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Friday Alert
Friday, March 28, 2008
(Alliance for Retired Americans)
Western
Regional Meeting is Pronounced a
Success!
Monday through Wednesday of
this week, the Alliance held its Western
Regional Meeting - the first of four
regional meetings in 2008 - in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Speakers included U.S. Rep. Shelley
Berkley of Nevada, who represents Las
Vegas; Scott
Watts, President of the Nevada Alliance;
Danny
Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of the
Nevada AFL-CIO; Edward Coyle, Executive Director
of the national Alliance; and Richard
Fiesta, Director of the Department of
Government and Political Affairs for the
national Alliance. Alliance members had a
chance to voice their own opinions throughout
the conference and in smaller breakout
sessions. Executive Vice President Judy Cato of
the national Alliance spoke about
community-based issues, and national Alliance
President George J. Kourpias addressed
pensions, health care, long term care, housing,
energy costs, and the national debt in his
remarks. He then swore in the following
newly-elected regional board members to the
Alliance Executive Board for their respective
sub-regions: Bill Holayter of Washington State
(Subregion 1); Luis Duran of California
(Subregion 2); Frank Lay of Colorado (Subregion
3); and Jo
Etta Brown of Nevada (At-Large).
Locations and dates for later conferences
are: Northeastern Regional Conference,
April 17-18, 2008, Philadelphia, PA; Midwestern
Regional Conference, April 28-29, 2008, St.
Louis, MO; and Southern Regional Conference,
June 4-5, 2008, Orlando, FL. For copies
of the official registration forms, call
1-888-373-6497, email Joni Jones at jjones@retiredamericans.org,
or visit www.retiredamericans.org.
Health Care Survey
Shows Seniors Struggling to Pay for
Prescription Drugs
Medicare Part D is
not protecting seniors from unaffordable
prescription drug prices, according to the
results of the AFL-CIO’s 2008 Health Care for
America Survey. More than 26,000 people,
including over 1,600 Alliance members,
responded to the survey over a seven-week
period in January and February. Compared to 46%
overall, 53% of Medicare beneficiaries who
responded said prescription drugs are either
not affordable or not covered, reflecting the
inability of the privately administered Part D
drug benefit to negotiate with big drug
companies for lower prices and the dangers of
the “donut hole” period when prescriptions are
not covered. 38% of Medicare recipients also
reported specialists as either not covered or
not affordable, while 37% placed tests,
preventative care and checkups in this
category. One third of all respondents went
without medical care due to cost, one quarter
described “serious problems” paying for care
and 79% called health care a top voting issue.
“Thank you to every Alliance member who
participated in this survey,” said George J.
Kourpias, President of the Alliance.
“Your responses prove that seniors have had
enough, and that we will be making a change in
November.”
Trustee’s Report Shows Medicare and
Social Security Sustainability
The
Medicare and Social Security Trustees’ reports
issued Tuesday confirmed that the programs do
not face an immediate crisis, while
highlighting America’s growing health care
problems. The Social Security surplus is
expected to continue for more than three
decades, with the trust fund not set to expire
until 2041. Medicare’s trust fund will be
insolvent by 2019, due largely to continually
rising health care costs. Both dates are
unchanged from last year’s account “Reports of
Medicare’s death have been greatly
exaggerated,” said Rep. Pete Stark
(D-CA), chairman of the House Ways and Means
Health Subcommittee. “Though the trigger has
been pulled by Republican ideologues, this
year's trustees report shows that Medicare
remains solvent and sustainable.” The Bush
Administration has used the report to renew
efforts to privatize both programs. Under
Medicare’s 45% trigger law, the President must
reduce Medicare spending when the program is
expected to be more than 45% funded by general
government revenue for more than two years –
Tuesday’s was the third such consecutive
warning. “The President is using this
artificial measure to ignore America’s real
health care crisis and protect big insurance
company programs that have already stolen years
from Medicare’s solvency,” said Edward Coyle,
Executive Director of the
Alliance.
Dates for Mailing Stimulus Rebate Checks
Announced
The Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) has listed the dates for mailing
out stimulus payment checks, which will be
issued according to the last two digits of the
main tax filer's Social Security number.
Recipients who use direct deposit will be among
the first to receive the payments, starting on
May 2. Paper checks will be put in the
mail starting on May 16. The IRS is
scheduled to mail checks by July 11 to all
eligible taxpayers who have filed a return by
the April 15 deadline. Those who file a
tax return after April 15 will receive their
economic stimulus payment later. A return
must be filed by October 15 in order to receive
a stimulus payment this year. See the IRS
online calculator for an estimate of the amount
you will receive. For the complete
schedule of payments by Social Security number,
visit http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=180250,00.html.
State
Alliance News From Florida and
MD/DC
Last week, the Florida Alliance
for Retired Americans held its 2008 Legislative
Conference, where a panel of elected officials
and community activists addressed issues
including affordable housing, healthcare,
nursing homes and the upcoming Presidential
election. Speakers included State Reps.
Shelly
Vana (Dist. 85) and Susan Bucher
(Dist. 88); Lynn Bannister, U.S. Senator
Bill
Nelson’s Director of Outreach; Richard
Polangin, FLARA’s Government Affairs
Director; and Sarah Byrne, Legislative
Representative for the national Alliance.
Members also participated in a press
conference, organized by FLARA President Tony
Fransetta, to draw legislative attention
to senior housing and call for self-sufficiency
and affordable housing for older Floridians.
Also last week, MD/DC Alliance President Bruce Dunton
testified before Maryland’s House Ways and
Means Committee. He urged legislators to
support HB 79, an income tax exemption that
would provide an extra $2,200 for many seniors
on fixed incomes. “Our expenses are rising and
our incomes are not. We just got hit with a
huge electricity increase. Many of us are in
the Medicare Part D donut hole, so pay more for
our prescription drugs,” Dunton testified. “The
extra $2,200.00 could go a long way to help us
meet ends.”
Did You Know…
Fewer Americans
are counting on Social Security to retire - 60%
now planning retirement expect it to be a
primary income source, down from 65% in 2007.
(The Wall
Street Journal)