Advocacy

By Sue Price Johnson

Before you vote, take the time to get to know where the candidates stand on issues that matter the most to AARP members and their families. This guide helps explain more about the top federal voting issues for older adults, as well as some guiding principals when it comes to the future of our health care and economic security. For more information on any of these voting issues, go to www.aarp.org/vote.

ASHEVILLE – At a regional fraud prevention event held by elder advocates across the Mountain Region, AARP volunteer Betsy Cantrell was presented with the AARP Andrus Award for her outstanding contributions to improving the lives of adults as they age.

When the insurance industry asked state regulators to allow an 18.7 percent increase in homeowners insurance, AARP advocates pushed back.

RALEIGH – As part of an initiative to help curb fraud and identity theft that target older North Carolinians, AARP is pleased to announce a new top volunteer position it is working to fill. AARP’s Fraud Prevention Impact Leader will work with AARP North Carolina Executive Council members and other volunteers to develop and implement a statewide fraud prevention plan and extend AARP Fraud Watch Network programs and advocacy across the state.

North Carolina public policy expert Lisa Diaz Riegel has joined AARP North Carolina as Manager of Advocacy and Communications to help advance the needs of older adults in the state. One of her main goals at AARP is to help prepare policymakers and communities to meet the needs of the state’s rapidly aging population.

By Michelle Crouch

In many states, consumer-focused regulators protect the public interest by making sure utility monopolies charge only rates that are fair and reasonable. Last month the North Carolina Utilities Commission granted large increases to Duke Energy, despite growing outcry from residential customers over rising rates.

When retired Air Force officer Sam Wood of Durham learned that the pharmaceutical industry was pushing back on a federal attempt to close the Medicare Part D donut hole, he took action. Like thousands of other AARP advocates, he called his members of Congress urging them to close the coverage gap. Wood manages his heart condition with several prescriptions and is worried about the future affordability of the medications his doctors prescribe. Thankfully, with your urging, he can rest a bit easier due to a spending bill Congress passed – and President Trump signed –that includes a number of positive provisions for older Americans and AARP’s priorities.

RALEIGH -- AARP North Carolina delivered about 1,400 petitions today to the North Carolina Utilities Commission from residential ratepayers concerned about the steep rate hike request by Duke Carolinas.