Drew Nannis: AARP: Setting the record straight
By: Drew Nannis
OpEd Contributor
August 5, 2009
Editor's note: This oped is in response to Mark Tapscott's July 30 column entitled "Obamacare could kill AARP."
And the award goes toÉMark Tapscott for most dramatic editorial. Too bad the millions of Americans without health care or who are struggling to pay for their care will likely not be applauding.
The truth is, and especially in Washington, you just can't please all of the people all of the time. And yes, this is a variation on a phrase often attributed to Republican President Abraham Lincoln, so perhaps AARP will be accused of siding with a particular political party (although Tapscott referred to us as "liberal") but that's just the way it is in this town.
Unfortunately, many people behind the deceptive machines who are working to stop health care reform are trying to vary this memorable phrase even further, working around the clock to "fool all of the people all of the time". They are stopping at nothing to spread myths about health care reform and employ scare tactics to deceive the masses.
For the good of the millions Americans who are suffering daily to make ends meet, who wrongly are denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions or who are spending exorbitant amounts of money on prescription drugs - we will clarify a few things.
AARP is fighting everyday for a solution that improves health care. We have been working with leaders from both sides of the aisle for many, many months, and we will continue to do so. The town hall we hosted this week with President Obama was another in a series that have featured Democrats and Republicans.
We're not interested in political gamesmanship, but in the best solutions - regardless of whether they come from Democrats or Republicans. Members on both sides of the aisle agree that the status quo is unacceptable. We're glad to see progress, and we want to maintain the momentum on behalf of our members.
The final health care reform package will include a mix of ideas from both parties and both houses of Congress.
At the end of the day, the standard that AARP will use to judge the legislation is simple:
Will this legislation improve our health care system and provide peace of mind to our members and their families?
On behalf of our 40 million members, AARP has been working with both Republicans and Democrats for the last two years to build political support to fix our broken health care system.
We support the overall efforts to pass a health care reform package this year - and we have specifically endorsed efforts to close the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap, or doughnut hole.
Also, we endorsed the bi-partisan "Medicare Transitional Care Act," sponsored by Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Charles Boustany (R-LA); as well as Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME).
Such a benefit can help save some of the estimated $17 billion Medicare spends each year on preventable hospital readmissions and significantly reduce the 20 percent of people in Medicare who are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of their first visit.
And on one of the larger issues, let us be clear: AARP would fight - with everything we've got - any attempt to prevent a doctor or hospital from giving the best possible care to their patients.
We will continue to push to make sure any health care reform package out of Washington includes specific measures to help our members and their families - and we won't apologize for doing so.
The millions of people impacted by high drug costs and those that can't get adequate health insurance because of age or a pre-existing condition need help now. Waiting will not lower costs, increase access or improve quality.
Few understand the enormous challenge of this task better than AARP. We have been working to reform health care for more than 50 years and we know this is difficult. But Congress needs to get this done this year. American families simply cannot afford Washington's stalemate any longer.
The time to improve health care and lower costs to individuals, businesses and government is now! The longer we wait, the more expensive it will become for all of us.
But despite all of our efforts, myths about health care reform continue to run rampant, and we will continue - on behalf of all Americans, to fight to make affordable health care a reality. This includes Mr. Tapscott's latest attempt to keep the status quo.
Drew Nannis is a vice president of AARP.
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