AARP Utah

By LaRee Jones, AARP Area Coordinator

Filing a tax return isn't the most stress-free experience, and fears of audits can put people on edge. That's exactly what scam artists are counting on with widespread tax scams that are proliferating, according to an alert issued by the Internal Revenue Service this month.

Social Security Turns 80, Loved by Americans of All Ages

Social Security turns 80 on August 14, 2015 and has fulfilled the promise made by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he signed it into law, that it would “protect the average citizen and his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.” It has done just that. In Utah alone, Social Security lifts 94,000 Utah retirees from poverty; 42 percent of the state’s population age 65 and older would have incomes below the poverty line without Social Security. [1]

Guess what’s turning 50? For many AARP members who know that milestone well, it’s a program that is invaluable for their health and financial independence. Medicare turned 50 on July 30. Former President Harry S. Truman received the first Medicare card immediately after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law in 1965, and since then it has helped redefine “real possibilities” for many Americans, often freeing them from the fear of devastating medical bills that could jeopardize their individual and economic survival.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new survey of internet users shows that the freedom and convenience of public wireless networks may come at a cost. Nearly half failed a quiz about online and wireless safety, while tens-of-thousands admit to engaging in activity that could put them squarely in the sights of hackers looking to steal their personal information.

Caregiving may be one of the most important roles a person takes on in his or her life, whether it is a sudden role or one that develops over time. Having resources to start to plan for this role, helping to coordinate a big move, or contemplating having a loved one move in will make the process much easier.

AARP applauds the bipartisan action taken on July 16, 2015 on S. 192, the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) introduced by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) with Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The Senate passed the bill the week that the OAA celebrated its 50 anniversary of providing invaluable services to older adults.

Utah Family Caregivers Provide $4.15 Billion

Notalys LLC released its report, Expanding Utah's Health Insurance Options today at a press briefing at the Utah State Capitol, outlining the differences between two plans that were under consideration by the Utah legislature during the last session. Governor Herbert's Healthy Utah plan was passed by the Utah Senate, and Utah Cares was passed by the Utah House of Representatives. Because no agreement was reached on how to cover the more than 50,000 low-income Utahns who currently fall into a health insurance coverage gap--making too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to qualify for health insurance subsidies--a committee of House and Senate leaders, the Governor Herbert, and Lt. Governor Spencer Cox set July 31 as the deadline for coming up with a plan to address this population.