this country unless it mends its ways." In a recent speech, Walker warned that "largely due to the aging of the baby boomers and rising health care costs, the United States faces decades of red ink. ... Over time, the U.S. government could be reduced to doing little more than mailing out Social Security checks to retirees and paying interest on the massive national debt."

Associated Press: AHIP Spent $6.9M Lobbying For Health Care Legislation

"America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), "the trade group that represents the health insurance industry, spent $6.9 million to lobby the federal government last year." The "group lobbied on legislation to continue" SCHIP. But President Bush "twice has vetoed efforts to add up to 10-million children to the program over the next five years." AHIP "also lobbied for legislation that would allow the marketing of generic biotech drugs."

Washington Times: Digital TV Switch May Lead To Hazardous Electronics Disposal

"Millions of analog TV sets could be discarded before the digital TV transition next year as Americans upgrade to high-definition flat panels. Chances are most of them will end up in ditches in the developing world." These discarded electronics are "toxic, containing heavy metals such as mercury and lead, as well as flame retardants that give off harmful fumes when burned."