Health Scare: Why Seniors Have Reason To Be Afraid
Is AARP The Best Representative For Seniors?
The health care debate is certainly heated, a lot hotter than what most people would have expected back in June when Congress first began to seriously consider changing the way Americans take care of themselves.
Opposition to what many are calling “ObamaCare” is strong, but it isn’t just coming from conservatives and anti-big government proponents. Instead, America’s senior citizens are up in arms, leading the charge to defeat ObamaCare. Strong opposition has taken House and Senate Democrats, AARP and other interest groups by surprise, but they still don’t “get it” when it comes to understanding our seniors.
5 Reasons Why Seniors Hate ObamaCare
Some people just don't "get it" when it comes to America's senior population and why so many are opposed to ObamaCare. I've compiled a list of five reasons to help them nail it.
Though I am years away from retirement (if ever) I am a new member of AARP, having turned 50 just last year. As an AARP member I can tell you that this lobbying association has a lot to learn, but are they willing to listen? Frankly, I don’t think that they are – just in case I’m wrong, allow me to share some of my observations when it comes five important reasons why seniors are pushing back hard against Congress and the Obama administration:
Seniors Don’t Want Medicare Decimated – Medicare is national health insurance for seniors, a “safety net” of sorts put in place more than four decades ago to protect aging Americans. Lots of Americans are not happy with the system, but understand that dismantling it may very well do more harm than good. When seniors learn that hundreds of billions of dollars will be diverted from Medicare to pay for ObamaCare, they’re rightfully concerned.
Seniors Want Choice – We live in a nation where “choice” is a popular buzz word. Unfortunately, changes to Medicare just may limit senior’s choice of doctors, choice of care and choice to live. Terms like “end of life counseling” are not clearly defined and when the president himself suggests that care must be rationed, then many seniors know that their lives will be placed in the hands of bureaucrats who may be more inclined to end them instead of preserving life.
Seniors Hate To Be Patronized – Why is it when Americans reach “a certain age” that politicians think that they can talk down to the senior set? Seniors are some of the most politically engaged people in the country, Americans who take the time to study proposals, read the fine print, ask probing questions. How unhelpful is it when politicians refute what seniors have already read and studied? Never underestimate the power of seniors and, as in the case of AARP, if you claim to represent seniors you need to understand exactly what seniors want apart from your own profitable interests.
Seniors Worry About Costs – Health care costs continue to increase with no end in site. While a government system promises to contain costs, most seniors know that their out of pocket expenses will increase, especially for those seniors who own a home, have a retirement account or some other assets which puts them squarely in the middle of the middle class. Few people believe that the middle class will avoid the next round of tax increases.
Seniors Worry About Their Legacy – And by “legacy” I mean their children and grandchildren. Seniors aren’t stupid – they’ve lived many years and have witnessed many profound changes during that time. Younger seniors came of age during the 1960s while our oldest seniors defended America during World War II. They’ve seen good times, they’ve seen bad times but no one has seen the government spend so recklessly as has been done in 2009. Someone has to pay for GM and Chrysler being bailed out, banks and other financial institutions bolstered, for so-called stimulus packages to be repaid, cap and trade taxes and, now, a multi-trillion dollar tax boondoggle in the form of ObamaCare. Seniors have had “enough” and aren’t interested in burdening subsequent generations with unpayable debt that threatens American sovereignty.
Slow Down The Process
Many Americans know that if ObamaCare becomes law there is virtually no chance that it will ever be dismantled. The rush to pass untested legislation has gotten many people upset who want everything slowed down, properly discussed and weighed before Congress puts anything to vote.
Further Reading:
Is AARP Beholden To ObamaCare?
A Slow Bleed For Insurance Companies?
Tags: AARP, health care, health insurance, national health care, ObamaCare, senior citizens
Politics | Matthew C. Keegan, 13 Aug 09
By LarryJackson, August 13, 2009 @ 6:14 am
It is good to hear that our seniors are leading the charge against a government take over of our health care system. To be honest, there is so much misinformation on both sides of the argument that it is hard to sift through it all and get to the truth. One thing I do hope is that whoever goes up against this plan does so with real information and not half-truths and other misleading information. To do so would be a sure way to doom our chances of defeating this legislation.
I echo your call to slow this process down and give everyone a chance to digest all of the information. This administration has been rushing to get things done since day one and they don’t seem to be slowing down. They know the quicker they can shove this thing down our throats, the less chance there will be that we will be able to defeat it.
.-= LarryJackson´s last blog ..Should we raise the federal debt limit? =-.
By Matthew C. Keegan, August 13, 2009 @ 6:20 am
@Larry — Fear is a strong motivator, something that brings out the fight or flight reaction in it.
Agreed, there is a lot of misinformation out there. The insurance lobby is protecting their turf while government supporters of national health care are protecting their’s. Honestly, I don’t want either the health insurance companies or the federal government to dictate how I receive care. This is something I want to do with my doctor, with the final decision resting in my hands.
Seniors are digging deep which is good for the entire country. Let’s slow things down, review the entire bill and debate the fine points. Then, and only then, can we see if the proposal has merits while also reforming what is already in place.
By Lillie Ammann, August 13, 2009 @ 11:04 am
Matt,
I certainly agree with you. When our legislators can’t be bothered to read a 1000+ page bill, they have no business voting on it. And the government has no business deciding who lives or dies based on the perceived value of their lives.
Although I’m old enough to join AARP (and have been for several years), I don’t agree with much of what the organization does and would never give them my money for dues (even as modest as the dues are).
By Matthew C. Keegan, August 13, 2009 @ 11:29 am
@Lillie — Congress deserves all of the backlash that they are receiving. How dare members of both chambers move to push legislation that they aren’t familiar with? And, some members have the gall to act surprised or upset when Americans hold them accountable.
This fight isn’t over and the fight may also include AARP leadership who have proven to be supporters of ObamaCare while demonstrating that they aren’t helpful advocates for America’s Over 50 population.
By Debra, August 13, 2009 @ 4:15 pm
I personally would not belong to AARP. I had a membership years ago, but it became quite clear to me that the organization was far left, and supporting the far left no matter what. I just will not support any organization that supports the erosion of the Constitution and the proposition that government is the answer to everything.
Even though AARP says the haven’t signed onto any particular bill, it is apparent they are for a government takeover of health care. And, we do know that they are in a partnership with SEIU to fight for this health care. Does that suggest to anyone that they would come out against a public option? Of course not.
I fear the government more than anything. Some other things might be really unpleasant and scary, but the loss of freedom (which is what big government is) is the scariest. Once it is gone, we will not get it back without bloodshed. I do not want that for my country or for my children.
I think those who are for this Health Care boondoggle are just thinking in terms of how they think it might be handled. I am not willing to adopt that pie-in-the-sky approach. Unfortunately, history tells us that we need to consider a worst case scenario, and try to prevent that. Yes, it is possible for evil to happen here when we allow ourselves to stray from the Constitution and adopt new things carelessly.
By Matthew C. Keegan, August 13, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
Thank you for you comment, Debra.
I certainly agree with you regarding the government’s involvement in healthcare. Once our politicians put it all into place, then they’ll leave the management of it up to bureaucrats to manage the system on behalf of the American people. This will give them wide latitude on how to interpret law or flesh out the bill to incorporate things that weren’t mentioned including universal abortion, euthanasia, rationing, you name it.
In some ways I believe that a second American revolution is brewing as a vocal cohort of people encompassing every ethnic, racial and financial group realizes that our freedoms are in jeopardy.
Thankfully, we have a number of our fellow citizens who are speaking out, taking up the cause to inform and educate reasonable Americans about HR 3200 and what this legislation entails.