Showing posts with label AARP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AARP. Show all posts

Thursday, November 05, 2009

AARP Endorses Affordable Health Care for America Act

/PRNewswire/ -- Today AARP announced its endorsement of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) and the accompanying Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act (H.R. 3961). The Association's support follows nearly two years of work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to craft a health care reform plan that meets the needs of AARP's nearly 40 million members and all older Americans. Among those needs are reforms that strictly curb insurance companies' discrimination against older Americans and Medicare improvements that strengthen benefits while protecting the program for future generations.

"We started this debate more than two years ago with the twin goals of making coverage affordable to our younger members and protecting Medicare for seniors," said Jim Wordelman, State Director for AARP in Idaho. "We've read the Affordable Health Care for America Act and we can say with confidence that it meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage."

Today's endorsement marks the first time in this legislative battle that AARP has put its full weight behind a comprehensive health care reform package. In the coming days, AARP will be educating its members about the health care reform package through its publications, paid advertising and more than five million calls and e-mails to its grassroots activists.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act contain critical components AARP has been fighting for on behalf of its members and all older Americans to improve health care for them and their families. They include:

-- Protecting and strengthening Medicare for today's seniors and future
generations of retirees;
-- Ensuring seniors can see the doctor of their choice or find a doctor
if they need one by improving Medicare's payments to doctors;
-- Lowering drug costs for seniors by closing the Medicare Part D
"doughnut hole" and allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug makers
for lower drug prices;
-- Taking steps to reduce waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiency in the
Medicare program;
-- Requiring Medicare and insurance companies to provide for important
preventive services like screenings for diabetes, cancer and
osteoporosis free of charge;
-- Stopping insurance companies from denying you affordable coverage
because of your age;
-- Preventing insurance companies from denying you coverage if you have a
pre-existing condition or dropping your coverage if you get sick;
-- Limiting how much your insurance company can make you pay
out-of-pocket;
-- Providing affordable health insurance options for those who don't have
insurance; and
-- Providing benefits to help seniors and people with disabilities live
in their own homes and communities by establishing the Community
Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.

Wordelman added: "We cannot continue to let insurers price older Americans out of the market, just as we cannot stand idle while millions of seniors are forced to choose between their groceries and their prescriptions. AARP is proud to endorse the Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, and we urge members of the House to pass this critical package in the coming days to help fix our broken health care system."

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Monday, July 13, 2009

Genworth Financial Simplifies the Process of Purchasing Affordable Long Term Care Insurance for Georgia AARP Members

/PRNewswire/ -- Long term care costs in Georgia continue to rise at a rate outpacing inflation, putting significant financial pressure on those in or near retirement. As a leader in the long term care insurance industry, Genworth offers a suite of insurance products to help people proactively plan for their future. Now, AARP® members that reside in Georgia can take advantage of a new program designed to simplify the process of purchasing affordable long term care insurance.

Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE:GNW) today introduced My Future, My Plan(SM), a suite of long term care insurance plans created exclusively for AARP members. My Future, My Plan is the result of Genworth combining its unique expertise in the area of the long term care insurance product with what it has learned about AARP's demographic. With My Future, My Plan, AARP members get access to industry-leading features while maintaining the ability to customize a plan that falls within their price range, meeting their lifestyle needs. In three simple steps, AARP members can choose one of three preselected long term care insurance plans, tailored to them and designed specifically to reflect membership demographics. All plans include the option of home care, assisted living and nursing home services along with flexible features designed exclusively for AARP members. Also included is no-cost access to Genworth's Privileged Care® Coordinators who assist policyholders and their families in planning for their long term care.

AARP members have three easy options available to find out more about My Future, My Plan: by scheduling a free, no obligation "readiness review" with an "Authorized to Offer" Genworth insurance agent in person or by calling 800 565.0805, or by visiting genworth.com/aarp for more information about long term care insurance.

My Future, My Plan is one of many products Genworth has developed, reflective of American families' varying and ever-growing long term care needs. The company also offers affordable long term care insurance solutions through independent financial advisors. Earlier this year, the company launched a product suite to offer employers a practical way to provide affordable, comprehensive long term care coverage to employees and their families.

Georgia residents can also take advantage of Georgia's Long Term Care (LTC) Partnership, an alliance between the private insurance industry and the state government to help Georgia residents plan for future long term care needs without depleting all of their assets to pay for care. The combination of benefits offered by Genworth's LTC insurance products and the Partnership Plan provide Georgia residents with financial incentives to take proactive measures to help protect themselves and their families from the growing costs of long term care.

"Two-thirds of people over age 65 will need long term care in their lifetimes," said Buck Stinson, president, insurance products at Genworth Financial. "The current economic downturn has depleted the nest eggs of many Georgia residents, making it more important than ever to plan ahead for future long term care costs."

Helping American Families Through Education

As an industry pioneer and the largest underwriter of long term care insurance for more than one million policyholders, Genworth brings a strong commitment to solving our nation's long term care challenges, a reputation for service and a longstanding history of product innovation.

Since 2005, the company has conducted an annual Cost of Care Survey to provide Americans with a clear understanding of the cost of long term care in their area. According to Genworth's 2009 Cost of Care Survey conducted by CareScout, the annual cost for a private nursing home room in the U.S. is $74,208, or $203 per day. Costs for this type of care in Georgia's three largest cities surveyed have increased 4 percent annually over the past five years in Columbus and 2 percent in both Atlanta and Augusta over the same time period. The median annual cost for a private nursing home room in Georgia ranges from $45,589 to $74,400.

"Long term care planning is a key consideration as you prepare for your retirement needs," continued Stinson. "For a few dollars now, families can potentially save thousands of dollars later should they have a long term care need."

To help families plan and have the right conversations at the right time, Genworth Financial has created the "Let's Talk" national campaign, designed to provide families with the right resources, education and motivation to have valuable conversations and successfully plan for a long life. The centerpiece of the campaign is an interactive Web site (www.caringtalk.com), featuring downloadable long term care guides and information on: ways to break the ice with family members; helpful do's and don'ts; and advice from people who have already been down this path.

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