ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

I have one word for you: yum.



P.S. Also check out AARP's awesome recipe guide.

Hot on the AARP News radar this morning is a front page article in the New York Times that takes a look at the effect the bill taken up this week by the Senate Finance Committee would have on seniors receiving health benefits through Medicare.

The debate is heated, and AARP had a voice in the article: David Certner, legislative counsel is quoted, saying "It's unfair to single out seniors to pay more for their health benefits when other high-income people are not being asked to pay more."

On the other end of the news spectrum, AARP The Magazine is getting a lot of attention for its cover stories in recent issues. On Bruce Springsteen's 60th birthday, the New York Times' "Well" blog posted "The Boss Turns 60," and talked about how fans of the rock legend never thought they'd see the day Springsteen was on the cover of AARP's magazine. But, as Nancy Graham says, "...he really personifies our message at AARP that attitude matters more than age."

An atypical place AARP news is showing up? PerezHilton.com. The ubiquitous celebrity gossip blogger featured the magazine's November/December issue cover with Natalie Cole. The story includes excerpts from ATM's article and calls Cole "a true inspiration." Fun fact: 93% of PerezHilton.com readers are under the age of 45 - with 70% between 21-34. We're really extending our reach!

For those who don't know what health reform bills are being proposed, want to know the facts v. myths about health care reform, and what AARP is doing to push for reform to improve the lives of Americans, check out our Health Reform: Get the Facts section of our website.

It not only has a list of resources for you to go to for more information about health reform and legislation pending in Congress, but also ways to get in touch with AARP to answer any questions that aren't addressed on the site. Or do you want to help us in our efforts for health care reform? Check out ways to get involved at Health Action Now!

While we know that the recession has been tough on older workers, some low-income people are reaching rock bottom, to the point where they are having to choose between food, medication and paying rent.

In fact, 46 percent of low-income older workers researched in a new study says they needed to find jobs so they can keep the roof over their head. A similar percentage said had to choose among the three: paying rent, purchasing food or purchasing medication. 46 percent. Not to mention nearly half of those surveyed said they had been looking for work for over a year.

I know it's a downer, but it's an issue that needs attention. Read the entire article here. Also check out Experience Works, who conducted the study and provides assistance to folks in need, as well as the AARP Foundation if you're in this situation. We shouldn't have to go hungry or get sicker to keep a roof over our heads.

As a follow-up to E Street's visit from Kathleen Sebelius who gave us some insight into what Medicare would look like after health care reform, there's a great and substantive AARP article from Friday that gets into the nitty gritty as to why controlling the costs of Medicare doesn't mean benefits will be cut:

"Both the House bill (HR 3200) and draft legislation from the Senate Finance Committee, released this week, include around $500 billion in savings carved from future growth in Medicare spending over a 10-year period. Although that sounds like a huge sum, it's actually only a small fraction of the $6.4 trillion expected to be spent on Medicare from 2009 to 2019. Still, where will the money come from?

The savings are expected to be achieved mainly by: reducing fraud and waste more aggressively; reducing government subsidies to private Medicare Advantage plans; paying doctors more for practices that improve quality of care and save money; and paying providers (notably hospitals and home health agencies) a little less of an increase each year in an effort to gradually trim the rate at which Medicare costs climb over time--aka 'bending the cost curve.'

'These are not reductions in benefits; they're not even reductions in the prices that Medicare pays. It's a slowdown in the increases in prices,' says McClellan, a physician and economist who now heads the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution in Washington."

Read the rest of the piece and spread the word to friends and family; we need to set the record straight on what health care reform can do for Medicare, not that it will take away from it.

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