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Friday Alert 8/05/05
Alliance for Retired Americans
888 16th Street, N.W. - Washington DC, 20006 - (202)
974-8222 - www.retiredamericans.org
Bush Insists on Pursuing Private Accounts
The president's privatization proposal continues to lack public support despite
months of campaigning, but apparently that won't deter him. This week, President
Bush again called on Congress to overhaul Social Security this fall, insisting
that private accounts must be a part of any legislation. Private accounts, by
themselves, do nothing to address Social Security's solvency and would require
huge middle-class benefit cuts and massive borrowing. "Social Security will
never be strengthened if the president keeps insisting on privatization
proposals that would destroy the guaranteed benefits Americans earned and
deserve," said Ruben Burks, secretary-treasurer of the Alliance. Although the
president suggests he will keep pushing private accounts until his last day in
office, House GOP leaders have signaled they may act in September on a bill
(H.R. 3304) that would raid Social Security's surplus to fund private accounts.
The Senate Finance Committee remains deadlocked over how to restore solvency to
Social Security.
Clinton and Goodwin Confirmed for Alliance Legislative
Conference
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
will address Alliance members and guests at the 2005 National Legislative
Conference, September 7-9 in Washington, DC. The conference will also include a
massive Social Security Rally and Lobby Day on Capitol Hill as well as
informative workshops on the upcoming Medicare prescription drug benefit and the
2006 mid-term elections. Join your fellow activists to "Respect and Protect
Retirement Security"! There's still time to register by calling Joni Jones at
1-888-373-6497 or email
jjones@retiredamericans.org.
Supreme Court Nominee Defended PhRMA
During his time as a corporate lawyer, Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts
defended PhRMA, the trade association for the pharmaceutical industry, in a case
against an innovative prescription drug program in Maine. The "Maine Rx" program
allows the state to negotiate discount drug prices for the uninsured. Maine
health officials can ban any drug company that refuses from selling in the
state's Medicaid program. Maine Rx became a state law in 2000 but could not be
implemented because PhRMA filed suit against the state to stop the program
saying it violated Medicaid statutes. After losing in the lower courts, PhRMA
appealed to Supreme Court, where the case was ultimately decided in favor of
Maine. The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin confirmation hearings on
September 6.
Rising Drug Prices Continue to Outpace Inflation
Pharmaceutical companies raised prices for the top 100 brandname drugs by
another 5.5% in the first half of 2005, according to Delta Marketing Dynamics.
Comparatively, inflation rose by 2.5% in the first half of the year. "Seniors
living on fixed incomes cannot keep up with rising drug costs that doggedly
outpace inflation," said George J. Kourpias, president of the Alliance for
Retired Americans. Unsurprisingly, the drug industry continues to rake in huge
profits. Pfizer, the nation's top pharmaceutical company, made $50.9 billion in
2004, according to IMS Health. As Medicare prepares to begin its drug benefit in
2006, drug companies are looking to increase profits even more. A study by the
Boston University School of Public Health found that under the 2003 Medicare
law, drug companies would realize $139 billion in new profits over 8 years. The
flawed legislation prohibits the Medicare from negotiating discounts with drug
makers. For more information on the Boston University study, visit their website
at
www.healthreformprogram.org.
Health Insurers Eager for Medicare Dollars Market Drug
Benefit
The nation's largest health plans have found a way to skirt the rules for
marketing Medicare's drug benefit to seniors using an "educational" moniker.
Medicare rules restrict health plans from marketing any product or plan-specific
benefits until October 1. So major health plans such as Humana Inc. and
UnitedHealth Group have teamed up with the chains Walgreens and Wal-Mart to
launch in-store educational campaigns about the Medicare drug benefit, handing
out brochures and information stamped with their company names and logos.
Beginning August 15, Humana will put company representatives at tables near
pharmacies in 2,600 Wal-Mart stores. Critics contend these "educational"
promotions are just tactics being used to woo seniors into the health-care
industry's biggest money making opportunity in decades.
Alliance Welcomes Two More States to Growing
Grassroots
The Alliance's growing movement of retirees fighting for the health and economic
security of older Americans enlarged its grassroots base when Georgia became the
twenty-first state to become an Alliance charter with their founding convention
on June 25. Georgia Alliance members elected Irrel "Fuzzy" Finch as their
president. On August 4, Maine made its charter official with their founding
convention where John Carr was elected president.
Retiring Into Work: Alliance Educational Fund Releases
Latest Issue Brief
Working in later life often supplements retirement income, such as Social
Security, pensions and savings, and is likely to become even more important in
the future. The latest installment of the Educational Fund's issue briefs
explores the advantages and disadvantages of working longer and the practices
that can encourage continued participation in the labor force at older ages.
Available on the Educational Fund website at
www.retiredamericansfund.org.
WHCoA Resolutions from the Leadership Council of Aging
Organizations
The Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO), a coalition of over 50
national aging organizations, sponsored a White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA)
Solutions Forum on May 17, 2005. The Alliance for Retired Americans serves as
one of five rotating chairs of LCAO. At the forum, LCAO representatives
presented resolutions to the conference policy committee. The resolutions
pertain to health and long-term care services, pensions and savings, the Social
Security and Supplemental Security Income programs, and older workers. The
coalition seeks adoption of its resolutions at the WHCoA taking place December
11-14, 2005 in Washington, DC. Alliance members are encouraged to submit these
or similar resolutions to the WHCoA policy committee at conference events in the
intervening months. Resolutions are available on the LCAO website at
http://lcao.org/legagenda/index.htm.
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Respect and Protect Retirement Security! Come to Washington, DC
September 7-9 and Lobby Congress at the Alliance for Retired Americans
Legislative Conference - Register at
www.retiredamericans.org/legconf or call Joni Jones at
1-888-373-6497
Become part of a progressive grassroots movement!.
Join the Alliance
Alliance for Retired Americans 888 16th St, NW Washington, DC 20008
Click here to sign up for Alliance for Retired Americans.
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