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New York AARP Members Go to
Washington for Prescription Drug Rally
ALBANY,
N.Y., Sept. 5, 03-- Today, hundreds of AARP members from around New
York State traveled to Washington, D.C., to join more than 1,000
fellow members at a Medicare prescription drug rally.
AARP's
message to Congress was simple, "keep your promise" on passing a
prescription drug benefit in Medicare.
"This
event continues AARP's pressure on Congress to get the job done," said
Dick Stack, an advocacy volunteer for AARP New York. "Prescription
drugs are important to too many people for Congress to wait until next
year."
AARP
members rallied to urge Congress to pass legislation creating a
prescription drug benefit in Medicare. As part of the rally, over
100,000 petition signatures and postcards from individuals across the
country were delivered to Congress urging them to fix and pass the
legislation.
Both the
House and the Senate have passed bills to add a prescription drug
benefit to Medicare. The bills are currently being negotiated in a
Conference Committee of 17 members from the House and Senate with the
goal of agreeing on a final version to be voted on by both Houses.
"AARP is
urging Congress today to keep their promise and get this legislation
fixed, passed and signed into law," said Mary Ann Michalski, an AARP
advocacy volunteer in New York State. "America can't afford to wait
any longer."
The rally
in Washington marks months of AARP activities, such as town hall
meetings and events to celebrate Medicare's 38th anniversary,
revolving around getting Congress to enact a prescription drug benefit
in Medicare.
AARP
believes that a final Medicare bill signed into law must create access
to a reliable and affordable prescription drug benefit for all
beneficiaries regardless of where they live or what their income is.
The law must also not penalize those choosing to stay in traditional
Medicare.
AARP has
over 2.5 million members in New York State. AARP is a nonprofit,
nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to making life better
for people 50 and over. AARP provides information and resources;
engages in legislative, regulatory and legal advocacy; assists members
in serving their communities; and offers a wide range of unique
benefits, special products, and services for members. These include
AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, a monthly
newspaper; Segunda Juventud, a quarterly newspaper in Spanish; Live
and Learn, a quarterly newsletter for National Retired Teachers
Association members; and a Web site,
http://www.aarp.org. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. |
