Seniors to Lawmakers: Protect Social Security, Medicare
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With Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid possibly on the budget cutting block, members of the Alliance for Retired Americans will celebrate the organization’s 10th anniversary this week by doing what they have done for a decade: fighting for for America’s seniors.
As part of the Alliance’s annual legislative conference which began this afternoon and runs through Sept. 9, hundreds of seniors will converge on Capitol Hill Sept. 8, just hours before President Obama’s address on jobs, to tell their representatives and senators to keep their hands off Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Seniors to Push Lawmakers to Protect Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security
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July 30 will mark the 46th anniversary of the Medicare and Medicaid programs and seniors across the country plan to march and lobby to make sure there are many more anniversaries to come.
From July 18 to July 30, members of the Alliance for Retired Americans will participate in nearly 20 events nationwide to let lawmakers know that they do not want the money working people depend on in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security used for another taxpayer handout to Wall Street. The Republican’s budget proposal would replace Medicare with underfunded vouchers for private insurance and cut Medicaid funding.
Two of the first events will be a town hall meeting in San Diego July 19 and a “Medicare’s Last Birthday” rally outside the Bernalillo County Republican headquarters in Albuquerque, N.M. The events also will help educate the public on the importance of these programs. To find an event near you, click here.
Edward Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, says:
Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security provide retirement security for all seniors. This year, all three programs are in jeopardy. Opponents of these vital programs and many in Congress are using the debate on the debt ceiling as an opportunity to call for cuts in them…they are targeting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and making many misleading statements about their financial stability. We must set the record straight…on how crucial these programs are to seniors and express our opposition to any benefit cuts.
Seniors: Dump Oil Subsidies, Save Medicare
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Congressional Republicans slapped older Americans and working people in the face earlier this week by voting to keep billions in subsidies for oil companies while supporting a budget plan that would make it even harder for seniors to visit a doctor and fill a prescription.
Even though polls show a majority of Americans want to keep Medicare intact, Republicans would prefer to reduce the federal deficit by ending Medicare rather eliminating the oil subsidies. Big Oil hardly needs the help. The nation’s five largest oil companies made nearly $1 trillion in profits in the past decade and profits are soaring even more with gas prices hovering today around $4 a gallon.
Happy Birthday, Social Security—And Many More
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Today is the 75th birthday of Social Security, and while the nation’s retirees have much to be proud of as Social Security reaches this milestone, they also are anxious as more and more short-sighted politicians take aim at the program.
The Alliance for Retired Americans is holding events across the country to help preserve Social Security for working families. Click here to find upcoming events in your state and browse the “American Stories Project” to see real Social Security stories from members.
Here’s Edward Coyle, executive director of the Alliance:
“We will spend the coming months educating and mobilizing retirees to protect the Social Security benefits millions of seniors count on each month to make ends meet.”
Recent polls show the public strongly supports Social Security despite calls by Republicans like Rep. John Boehner to raise the retirement age to 70 and cut Social Security and Medicare supposedly to lower the deficit. One reason Social Security is so popular: Social Security keeps 20 million Americans out of poverty, including some 13.2 million seniors and 1.1 million children.
New Health Care Law Gives Medicare Lots to Celebrate at 45
Medicare turns 45 today—and as Dr. Don Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, points out:
“Before Medicare, millions of the nation’s seniors were uninsured. Since then, Medicare has been the bedrock of the nation’s health care system.”
The new health care legislation Congress passed this year gives Medicare—and the seniors who depend upon it—lots to celebrate, because the law enhances Medicare coverage. But “unfortunately, too many retirees remain skeptical and unaware of these new benefits,” says Edward F. Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans.
Members of Alliance for Retired Americans Meet with Lawmakers Over Recess
Activists from the Alliance for Retired Americans are wrapping up the last of nearly 70 meetings this week with U.S. Senate and House members who are on congressional recess back in their states or districts. The retired union members are speaking out about the need to strengthen Medicare as a cornerstone of health care reform.
In the meetings, Alliance members are outlining measures to lower the cost of prescription drugs, strengthen the Medicare Trust Fund and expand Medicare coverage for retirees ages 55-64.
Kourpias Retires as Alliance for Retired Americans President
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George Kourpias, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans since its inception in 2001, has announced his retirement as head of the organization.
Under Kourpias’ leadership, the Alliance grew into a 3.5 million member organization that was a leader in stopping then-President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security. In the 2008 presidential elections, Alliance activists mobilized in key battleground states to highlight the stark contrasts between Barack Obama and John McCain on Social Security and Medicare. On Election Day, union retirees voted for Obama by 72-26 percent.
Kourpias said that on the heels of the November election, it is time to turn over the reins of the Alliance.
I have never been more proud of my fellow union retirees than I was on election night. But all that our hard work and great success guarantees us is an opportunity—nothing more. It has been a tremendous honor to help grow and lead a progressive army of grassroots retirees. We have fostered lifelong activism among union and community leaders, and I believe our collective voice has made a difference.
