ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

I've been getting a lot of questions in my inbox lately, and below is one of the most commonly asked. It's my hope that by answering these questions we can get the word out about why health care reform is important and debunk some of the myths that are floating around right now.

Q: We're worried health-care reform may go too far. Will we be forced into a plan or have to change doctors?

A: 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.

AARP's policy agenda is driven by you, our members. We developed our health-care reform priorities from nationwide member surveys, from member focus groups in a number of cities, and from the thousands of letters and phone calls we've received. You've told us what you need and what you want in health-care reform, and that's exactly what we've been fighting for.

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.

There is good news at press time: AARP has endorsed an agreement--brokered by Sen. 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. (For more information on dealing with the doughnut hole, see the "Drugs for Less" sidebar on this page.)

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 Web site--healthactionnow.org--to see how you can make a difference in getting to needed solutions.

If you have a question and would like me to answer it you can send it to:

Dear Jennie
AARP
601 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20049
or e-mail DearJennie@aarp.org.

I recently read this article on USAToday.com about how many older Americans fall each year because of their canes or walkers.

Safely getting around is incredibly important for everyone. Not just for health reasons, but also for connecting to others! Nearly 50,000 older Americans fall each year as a result of improperly measured/fitted canes and walkers, we have to stop and wonder what we can do to fix this problem. Simply stated - talk to your doctor or physical therapist. If you've just had knee surgery and your doctor says you need crutches, ask him/her to see that any equipment is customized for you and you're evaluated as using them properly. Or maybe your parent or loved one just got word that they need to use a walker now - do some research and go with them when they get fitted.

As always, communicating with and understanding instructions from our health care professionals is paramount to our long-term health and well-being.

Hello everyone. There is no question we have health care on the top of of our minds - the cost of it, the need for it, and reforming it. This issue touches all of our lives. I was recently fortunate to have been invited to the White House's Regional Health Care Forum hosted by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Gov. Gregoire which was hosted in Los Angeles. The forums are part of President Obama's administration's national effort to gain insight and input on the President's own health care plan.

Naturally AARP was in attendance, as it's been for several of the other two-hour sessions where key White House officials spoke about the need for health care reform along with elected officials, business and advocacy leaders.

There were also the painful personal stories that individuals shared and people were able to ask questions both there in Los Angeles and from other communities around California. You can watch the whole two hour event on this YouTube video and you can also express your concerns and suggestions about reforming the health care system at HealthActionNow.com. It's clearly the time to make progress on this complex and challenging issue!

Today was such an important day in history - for so many reasons, and for so many people.

I started voting as soon as I was able to: when I turned 18. Not any one candidate or issue got me fired up, it was simply an important rite of passage. To vote meant to participate in one of our greatest freedoms.

Voting is perhaps the most important representation of a democracy which we are so lucky to have here in America. People in other countries have given their lives to achieve this privilege of a voice. A voice that isn't pressured by any one else but is representative of one's own best judgment.

It is massively important for everyone of all ages to vote, but for those of us who are over 50 and older hopefully have some experience. Perhaps our perspective and appreciation that our voting will have significant policy and leadership impact to the well being of not only ourselves, but of future generations is felt a little bit stronger as we age.

I recently sat down with Alejandra to chat about Life@50+ and how truly amazing an event it was. I was on my feet everyday from morning until night, but not even being tired could keep me away from our fantastic members and some of the most fun I've had in a long while. Below are some excerpts from our conversation.

Alejandra: What were you most surprised by at Life@50+?
Jennie: Just how delighted so many attendees were with the organization and coordination with an event of this magnitude. They came up to me and just gave unsolicited comments of appreciation!

A: Did you meet any celebrities? Do you have a favorite celebrity moment?
J: Quincy Jones, Sally Fields, Richard Petty, Patty Austin, Martina Navratilova and Dr. Ruth. And it was great to meet Mickey Mouse!

A: Did you have a favorite event during Life@50+?
J: The Lincoln Memorial event which was both powerful and moving, It really helped us highlight the legacy of our 50 years and the vibrancy and timelessness of issues that drove Dr. Andrus to start our organization-and the issues continue to still need our leadership and advocacy today..50 years later!

A: Next year Life@50+ is in Las Vegas, is there anything you'll do differently next year?
J: Would most definitely spend more time on the floor to meet more members and attendees as well as our multitude of exhibitors.

A: What was your favorite member/attendee story?
J: The thrill of the entertainment of the evenings..so many people were just over the top happy to have seen and participated in the Natalie Cole, Ramsey Lewis, Chicago and Paul Simon concerts.

It was amazing to see members pounding the stage to exhort Paul Simon to return to the stage two times after the "last song". It was also fun to see some attendees with 4-6 shopping bags just filled with stuff gathered from the nearly 500 exhibitors.

Check out the picture of me on stage during our opening event! The room was pack with about 10,000 people!

It was such an important moment for us as AARP to be so visible and present at this Medicare rally at the Capitol. Seeing members from both sides of the aisle come together to assure that important provisions of Medicare are preserved and enhanced for this program was inspiring. Most of all we all became more hopeful that we can work on breaking political gridlock and get back on track to secure our collective well being for our country.

We will all benefit from having physicians receive adequate compensation, seeing that the efficiency and safety of using technology for e-prescribing, assuring that our retired military are also cared for and ultimately - older Americans see an overall improvement in their health care.

A big thanks to our many volunteers who were able to be present in their famous AARP red tee shirts..it was a visual reminder to all of our collective voice.

Alejandra has blogged before about how detrimental a fall can be for an older person. Some of you may have noticed that in a recent edition of AARP The Magazine I highlighted this as a high priority issue for me while I'm President...we know how important this issue can be for people 50 and older.

Recently, a US Center for Disease Control study showed that falls are injuring and claiming the lives of our loved ones at an alarming rate. And for many people who fall and break their hip, their lives of independence are often forever compromised.

So, if you know someone who's getting older, or maybe just beginning to have a hard time getting around their home, know that there are proven "steps" one can take that can help prevent or minimize the risk of falls. Since half the falls experienced occur at home, there are some simple things you can do to minimize the risk of a fall by improving safety features around their home.

You can find some truly helpful tips for renovating your home on our website. I also have colleagues from the Archstone Foundation in California who have funded a special focus on this topic by creating a Fall Prevention Center of Excellence.

See you in a couple of weeks!

Hello everyone! I've not been posting here on Shaarp Session for awhile, but I'm back and will be posting more regularly - and robustly- than ever before.

You may or may not know that my position is a volunteer position here at AARP. Some of my favorite parts of this role include meeting so many people, both individuals and organizations, who really care about situation of our country today and think AARP can be a big resource to help contribute to our well being now and in the future. As a volunteer and member, I really feel I get to help improve the lives of older Americans and their families across the nation along with the nearly million other AARP volunteers - and our nearly 4 million activists!

I've been busy traveling across the country with AARP, talking to our volunteers, meeting with elected officials...and even an occasional celebrity here and there. This has been an incredible experience already and will start sharing some of my experiences with you. I'll be bringing you pictures from the road, some interviews and sharing my background and experience. Hopefully this can be a venue where you get a more personal view of AARP, post your input and a have some fun doing it. Talk to you soon!

Hi everyone, I'm Jennie Chin Hansen, AARP's new soon to be new President. While my tenure is filled with firsts - I am a boomer, a gerontologist and an Asian American - I also will be the first AARP President to blog. I will be posting twice monthly here at shAARPsession, so check back to hear the latest on what we're doing.

As you might imagine, AARP has a full agenda. Between our work on Divided We Fail, our new and engaging website (with social networking), as well as our growing membership, as well as our recognition of our 50th anniversary I am honored to be a part of what will be occurring in these next two years. I also know, however, that many Americans are concerned about their future and the future of their children and grandchildren. People are anxious about their finances and about their health care.

Our founder, the first female principal in the California, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, left us an important saying: what we do, we do for all. I hope you all know that is still at the core of what we believe and do.

Along these lines, each year on the second Thursday in May, we launch AARP's Day of Service to lend a hand to our local communities. Last year, more than 33,000 people gave back and this year we expect even more. We'd like to invite you to join us!

Visit AARP's Make a Difference site where you can choose a Day of Service activity, connect with others, suggest ideas or let us know what you think about giving back to your community.

We're here to support you. Whether you need resources on how to care for an aging parent or loved one, need to figure out how much you will need to retire, or even if you just want to kick back and make a new acquaintance online, AARP has all of this for you.

I look forward to hearing and connecting with you. You can leave comments here or send me an email.