ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

This one is not for the feint of heart! It's about as spicy an Indian dish as they come. Hazmat suit not included.

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.

It looks like the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) or otherwise known as "Cash for Clunkers" has launched this week.

For those who don't know, CARS basically does this: the government buys back old cars (which get a combined average mileage of 18 miles a gallon or less) from folks to scrap, and the seller gets $4,500 toward the purchase or lease of a new fuel-efficient car. Not a bad deal to help the environment, right? Via the New York Times blog Wheels:

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said it would eventually provide "a comprehensive list of new vehicles that meet the requirements of the program." Until then, you can use the table found here to look up the fuel economy of all vehicles dating to 1984, the earliest model-year vehicle eligible for trade-in.

Not every dealer is expected to participate in CARS. Those that do must register to be part of the program, and registrations may take a day or so to certify. So the agency recommends that consumers first call a dealer to see if it's participating (and has been certified) before going to the dealership.

The program will run until Nov. 1 or when the $1 billion that Congress has allotted to the program runs out. And consumers can expect automakers to add their own incentives on top of the federal rebates.

Check out this AARP article for more info on Cash for Clunkers and whether it's the right option for you.

If you're anything like my friends and family, they love listening to the national debate on all the issues floating around, but what they really want to know is how they will be impacted in Arizona, for example. Below you'll find a smattering of where to find local AARP info. Don't see your state? I'd encourage you to check out Bulletin Today's State Pages as well as the AARP Online Community for more information and resources.

And of course, if you want to take action on health care reform, check out www.healthactionnow.org for events and info on how to reach your local reps.

California info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

Massachusetts info on the AARP Online Community.

Michigan info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

Minnesota info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

New York info on Facebook and Twitter.

Ohio info on the AARP Online Community.

Oregon info on Facebook and the AARP Online Community.

South Dakota info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

Wisconsin info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

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.