Alliance for Retired Americans Blog

Retirees Pleased with Tele-Town Hall and Health Law Clarification

This week's teletown hall event with President Obama, organized to clarify the new health reform law for seniors, was well-received by many seniors and Alliance members nation-wide.
 
The Alliance's Judy Cato attended the event in Wheaton, Maryland; and the Alliance hosted over 25 watch-and-call-in parties in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvani and South Carolina.

Photos. [Top left: Obama at tele-town hall in Wheaton MD courtesy National Council on Aging (NCOA) Bottom left: DesMoines, Iowa event.]

Barbara Franklin, President of the Illinois Alliance, was the first phone call accepted. She asked President Obama about whether or not changes in Medicare Advantage overpayments would result in a reduction in care for seniors.  Obama replied that this was one of the more common myths about health reform (in addition to death panel concepts), and explained what the new health law does to sustain Medicare.

Video.

Elmer Blankenship said in response to Obama's tele-town hall,

As a retired Auto Worker and a member of The Indiana Alliance for Retired Americans, I was one of the seniors here in Indianapolis that watched President Obama’s June 8 town hall forum on CSPAN to learn more about how the new health reform law will benefit seniors and retirees.

The new law will help retirees better afford to see a doctor and fill their prescriptions.  Seniors who fall into the “doughnut hole” coverage gap in Medicare Part D will, starting this week, receive a $250 rebate check from the government. That may not sound like much, but for many Seniors, it can be the difference to getting needed medicine.

Seniors are starting to benefit with free annual check-ups in Medicare, ending co-payment for preventative screenings, allowing children up to age 26 to be covered on their parents policy and in many other ways. I thank President Obama for his efforts to end the myths and scare tactics around health reform and giving America’s seniors the facts.

Ken Sagar and Midge Slater reported from Iowa that the consensus from seniors gathered at the tele-town hall sites was that "President Obama should do more town hall meetings to inform Americans of the content of the new health care program and to dispel the falsehoods being spread by tea party and other malcontents.  Many people indicated that they learned quite a bit from the discussion."

You're Invited to Ask the President Health Care Questions on Tuesday!

At a special event on Tuesday, June 8, Alliance members are invited to ask the President health care questions by telephone!

A few members of the Alliance will be attending the event - which will include information on benefits for seniors under the new health care law - live, in Wheaton, Maryland. Other members are invited to ask the President questions by phone.

This one-time, national "tele-town hall" can also be seen and heard on television by watching C-SPAN, or on-line via web streaming at www.healthreform.gov.

If you live in one of the following communities and would like to join a local watch party, please contact us at:

ARAORGANIZING@retiredamericans.org

Iowa - Dubuque, Des Moines, Waterloo
Missouri - St. Louis
New Hampshire - Nashua, Manchester
New Mexico - Albuquerque
North Carolina - Raleigh
Ohio - Ashtabula
South Carolina - Columbia

In addition, several of our allied unions are sponsoring events. Currently, we are aware of an
AFT-sponsored event in Latham, NY and an event in Las Vegas sponsored by IUPAT. A number of other unions will be sponsoring events, and a more complete list will be available later today.

The live event is scheduled to begin at 11:15 AM on Tuesday and will last one hour.

The President will also be joined by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius. Topics to be covered will include the $250 checks for seniors caught in the Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole" coverage gap, and efforts to combat scams associated with those checks.

The Hill: Obama holding healthcare town hall next week

New York Times, The Caucus blog: Obama Will Tout Medicare Rebates

Tax Day and Tea Parties

Last year’s economic stimulus package cut federal taxes by $232 billion.  Most Americans are paying lower taxes this year than last but you wouldn’t know it by the flurry of Tax Day Tea Party protests made up of activists protesting paying taxes.  New Mexico Alliance members held counter-tea party protests on Thursday.  They argued that, “Real patriots pay their fair share of taxes,” and members said they are happy to pay into Social Security, Medicare, public schools and public works.  New Mexico’s Terry Schleder said, “Our seniors turned out because they have historical perspective on the importance of government programs.” 

Last week the New York Times and the Gallup organization jointly released a poll of self-identified Tea Party supporters.  While 92 percent of respondents believe the country is drifting toward socialism, nearly half also said either they or someone in their household benefits from either Social Security or Medicare.

On government programs and retirement, political commentator Glenn Beck said this week that privatized Social Security accounts would be, “a better bet than the federal government.”  He also called for a sharp increase in the retirement age.  Alliance Executive Director Ed Coyle said that these sentiments are troubling in advance of the first meeting, on April 27, of the new federal commission on deficit reduction.  He said, “Too many people are urging this panel to cut Social Security and Medicare.  Seniors need to make their voices heard to preserve these great American success stories for future generations."