Outrageous Fortune (September 2007)
Through patent extensions, inflated price information, superficial
lawsuits, political contributions, lobbying and marketing, and lucrative
opportunities with the Medicare Modernization Act Part D benefit, the
pharmaceutical industry has been able to increase as well as protect its
profits while plundering the pockets of the American people.
Medicare Under Attack: Will Privatizing Measures Destroy the Program?
(August 2007)
Since the 1965 enactment of Medicare, the program has provided hospital
and outpatient health care coverage for persons over age 65 and younger
adults with permanent disabilities. This issue brief from the Alliance for
Retired Americans Educational Fund (ARAEF) outlines the evolution of the
privatization of Medicare and what it means to the future of the program
and well-being of Medicare beneficiaries.
Medicare Advantage: A Windfall For Insurers; Downfall for Beneficiaries
(August 2007)
Nearly 44 million Americans are Medicare beneficiaries. Although 80
percent receive their health care services through the traditional
Medicare program, about one in five—8.7 million—receive care through
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. This issue brief from the Alliance for
Retired Americans Educational Fund (ARAEF) provides an overview of the
shortcomings of Medicare Advantage plans overall and of the fastest
growing of MA plan types, the Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS) plans, in
particular.
[Issue Brief] Understanding Medicare's Preventive Services (Aug
2006)
This report highlights the preventive care services and
demonstration projects provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers these programs.
Medicare
IB 2 806 final.pdf
[Issue Brief] How Medicare Part D Fares and What Lies
Ahead (Aug 2006)
The new Medicare
prescription drug law was created under great controversy and implemented
with confusion and uncertainty. In this report, the Alliance for Retired
Americans Educational Fund examines the issues seniors faced in enrolling
in a drug plan, and the subsequent economic and health care ramifications
of this new law.
Medicare
IB 806.pdf
[Issue Brief] Long-Term Care Policy: Its Time Has Come...Again
(Nov 2005 - No. 8)
An
increasing number of Americans will need long-term care in the future and
the costs are expected to rise. Yet long-term care languishes in the
health policy background despite widespread public support for action.
This brief provides an overview of essential factors that should be
considered in developing a long-term care policy for the nation.
WHCoA_November2005_web.pdf
[Issue Brief] Vanishing: Pensions and Savings (Sept 2005 - No.
7)
The
movement away from guaranteed pension benefits creates the potential for
economic hardship for millions of Americans during their retirement years.
This report examines the shifting trends in employer-sponsored pension and
retirement savings plans in the private sector and makes recommendations
for protecting existing benefits and expanding coverage for those workers
who are not participating in any plan.
WHCoA_Sept05_web.pdf
[Issue Brief] An Affordable Home of One's Own (Aug 2005 - No.
6)
In
an inflated housing market, many older Americans are finding it difficult
to find or maintain homes that meet their physical and financial needs. As
America ages, the need for affordable, quality housing is increasingly
important. This report examines the housing needs of older Americans, the
status of federal housing programs, and what actions may be taken on the
federal, state, and local levels to address what has been characterized as
a "quiet crisis in America."
WHCoA_August_FINAL_web.pdf
[Issue
Brief]
Retiring Into Work (Jul 2005 - No. 5) (PDF:
155KB)
Working
in later life often supplements other sources of retirement income, such
as Social Security, pensions and savings, and it is likely to become even
more important in the future. This report explores the advantages and
disadvantages of working longer and the practices that can encourage
continued participation in the labor force at older ages.
[Issue
Brief]
Medicare Rx Drug Benefit: Navigating Low-Income Assistance (Jun 2005 - No.
4) (PDF: 150KB)
Under
the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA)
of 2003, all Medicare beneficiaries who have Medicare Part A (Hospital
Insurance) or Part B (Medical Insurance for doctor services and outpatient
care) will have access to prescription drug benefits. Most individuals
will obtain drug coverage through private plans. This report provides
basic information for low-income beneficiaries, their families and their
advocates about the application process for assistance and enrollment.
[Issue
Brief]
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: A Guide Through the Maze (May 2005 -
No. 3) (PDF: 157KB)
This
report provides basic information individuals need to understand the
prescription drug benefit, the implementation process, the decisions and
actions they must take, and the resources available to them.
[Issue
Brief]
Social Security for All Ages (Apr 2005 - No. 2)
(PDF: 161KB)
This
issue brief draws upon a report released earlier by the Alliance for
Retired Americans Educational Fund, Social Security Under Attack. It
highlights how the Social Security program works, the protections that it
provides, key points about the effects of privatization and how minor
adjustments will provide for promised benefits over the next 75 years.
[Report]
Social Security Under Attack (PDF: 11MB -
NOTE: This is a very large file*)
For
nearly 70 years, Social Security has been the bedrock of income security
for nearly all Americans, providing benefits to retirees, those with
disabilities, and the survivors of retired and deceased workers. The
program has never missed a benefits payment in its history. However, the
program is threatened by proposals to divert a portion of payroll
contributions from the Social Security Trust Fund into private accounts.
This report examines the effects of privatization and offers better
solutions. An appendix reviews how the program works and the protections
that is provides. [*To request printed copies of the report, please call
1-888-633-4435.]
[Issue
Brief]
White House Conference on Aging 2005 (Feb 2005 - No. 1)
(PDF: 2.4MB)
This
report is the first in a series from the Alliance for Retired Americans
Educational Fund, leading up to the White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA),
tentatively scheduled for October 23-26, 2005 (this may change to a later
date) in Washington, D.C. As a framework for the series, this brief
presents background on the conference, a profile of the baby boom
population, which will be a major focus of the October meeting, a history
of WHCoAs, and the reflections of a federal official who participated in
the first conference in 1961. Subsequent briefs will focus on issues and
programs that must be considered at the WHCoA as the nation’s boomers
become retirees. These topics will include Social Security, Medicare,
pensions, work and retirement, health care status and coverage, long-term
care, housing, transportation and the Older Americans Act.
[Report]
Broken Promises-Retiree Health Care (PDF:
896KB)
Health
plans for retirees over and under age 65 in America today are not keeping
pace with the needs of the nation’s retirees. Most early retirees are
without coverage and those who have it face increasing cost-sharing. For
those over age 65, Medicare is typically the primary source of health
insurance coverage but the program covers little more than half of health
care costs. This report assesses current public and private approaches to
retiree health care coverage.