AARP Members
As members and potential members of AARP, we believe the time has now come for our organization to deploy its significant influence and demand that a public health insurance plan be included as a choice in any health care reform.
It is clear that the only realistic chance of extending affordable coverage to the millions now without it---and to the millions with inadequate coverage (increasingly many more Americans due to job losses and other factors) ---is through a public health insurance plan open to all and available on a level playing field with private insurance. The benefits of such a plan include:
1. An alternative to private, for-profit insurance plans, which have a long track record of ever-higher premiums for fewer health benefits. Among those affected by their policies are AARP members from 50 to 65 years old.
2. Comprehensive benefits wth coverage for all
3. Maximization of our health dollars and control of costs
The AARP is one of the few advocacy organizations with the resources and political influence to counter the massive lobbying effort underway right now in Washington aimed at blocking a serious public health insurance option.
We are concerned that our politicians are proving overly susceptible to pressures from the private health insurance lobby, especially on the hot button issue of the public plan. President Obama has said that health care "should be a right for every American," and he campaigned on his commitment to give Americans the choice of a public health insurance plan alongside the plans of private insurers.
Now is the time for AARP to speak out forcefully. AARP has always played a strong leadership role not just for our older citizens, but for the country as a whole. We urge AARP to seize this opportunity and join with the President to see that truly comprehensive health care reform is enacted.
Thank you for taking the time to read our petition.
Health care is for all people not just for those who can afford it or worse still make unreasonable profits by it.
A public option is essential to assure all Americans have access to affordable health care insurance.
Oublic Option is absolutely vital to and reform.
My five adult children with families are all struggling with various health insurance problems from too expensive to refuaal to cover basic illnesses despite years of premium payments. Disgaceful behavior on the part of insurance companies.
It's important for every citizen. The nation is already amost bankrupt! It needs to be fixed with a government option, so insurance companies can't cancel for just using it. Let the doctor and patient decide, Not the insurance companies. All they are is money-grubbers!!!!!!!
Would force insurance companies to take you with a pre-condition. Let Obama handle it. He's a very intelligent person. A lot more than the reps and senators from Oklahoma!!!!!! All they are is a bunch or right-wing, capitalists 'at any cost' thugs. They've got their money and don't want to share with the least of us. But "God is on their side" What CRAP!!!!!!!!
As a young person with a pre-existing condition, I was rejected three times from private health insurers. I am 22 years old, and of a healthy weight - my pre-existing condition is chronic migraines, a condition that effects millions of American women. I am a professional actress, and my work is contractually based, therefore I am not eligible for insurance through my employer - which means I must go through the Maryland State Insurance plan, resulting in high insurance and prescription bills each month. I am hoping I would qualify for a public health plan because of my lower monthly income and I would not be turned away because of my pre-existing condition.
Why is having a public health plan option important to you? A Public Option suplied by government is a must. This is the only way to fairly insure the people in this country. We all need and deserve good health insurance. It's the only way to have real competition between health care services providers. It will improve our economy and help stabelize the middle class. We have lost so much but still pay for everything.
I've seen to many people suffer and die at the hands of the private system we have now. I've seen to many people bankrupted by this evil health care empire.
I know that the public health plan will lower all of our medical costs.
Same as above.
Why is having a public health plan option important to you?
Why is health care reform important to you?
so it will be competitive with insurance co.and to bring down the high and mighty drug co. so i can have choice to try to cut my cost which are to expensive.
i am 56 yrs.i am ready to retire in 6 yrs.the way things are going i will not be able to afford a health care plan that i can afford.
IF A SINGLE PAYER PLAN IS EQUAL TO, OR BETTER THAN, MEDICARE THEN LET ALL USA CITIZENS (ONLY) HAVE IT AVAILABLE. LET IT NOT BE ANOTHER SUBSIDY FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS WHO ARE DRAINING THE SYSTEM AS IT IS.
Health care in America is a great asset and can save America money by staying healthy.Americans are not saving enough to provide it for themselves and employers are taking it away slowly but surely.
There is too much money unnecessarily being paid out for multiple procedures which only add to the doctors bottom line and not to the health of the patient.Not enough is being provided for preventative care.
I am a cancer patient and see how flawed our system is on a daily basis. Why are drugs so much cheaper in Canada? What is AARP doing about it?
As a professional nurse and as a professor of nursing, I see health care for all as both an ethical mandate and as fiscally responsible. Our health care system is not only broken, it is both broken and incredibly unfair.
Because it is the right thing to do.
I had a peice of plactic in my right eye removed on 7/07/209. I had an reaction to the medicatin. On 7/9/2009 the eye doctor change my presction. The pain has gone from worse to worse. I am at work until 8 am.
As a nurse I see many people who work full time, but do not have health insurance because it costs more than their paycheck allows or individuals who work less than full time and do not qualify for their employer's health plan. COBRA even costs more than some individual's unemployment benefits, so the individual goes without insurance, even though they have health problems. I also see consumers purchasing unregulated herbal products and over the counter advertised products that have a potential to cause harm instead of asking a healthcare provider since the individual does not have money to obtain a physical examination or the testing that is necessary to obtain a correct diagnosis.
I honestly see our emergency rooms continue to be full. I often hear stories of long waits of greater than 6 hours in the Washington DC area. Many patients do not realize that emergency rooms were originally designed for emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes or severe bleeding. However, Americans and visitors from other countries believe they need to be seen for fungus on their toes and for the flu they could not get over during their regular work hours or that their employer would not pay them if they took off of work. I truly believe we need to re-open Public Health Clinics along side the emergency rooms and to promote primary health care providers in the Public Clinics that continue to see patients around the clock, unlike our current system where private doctors close their doors at 3P. I believe, we need to have help from all levels of government and private industry to overcome availability. In the hospital, I often work with patients who have been told to lose weight, but have not been told not how to do it. Many are surprised that nutrition and exercise are necessary to change their situation, and that psychological problems do affect their outcomes. I would like our government to pass legislation to re-introduce physical education into every level of our educational system and to encourage more nutritional and personal financial courses starting in pre-school. Personal financial courses would include the cost risk of not having health insurance. Nutrition classes could educate students on how to cook healthy meals and promote health weight. The same with physical education programs. I would also like our government to use our USDA county extension advisors to have nutritionist provide free nutrition classes for each county across the USA. In cities, the community centers that are generally funded by county governments would be a likely place to offer nutritional classes and exercise facilities that cost only a couple of dollars per family. Of course this would require more nutritionist than is currently available. So that will require government interventions such as funding for Registered Dietians to get their Master's Degree. In addition, these ideas require funding for exercise physiologist that have their Master's degree who plan safe exercise plans for individuals with obesity, cardiac, cancer, or diabetic diseases instead of health food store employees who do not have degrees of any kind provide information to the consummer. To deal with the individual patient's psych/social concerns and frustrations, I would like to be able to refer patients to a healthcare provider that they could learn how to deal with stress and to have their health care pay for the referral. I believe every patient that understands their problems and how to overcome them are better able to decide for themselves how to overcome the first signs of being overweight, high blood pressure, insulin insensitivity, or other health problems.
The universal measures of health care outcomes clearly show that Americans are not correct in thinking that we have the best health care SYSTEM among the industrialized nations.
Let's clarify what we really need. We need health CARE not health INSURANCE. Homeowner's insurance does not pay for home maintenance. Auto insurance does not pay for automobile upkeep. Health care should not be a for-profit industry. It is a service this advanced nation should provide to all citizens. AARP should make a concerted effort to study the realities of health care in one or more nations such as Germany, Canada, Great Britain, France or Switzerland and publish the FACTS widely. There is so much mis-information being promulgated, it's no wonder most people are scared of change.
We need a single payer health care system. This is the only way to insure that everyone is covered and costs will be kept down.
I do not have health insurance and am one major illness away from financial ruin. I have worked all of my life and always paid my bills, but all of this could change with any major illness or accident.
I have a masters degree, but I don't have insurance. My husband has a job which he appreciates having even though it is temporary. But we do not have health insurance. If something were to happen to either of us healthwise, we would be in trouble financially in addition to our health issues. And what really troubles me is that so many millions of Americans are in the same boat.
Having an element of competition in our ability to choose is very important. Perhaps a Medicare hybrid model makes sense - but some degree of a public choice is critical.
I want to see an improvement of cost/benefit delivery to insureds - and with much more emphasis on prevention
Having a public health plan is the only effective way to foster real competition among the profit-seeking insurers and bring down health care costs.
Do not cave in to the health insurance industry. We have THE WORST health care by any measure for an industrialzed nation and do not rate at even the top 20 of all nations
I will not be able to live in my home country, the USA, once I turn 60 because I cannot take the chance of losing everything I worked for all of my life because I got sick. Only in the USA can you lose everything you worked for all of your life just because you got sick. THIS HAS TO STOP!!!
As a psychologist working in the public sector, I see the problems with private insurance coverage every day. A public health plan is needed to allow for coordinated care for a larger portion of the population. The current system is fragmented and much too expensive. Please support development of a public plan for all ages, and especially for lower income individuals. This is an opportunity for AARP to be an advocate for senior citizens and other vulnerable populations, and to answer the criticism that the organization is an insurance company first and an advocacy organization second. Supporting a public plan only for those above 50 is short-sighted. Whole families need to be covered by the same plan that would allow them to utilize the same network of providers.
More affordable and quality healthcare is needed in this country. We lag behind 49 other developed nations in healthcare.
Quality of life should be afforded to the people of the United States. We trade off our freedom and income to obey the laws of the U.S., but we haven't received an equal benefit from healthcare. Reform is needed in order to improve on the quality of life and enable each individual to be given the opportunity to acheive it.
As a nurse, mother, friend, I have repeated witnessed the impact of lack of insurance on people's health. My 30 yo daughter has yet to obtain a biopsy for cervical cancer due to her lack of insurance(this is going on 4 years!). Her husband being self employed and struggling to make a living in the current economic climate, can not afford the cost of health insurance yet can not qualify for Medicaid. My 28 yo son had his truck fall on his leg while changing brake pads and called me about the pain and swelling he was experiencing after the accident. He was afraid to seek medical treatment as he did not have insurance. We have a system that is based on chasing the illness or disease after the fact because our emphasis is on cutting costs, denying people basic preventive care because of lack of insurance. We need a system that provides access to basic health care to all and one that is not based on profit. Too much money is spent on the 'paperwork' of getting approval, denials, referrals, etc. that people (patient's I see, especially the elderly) fall through the cracks. This is a shame. As one of the most progressive countries in the world, we need to join with all the other countries i.e. England, France, Canada, etc. who have long recognized that their strength lies in the health of their people. This is a right not a privilege! Medical care should not be about profits! The billions of dollars spent on trying to ste
It should be important to everyone in this country. I currently work in healthcare as a nurse see people every day struggle with health insurance issues. It seems like it would be a win/win situation. I don't believe we should obliterate the private insurance industry, in fact I have a close family member that works in the industry. I think this would be beneficial for every American.
It is important because there are problems with the current system and simply said it doesn't have to be this way, it could be better.
