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Senior Citizen Politics
AARP Fires Up Keep Medicare Fair Campaign to Stop
Fee Increases for Senior Citizens
Latest television commercial can be seen as video
on You Tube
May 14, 2008 - Senior citizens who don't check out
"You Tube" - gosh, who doesn't do that - may miss a new message to
Congress from AARP. The organization has kicked off a new round of
advertising in it's effort to keep Congress from increasing Medicare
fees paid by senior citizens. The campaign, called "Keep Medicare Fair,"
has picked up steam as the politicians seek a means for restoring the
Medicare pay cut for physicians that is on hold until June 30.
During the month of May, television spots will run
inside the Beltway and in select markets, urging Americans to tell
Congress it must Keep Medicare Fair when it addresses the program this
spring.
AARP will also launch an online advertising campaign, print ads
in major market newspapers and a direct mail blitz of more than 200,000
pieces.
"Our members are fired up about keeping Medicare
fair," said AARP Vice President Elaine Ryan. "AARP's early outreach
showed a tremendous amount of support for the effort, and we expect this
latest round of media and grassroots outreach to send a clear message to
lawmakers. It's time to stop piling premium increases on to the people
who rely on Medicare."
This June, Congress will decide whether to again
increase Medicare premiums to cover the cost of paying doctors more,
according to AARP.
In a statement the organization that markets drugs
and insurance to baby boomers and senior citizens said, "Congress has
continually instituted temporary 'patches' to the currently flawed
physician payment system.
And each time, premiums for people in Medicare
have gone up even higher. The latest temporary fix will expire on June
30, 2008, and if Congress decides to merely patch the problem
again-without protecting premiums from yet another increase-people in
Medicare will see their premiums rise even further."
Since the beginning of AARP's effort in March, the
Association has collected more than 180,000 signatures from its online
petition, and AARP members have placed more than 18,000 calls to Senate
offices.
The new television spot, ads and direct mail point
viewers to a toll-free hotline and the effort's web site,
KeepMedicareFair.org., where the video can also be viewed.
AARP's latest television spot is scheduled to
appear inside the Beltway on Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, Meet the
Press and This Week. It will also run during news and public affairs
programming in local markets throughout the country. Print ads will run
in several major market newspapers nationwide.
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