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- Jul 3, 2009 Friday Alert Senate Panel Questions Private Insurers' Credibility, Shows Need for a Public Plan As the public health plan option, adamantly opposed by insurers, is considered in the Senate, the Senate Commerce Committee released a report last week exposing greedy and dishonest acts by insurance companies. more...
- Jun 26, 2009 Friday Alert President Obama Says He is "Flexible" on Offering a Public Health Plan... A New York Times poll released on Sunday showed that a remarkable 72% of Americans support a public health care plan. more...
- Jun 22, 2009 Friday Alert Retirees Lobby Congress on Health Care Reform Nearly 550 retirees attended the Alliance's annual legislative conference last week. more...
- Jun 12, 2009 Friday Alert Senate HELP Committee Releases Health Care Bill Containing a Public Plan Democrats from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) filed a 651-page health care reform bill on Tuesday. more...
- Jun 5, 2009 Friday Alert Senators Baucus, Kennedy Offer Different Visions for Health Care Reform The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Senate Finance Committee have adopted different views on health care reform. more...
- May 29, 2009 Friday Alert Be Careful When the Insurance Industry Says It Would Like to Help! According to the AFL-CIO blog, profits at ten of the country's largest publicly traded health insurance companies rose 428 percent from 2000 to 2007, while consumers paid more for less coverage. more...
- May 22, 2009 Friday Alert Senate Finance Committee Offers Options During Older Americans Month May is Older Americans Month, and all month long Alliance members are focusing on the theme of "Retirees' Stake in Health Care Reform." more...
- May 15, 2009 Friday Alert Coyle Says Not to Overreact to Trustees Reports The financial health of Social Security and Medicare has worsened because of the severe recession, according to Trustees Reports released on Tuesday. However, Alliance leaders cautioned the public not to panic. more...
- May 8, 2009 Friday Alert Alliance's 2008 Voting Record Shows Congress is Becoming More Pro-Senior On Monday, the Alliance released a new report detailing the voting record of every U.S. Senator and Representative on key issues affecting current and future retirees. more...
- May 4, 2009 2008 Voting Record This past year saw dramatic change come to Washington. Key retiree issues included whether to privatize Social Security, continue the wasteful subsidies under Medicare Advantage, and allow the continuance of the confusing Medicare Part D prescription drug program without the ability to... more...
- May 1, 2009 Friday Alert Retirees' Stake in Health Care Reform to be the Theme for Older Americans Month Retirees have a stake in health care reform, and May - Older Americans Month - is when seniors will be driving that point home! more...
- Apr 24, 2009 Friday Alert Medicare Advantage Plans Face Changes in 2010 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently established stricter rules for private insurance companies, effectively cutting subsidies to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans by up to 5%. more...
- Apr 17, 2009 Friday Alert Obama Addresses Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security in Economic Speech In a speech at Georgetown University on Tuesday, President Obama assessed economic recovery efforts, linking health care costs to broader economic problems and speaking of the need for health care reform to reign in the... more...
- Apr 9, 2009 Friday Alert Insurance Companies' Medicare Advantage Subsidies Begin to Disappear The Obama administration's plan to rein in private Medicare drug plans began on Monday, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced cuts in payments for private Medicare Advantage plans in 2010. more...
- Apr 8, 2009 Unemployment Lifeline
The AFL-CIO, Working America and the Working America Education Fund have launched Unemployment LifeLine.com, a Web site to help unemployed people find region-specific information about unemployment insurance, food and heating subsidies, credit counseling and job-training programs -- as well as...
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- Apr 3, 2009 Friday Alert Senate Votes Against Entitlement Task Force On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted against an amendment to the fiscal 2010 budget resolution which would have created an Entitlements Task Force to address the long-term funding shortfalls faced by Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, and... more...
- Mar 27, 2009 Friday Alert Sen. Specter Comes Out Against the Employee Free Choice Act Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), the only Republican to side with Democrats on the Senate's last vote on union-organizing legislation, announced on Tuesday that he would not vote for this session's bill. more...
- Mar 20, 2009 Friday Alert U.S. House Moves Forward on Health Care Reform Three committee chairmen in the U.S. House have agreed to work together to pass similar health care reform legislation in their committees before the recess in August. more...
- Mar 13, 2009 Friday Alert Possible Social Security Overhaul Generates Renewed Debate Congressional Democrats "are embroiled in a battle behind the scenes over whether a politically treacherous Social Security overhaul has any place in an agenda already stuffed to the gills," according to the publication Roll Call.... more...
- Mar 6, 2009 Friday Alert Alliance Participates in White House Health Care Summit President Barack Obama stepped up his effort to pass health-care-reform legislation this week, naming a new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and hosting a White House summit to discuss solutions to the... more...
- Feb 27, 2009 Friday Alert President Unveils New Budget, Slashes Medicare Advantage Overpayments President Obama yesterday released a proposed $3.6 trillion budget designed to cut the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term, while investing heavily in renewable energy, education and comprehensive health... more...
- Feb 24, 2009 Background Materials (PDFs) • What You Need to Know to be a Part of the Social Security Debate English • Frequently Asked Questions: Social Security and Privatization English Spanish • Myths about Social Security Privatization English Spanish • Private Social... more...
- Feb 20, 2009 George J. Kourpias on the Employee Free Choice Act Why Retirees Should Care About the Employee Free Choice Act by George J. Kourpias Unions built the middle class. By standing together, we fought for and won better wages, health care and pensions, and safety and respect on the job. ... more...
- Feb 20, 2009 Friday Alert Barbara Easterling Elected President of the Alliance Barbara J. Easterling was elected President of the Alliance on Thursday, succeeding George J. Kourpias. The vote took place at a meeting of the Alliance's Executive Committee. more...
- Feb 13, 2009 Friday Alert Kourpias to Step Down as Alliance Leader, Barbara Easterling to be New President George J. Kourpias, President of the Alliance for Retired Americans since its inception in 2001, announced this week that he will be retiring. Barbara J. Easterling, the former Secretary-Treasurer of the... more...
- Feb 6, 2009 Friday Alert Stimulus Vote in Senate May Take Place Tonight This week, the U.S. Senate heatedly debated President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. The bill, introduced in the Senate as S. 1, contains several important provisions that directly affect retirees. more...
- Jan 30, 2009 Friday Alert House Passes Stimulus Package; Senate to Debate Its Version On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed H.R. 1, an $819 billion stimulus package, by a vote of 244-188. While the vote was mostly cast along party lines, the plan's passage is a move toward reviving the economy and marks an early... more...
- Jan 23, 2009 Friday Alert Obama Inauguration Brings Together All Generations On Tuesday, an exuberant crowd braved frigid temperatures to celebrate Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president of the United States. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty estimated Tuesday's crowd at "roughly" 1.8 million, shattering the... more...
- Jan 16, 2009 Friday Alert U.S. House Stimulus Recovery Package Outline Includes Provisions for Seniors On Thursday, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, released the outline for the House's $825 billion economic recovery package. The package includes an additional Supplemental... more...
- Jan 9, 2009 Friday Alert Obama Promises Bid to Overhaul Spending on Retiree Programs On Wednesday, President-elect Barack Obama said that overhauling spending on retiree programs would be "a central part" of his administration's efforts to contain the federal budget. more...
- Dec 19, 2008 Friday Alert Auto Industry to Receive $17.4 Billion in Government Loans On Friday, the White House announced a $17.4 billion loan package for the Detroit automakers that allows them to avoid bankruptcy and leaves many of the big decisions for the Obama administration. more...
- Dec 12, 2008 Friday Alert President-Elect Obama Officially Presents Tom Daschle as Secretary of HHS On Thursday, Barack Obama presented former Senator Tom Daschle as his choice to become Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as to lead efforts to secure "affordable, accessible health care... more...
- Dec 5, 2008 Friday Alert Renewed Hope for Key Legislation in Senate Though they are two votes short of their quest for 60 votes - with Minnesota's Senate race still undecided - Democrats say that regular support from a few Republican moderates will allow them to pass bills that were halted in the current Congress... more...
- Nov 21, 2008 Friday Alert Alliance Calls for Federal Loan to Auto Industry Last Friday, the Alliance Executive Board voted unanimously to join labor and business groups in urging Congress and the White House to provide emergency financial assistance to the U.S. auto industry. more...
- Nov 20, 2008 Auto Industry Loan The Alliance for Retired Americans urges senators to vote for the legislation to provide bridge loans to the American automobile industry. This legislation is vital for the industry as well as retirees' pensions and health benefits. more...
- Nov 20, 2008 National Senior and Disability Advocates Agree on Principles for Financing Long-Term Services and Supports In a historic step toward a healthier, more equitable and affordable system for financing long-term services and supports, the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) have agreed on a set of joint principles for reform. more...
- Nov 14, 2008 Friday Alert Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Open Enrollment Season Starts Next Week Seniors may begin to change their Medicare Part-D insurance plans beginning November 15, during the six-week enrollment period that ends December 31. more...
- Nov 14, 2008 Alliance Resolution on Second Economic Stimulus At its national board meeting on November 14, the Alliance for Retired Americans passed a resolution calling upon Congress to enact a second economic stimulus as quickly as possible. more...
- Nov 7, 2008 Friday Alert Barack Obama is Elected President; Democrats Gain Seats in House, Senate Sen. Barack Obama was elected the nation’s 44th President on Tuesday night, winning the popular vote over Sen. John McCain, 52.3% - 46.4%. more...
- Oct 31, 2008 Friday Alert Election Day is Upon Us – Please Do Your Part George J. Kourpias, President of the Alliance for Retired Americans, says, "It is time for voters to decide once again what kind of country we want..." more...
- Oct 24, 2008 Friday Alert Alliance Activity Reaches a Crescendo as Election Nears Monday was the first day of early voting in Florida, and the Alliance for Retired Americans commemorated the day by hosting an ice cream social with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in Palm Beach. more...
- Oct 17, 2008 Friday Alert Benefits for Social Security Recipients, Federal Retirees to Increase by 5.8% Following a year of rising food and energy prices, benefits for Social Security recipients and federal government retirees will see a 5.8% increase, the largest cost-of-living adjustment since 1982, in 2009. more...
- Oct 10, 2008 Friday Alert McCain Health Plan Would Cut Medicare by 22% The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Senator John McCain’s health plan would be financed through $1.3 trillion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid over 10 years. According to the Tax Policy Center, this would be a 22% cut in both programs. more...
- Oct 3, 2008 Friday Alert State Voter Registration Deadlines Begin October 4 - Tell Your Friends! In the upcoming Presidential, Senate, and Congressional elections, seniors could be the key! Please make sure you and everyone you know is registered to vote. Most state deadlines for registering for the November 4th... more...
- Sep 26, 2008 Friday Alert Retiree Roadrunner Van Wraps Up First Trip to Ohio – Missouri is Next! On Monday, the Retiree Roadrunner van completed its first Ohio trip with a stop in Columbus. Wrapped in red, white and blue roadrunner graphics, the Alliance’s eight-passenger Retiree Roadrunner vans are traveling across... more...
- Sep 19, 2008 Friday Alert Retiree Roadrunner Van Makes Its First Run in Ohio Wrapped in red, white and blue roadrunner graphics, the Alliance’s eight-passenger Retiree Roadrunner vans are traveling across the nation, carrying with them information on Social Security, economic security, and voter protection for... more...
- Sep 12, 2008 Friday Alert Alliance’s Retiree Roadrunner Vans Hit the Asphalt on Behalf of Seniors Alliance for Retired Americans members who built the American Dream - steel workers, veterans, and retired teachers - want dignity in retirement, and the Alliance is hitting the road to protect it! The Retiree... more...
- Sep 5, 2008 Friday Alert Republican Convention Platform Raises Concerns The Republican Party held its nominating convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota this week, officially nominating Sen. John McCain of Arizona for President and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska to be Vice President. As a U.S. Senator, McCain has... more...
- Aug 29, 2008 Friday Alert Democratic Conventioneers Agree: “Yes We Can!” At a gathering that stressed unity, highly energized and impassioned delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver officially named Sen. Barack Obama their nominee for President of the United States. more...
- Aug 22, 2008 Friday Alert Medicare Beneficiaries Face 12 Percent Hike in 2009 Drug Premiums According to a report by the Associated Press, the average Medicare Part D beneficiary will face a 12% monthly premium increase in 2009. Federal government projections show the cost of standard drug coverage rising $3, to $28... more...
- Aug 15, 2008 Friday Alert Social Security Celebrates 73rd Birthday, Alliance Fights for 73 More From Oregon to Florida, the Alliance celebrated Social Security’s 73rd birthday with 25 grassroots events lauding the program that has kept millions of Americans out of poverty and by promising to continue fighting... more...
- Aug 8, 2008 Friday Alert Have a Voter Rights Issue? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires all polling sites to have at least one voting system designated for use by disabled voters. However, one disabled voter in Missouri has had to spend two hours at the polls each time she voted in 2006,... more...
- Aug 1, 2008 Friday Alert Guiding Principles for Medicare Released as Program Celebrates its 43rd Birthday The Alliance marked the 43rd birthday of Medicare on Wednesday with celebrations around the country and the release of a comprehensive roadmap for the program’s future in Washington, DC. more...
- Jul 25, 2008 Friday Alert Alliance Members Tell John McCain Social Security is not “A Disgrace” Alliance members from coast to coast spent the last week combating Sen. John McCain’s recent comment that Social Security is an “absolute disgrace” and calling on the Senator to return his own Social Security checks. more...
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