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Friday Alert
Friday, August 8, 2008(Alliance for Retired Americans)
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, 2007, and again this past
Tuesday, because the machines never
worked. That voter is not alone. In
Arizona, a 97-year-old retired schoolteacher
and onetime traveling showgirl who has voted in
every presidential election since 1932 might
not be able to vote this year - she simply
can't prove her citizenship, as required by a
2004 law approved by Arizona voters. The
Arizona Advocacy Network and other activist
groups filed a lawsuit challenging the voter
identification requirements. A federal
judge held a hearing last month in Phoenix and
is expected to rule soon. Early rulings
have gone the state's way, and a U.S. Supreme
Court ruling upholding Indiana's voter ID law
was a blow to Arizona's challengers.
Fortunately, Election Protection officials
stand ready to help with many of these and
other voting problems, just one phone call
away, at the toll-free number
1-866-OUR-VOTE. “We need Congress to
provide funding for new machines that meet the
revised standards,” said George J.
Kourpias, President of the
Alliance. “In the meantime, seniors
should know about the Election Protection
hotline, which will be available through the
election, to help with voting problems.”
GAO Report: Medicare Fraud is
Highest in South Florida
A recent
study by the Government Accountability Office
(GAO) found that Medicare sometimes seems more
intent on paying claims quickly than verifying
them first. According to the study, the
government is putting millions of Medicare
dollars at risk – with losses at approximately
$11 billion annually – by authorizing
fictitious claims for wheelchairs, glucose
monitors and other medical supplies.
Medicare fraud is particularly rampant in South
Florida, where medical equipment and
HIV-treatment schemes alone add up to at least
$7 million daily. In response to the
study’s findings, Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) officials say that they
have instated new oversight procedures that
require medical suppliers to be
certified. However, investigators note
that concerns over oversight date back to at
least 2001, and CMS has made promises since at
least 2005 to fix problems in its supply
program. “It is vital that CMS act on its
word and ensure that Medicare dollars go to
those who deserve them – seniors and the
disabled,” said Ruben Burks,
Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance.
Some Pension Funds Drained in Order
to Fund Executives’ Benefits
An
examination by The Wall Street Journal
finds that a range of companies have been
quietly converting their pension plans into
resources to finance their executives'
retirement benefits and pay. By moving
some of the obligations for supplemental
pensions into rank-and-file pension plans,
companies capture tax breaks intended for
pensions of regular workers and use them to pay
for executives' supplemental benefits and
compensation. Companies using this tactic
have included Intel Corp. and CenturyTel
Inc. In addition to being a dubious use
of tax law, the practice risks harming regular
workers: It can drain assets from pension plans
and make them more likely to fail.
Ultimately, taxpayers are helping finance
executive compensations while companies grow
richer. With the current bear market in
stocks weakening many pension plans, the
maneuver could put more plans in
jeopardy.
Policy Makers Turn to Ohio
Alliance
Ohio Alliance members made
their voices heard, speaking to policy makers
at events this week. On Saturday, Bruce
Bostick, a 59-year-old retired
steelworker, spoke at the Democratic National
Party Platform Committee hearing in Cleveland
about losing his health care, his struggle to
survive and the reality of aging in America
today. Asked what it means to him to be
“aging in America,” Bruce described a time of
growing insecurity where he feels demeaned by
his circumstances and can no longer combat
rising food and gas prices. He spoke
about the loss of his pension and benefits
after the steel mill he worked at for 30 years
declared bankruptcy, and the saving graces
Medicare and Social Security have been for his
parents. Also in Cleveland, U.S. Senator
Sherrod Brown spoke with over
165 retirees from across Ohio at the “Senior
Voice!” community forum: “Making Medicare Real
Healthcare, Not Heartaches, Headaches, and
Hardships for Seniors.” As the keynote
speaker, Sen. Brown addressed some of the
recent changes to Medicare and its prospects
for the future, taking questions and reading
from constituent letters. The senator
stressed that retiree advocacy is essential to
keep the pressure on and prevent the
privatization of Medicare.
Alliance Events Take Place in
Arizona, Indiana, and
Florida
Members of the Arizona
Alliance took part in the Americans United for
Change "Bush Legacy Tour Bus" event last Friday
in Phoenix and Tucson. The bus is a
mobile museum focusing on the failures and
missed opportunities of the current
administration, with exhibit topics including
the economy, health care, and workers. In
Indianapolis on Thursday, Alliance members
joined Rep. Andre' Carson
(D-IN) as he discussed a new report by the
Institute for America's Future, which contains
updated estimates on the number of Hoosiers who
would be negatively affected by a dismantling
of Social Security. Elmer
Blankenship, President of the Indiana
Alliance, commented, “While Social Security is
one of our country’s most successful programs,
a debate on its future continues.
President Bush and
Senator McCain have proposed
privatizing the program.” In Tallahassee
the previous Thursday, Florida Alliance
Secretary Barbara DeVane spoke
at a “Millionaire McCain” protest, calling Sen.
McCain out of touch with retirees. The
event brought together many of those who
believe that Sen. McCain puts America’s wealthy
ahead of the middle class.
Did You Know…
According
to the U.S. Census Bureau, La Paz County,
Arizona is the county that has the nation's
oldest population, with 32% of its residents 65
years of age or older (USA
Today). The county is located on the
California border and is home to the Colorado
River Indian Reservation.
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