AARP Volunteers from Massachusetts, All Other States Press Congress on Issues Vital to 50+ During Older Americans Month

Issues Include Bipartisan Older Americans Act, Medicare, Age Discrimination, Transportation Safety and More 

 

Today, in the midst of Older Americans Month, AARP volunteers and staff from every state are visiting Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to urge their elected representatives to back bills, including the Older Americans Act, that can help Americans live their best lives.

AARP Massachusetts State Director Mike Festa and state President Linda Fitzgerald plan to visit the offices of Senators Edward Markey (D-MA)and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and members of the U.S. House of Representatives Katherine Clark (D-MA) and Richard Neal (D-MA), to discuss a variety of issues crucial to older Americans.     

 

 

The issues that AARP volunteers and staff raisedwithmembers of the House and Senate from every state include:

 

• The Older Americans Act Reauthorization (S.1562 / H.R.3850): The reauthorization of the bipartisan Older Americans Act provides an array of programs and services to assist, protect, nourish and sustain the nation’s seniors with maximum dignity and independence.  Since 2010, AARP has consistently supported and urged a reauthorization with minor changes to strengthen and improve this crucial law.

 

• Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), (S.2000/H.R. 4015): Both the Senate bill and the House bill deal with the "Sustainable Growth Rate," which is also known as the “Doc Fix.” Medicare beneficiaries and doctors shouldn’t have to deal with the uncertainty of short term solution after short term solution for reimbursement.  Doctors and their patients deserve a stable, predictable reimbursement system that will encourage doctors and providers to deliver high-quality care.  AARP supports a permanent repeal of SGR and a move toward a reimbursement system that promotes quality and value without shifting costs onto beneficiaries through higher cost-sharing or reduced benefits. To send Congress your own message of support on this important topic, click here, complete the form, and we'll send it on for you! 

 

• Responsible Solutions for Medicare’s Adequacy and Solvency: AARP believes we can improve Medicare solvency by creating savings throughout the entire healthcare system by finding ways to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse; improving care coordination; and lowering prescription costs.  This must also be achieved without shifting costs onto beneficiaries through higher cost-sharing or reduced benefits.

 

• The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA) (S.1391 / H.R.2852): The passage of the bipartisan POWADA would protect workers by reestablishing the principle that unlawful discrimination of any sort should not play a role in workplace decisions.  A recent Supreme Court decision made it more difficult for older workers to prove claims of illegal bias based on age.

 

• The Safe Streets Act (S.2004 / H.R.2468): The passage of the bipartisan Safe Streets Act would ensure that planners and traffic engineers design, construct, and operate roads with the safety of all users in mind by directing states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to create a "safe streets" policy within two years of enactment.  The policy would be different for each locality based on their individual communities. To see how critical this issue is, read Dangerous by Design, a just-released report on pedestrian safety.

 

As Congress gets closer to a midterm election expected to once again see the influence of older voters, AARP’s volunteers hope that their issues resonate clearly before they head to the voting booths in November.

 

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK: 

www.facebook.com/AARPadvocates

 

AND TWITTER:

@AARPadvocates