ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

You absolutely must check out this new video series addressing why health care reform is important, from the voices from experts, physicians, organizations, retirees and others. The first video is below, where folks discuss how health reform will only strengthen Medicare by prescription drug choices, long term care choices and out-of-pocket expenses.

Have you heard of this innovative device from Intel called Health Guide? Read about it in this article from BusinessWeek. It's a device that was being piloted this year to help in the mission to allow seniors to age in place - where they are most comfortable. The Health Guide is like a remote doctor's office that a patient can handle by themselves. It even includes a video phone for patients to chat with their nurse or doctor when anything seems amiss. Check out the article - could be the future of caregiving!

We also told you about the Wall Street Journal's series "Laid off and Looking" previously; and today's guest blogger on the series is talking about looking for work in your 50s. The blogger talks about how so much experience in your pocket can actually work against you in your job search. Have you been searching fruitlessly for employment and found that age is affecting you? Share your "looking for work" stories here and on WSJ's blog.

Have a great weekend.

Thanksgiving is coming up folks, it's time to prepare!

If you're having any thoughts or questions about health care reform, join our Health Action Now Mythbusters group, an online space not only where we'll be posting updates of our myth v. facts campaign, but also so AARP members can discuss the issues surrounding reform.

Also check out our Health Action Now campaign site for more information about the health care crisis and why reform is needed.

So far the House and the Senate have both passed legislation that will provide relief for millions of Americans still looking for a job out there. Extending unemployment benefits could help nearly 2 million people age 55 and over who have a particularly difficult time gaining employment. As we now know, these workers wait an average of 33 weeks or longer before finding another job, higher than most age groups.

This is definitely a step in the right direction with unemployment soaring. Are you having a hard time finding a job? Other than unemployment benefits, be sure to check out our work pages at aarp.org for info and help on how to land your next big gig.

From AARP CEO, Barry Rand

We started this debate more than two years ago with the twin goals of making coverage affordable to our younger members and protecting Medicare for seniors. We've read the Affordable Health Care for America Act and we can say with confidence that it meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage.

Today's endorsement marks the first time in this legislative battle that AARP has put its full weight behind a comprehensive health care reform package. In the coming days, AARP will be educating its members about the health care reform package through its publications, paid advertising and more than five million calls and e-mails to its grassroots activists.

As members of the House gear up for this historic vote, they will hear from older Americans.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act contain critical components AARP has been fighting for on behalf of its members and all older Americans to improve health care for them and their families. They include:

• Protecting and strengthening Medicare for today's seniors and future generations of retirees;


• Ensuring seniors can see the doctor of their choice or find a doctor if they need one by improving Medicare's payments to doctors;


• Lowering drug costs for seniors by closing the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" and allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug makers for lower drug prices;


• Taking steps to reduce waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiency in the Medicare program;


• Requiring Medicare and insurance companies to provide for important preventive services like screenings for diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis free of charge;


• Stopping insurance companies from denying you affordable coverage because of your age;


• Preventing insurance companies from denying you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition or dropping your coverage if you get sick;


• Limiting how much your insurance company can make you pay out-of-pocket;


• Providing affordable health insurance options for those who don't have insurance; and


• Providing benefits to help seniors and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities by establishing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.

We cannot continue to let insurers price older Americans out of the market, just as we cannot stand idle while millions of seniors are forced to choose between their groceries and their prescriptions. AARP is proud to endorse the Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, and we urge members of the House to pass this critical package in the coming days to help fix our broken health care system.

Elizabeth Pope has a great piece on AARP.org on how to avoid very easily made mistakes when searching for work. As we already know, too many older Americans are out of work and desperately seeking employment during these tough times, but are also susceptible to making simple errors that can cost them a new job. A new study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute says so:

"'The harsh truth is, nobody cares about your experience,' says workplace expert David DeLong, author of the report 'Buddy, Can You Spare a Job?' 'In a performance-driven marketplace, you have to frame your experience and show how you can solve a company's problems. You can't expect the potential employer to figure that out.'

The study, released Oct. 13, also found that older job seekers routinely overestimate their computer skills, fail to seek extra training, and may feel ambivalent about returning to work in spite of financial need. If potential employers sense that ambivalence in an interview, it can kill any chances of a hire."

Read up and learn how to avoid this from happening!

Here is a story from the Wall Street Journal today that discusses the inclusion of a long-term care benefit in the House bill. It's a program that would pay cash to people who become disabled by way of premiums deducted from employee's paychecks - but of course, employees would have the option to opt out of the program. The provision is meant to help with the problem that not many people have long-term care insurance if they need home care or to be in a nursing home. Medicare does not include long-term care benefits.
AARP's John Rother is quoted in the article - he says the long-term care benefit would be "enough to pay for the kind of care most people need."

More Technology News...
We mentioned the article from the New York Times last week about seniors and technology, and on the Times' "Gadgetwise" blog, there was a follow up piece posted yesterday that caught even more technology options that seniors might find useful - including AARP's official cellular service provider, Consumer Cellular, which offers phones designed specifically for older folks - with features like bigger buttons and simpler displays.

Travel Much?
Ever wonder if travel insurance is something in which you should invest? Check out this story from the Chicago Tribune. It gives "seniors on the go" the low-down on the kinds of insurances that are available to them, and what is necessary for different types of trips. One big fact to note: Medicare doesn't cover you outside of the U.S.! Just something to keep in mind. Check out the article for more tips!

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.