AARP Holds Statewide Forums on Social Security & Medicare

AARP Hawaii has launched a series of public forums aimed at providing residents statewide with information about proposals on the table in Washington, D.C. that threaten the health and retirement security of older adults and their families. The forums offer residents a chance to share their opinions on the future of Social Security and Medicare.

The first of the You’ve Earned  Say events was held last Saturday in Kahului, Maui, and attracted nearly 100 people – including state Sen. Rosalyn Baker, Sen. Gilbert Keith-Agaran, Rep. Kaniela Ing, and Rep. Justin Woodson – who talked about the 2013 state Legislature.

AARP Hawaii State President Gerry Silva told the gathering that AARP is fighting for responsible solutions to keep Social Security strong. “Hawaii residents are tired of hearing Washington talk about cutting Social Security to reduce the deficit,” said Silva. “They don’t want Social Security to be used as a piggy bank for deficit reduction.”

AARP is pushing for a broader retirement security debate on Social Security that is separate from ongoing budget negotiations. The Maui forum also addressed health care reforms that eliminate waste and improve care in order to drive positive change throughout the entire health care system and bring down health care costs for everyone, including in Medicare.

In Hawaii today, Medicare provides guaranteed, affordable health coverage for more than 200,000 older residents. Yet the program faces a number of challenges in the coming years because of rising health care costs and changing demographics. AARP believes there’s a better way to address these challenges than cutting benefits or forcing seniors to pay more – beginning with commonsense solutions that will improve care, reduce costs, and find real savings for taxpayers. For more on specific Medicare solutions AARP supports see our Medicare Solutions Fact Sheet.

The public is invited to attend any of the upcoming sessions. Registration is requested – call toll-free 1-877-926-8300 or register online:

Oahu – Ward Warehouse, Kakaako Conference Room: Saturday, June 29 (9 – 11 a.m.)

Kona – King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel: Saturday, July 20 (9 – 11 a.m.)

Hilo – Hilo Hawaiian Hotel: Thursday, July 25 (5:30 – 7:30 p.m.)

Lihue – Kauai at Coconut Beach Hotel: Saturday, August 10 (9:30 – 11:30 a.m.)

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people 50+ with 148,000 members in Hawaii. We fight on issues that matter to Hawaii’s families – including the high cost of long-term care and access to affordable, quality health care for all generations; provide tools needed to save for retirement and protect assets; and serve as a reliable information source on issues critical to older Americans.

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