Note: This is not posted as a donation solicitation. It is provided for ARTA members for informational purposes.
Dear AARP Member,
If we don't act now, Medicare patients may have to say goodbye to the doctors they know and trust.
Here's what's happening. For years, Congress has tried and failed to bring long-term stability to the amount doctors get paid through Medicare. As a result, doctors from time to time face dramatic cuts in how much Medicare pays them to see patients – which could mean they stop seeing Medicare patients altogether.
But it gets worse: as negotiations intensify in Congress right now, one of the most popular solutions on the table would pay doctors more by asking seniors to pay more for the Medicare benefits older Americans already rely on – meaning higher co-pays, higher premiums, and higher deductibles.
We're between a rock and a hard place.
There's a better way, but we need your help to see it through. AARP is fighting for a fix that would allow patients to continue to see their doctor without harmful cuts to benefits. We can get there if we turn up the pressure. We need 2,500 donors to join us right now to fund an all-out effort to win this fight. Will you chip in $5 to be one of them?
Another year, another battle. Congress bickers over the so-called "doc fix" that sets doctors' pay through Medicare each year.
Right now, there are plans afoot for a "permanent doc fix" that would end the year-in, year-out squabbling. But to do it, Congress will need to come up with a whopping $131 billion – and right now, they want to place much of that burden squarely on the shoulders (and wallets) of older Americans.
Don't get me wrong. We need a permanent doc fix. It's crucial that doctors get paid fairly to ensure they keep seeing Medicare patients. But we can't allow Washington to pay for this fix out of seniors' pockets – not when you've worked your whole life to earn your Medicare benefits.
Instead, we're pushing Congress to look at a plan that would lead to huge savings, paying for the doc fix by, among other things, cutting costs for prescription drugs.
Guess who doesn't like that plan? Drug companies. They'll be fighting us tooth and nail, along with an army of other special interest lobbyists who benefit from the current system. But with your help, we'll be ready to do whatever it takes to protect the benefits you've earned. When you make your gift, you'll be helping mobilize thousands of AARP activists to get letters and calls to Capitol Hill, schedule more visits to key decision makers, and to do whatever it takes to make sure Congress does the right thing. Please, chip in $5 today to help us reach our goal of 2,500 donors before February 26.
Protecting your financial security isn't easy. But when thousands of us work together, we can win this year's doc fix battle for older Americans – and make sure your doctor remains a trusted partner for years to come.
Thank you,
Fred Griesbach
AARP Campaigns
Dear AARP Member,
If we don't act now, Medicare patients may have to say goodbye to the doctors they know and trust.
Here's what's happening. For years, Congress has tried and failed to bring long-term stability to the amount doctors get paid through Medicare. As a result, doctors from time to time face dramatic cuts in how much Medicare pays them to see patients – which could mean they stop seeing Medicare patients altogether.
But it gets worse: as negotiations intensify in Congress right now, one of the most popular solutions on the table would pay doctors more by asking seniors to pay more for the Medicare benefits older Americans already rely on – meaning higher co-pays, higher premiums, and higher deductibles.
We're between a rock and a hard place.
There's a better way, but we need your help to see it through. AARP is fighting for a fix that would allow patients to continue to see their doctor without harmful cuts to benefits. We can get there if we turn up the pressure. We need 2,500 donors to join us right now to fund an all-out effort to win this fight. Will you chip in $5 to be one of them?
Another year, another battle. Congress bickers over the so-called "doc fix" that sets doctors' pay through Medicare each year.
Right now, there are plans afoot for a "permanent doc fix" that would end the year-in, year-out squabbling. But to do it, Congress will need to come up with a whopping $131 billion – and right now, they want to place much of that burden squarely on the shoulders (and wallets) of older Americans.
Don't get me wrong. We need a permanent doc fix. It's crucial that doctors get paid fairly to ensure they keep seeing Medicare patients. But we can't allow Washington to pay for this fix out of seniors' pockets – not when you've worked your whole life to earn your Medicare benefits.
Instead, we're pushing Congress to look at a plan that would lead to huge savings, paying for the doc fix by, among other things, cutting costs for prescription drugs.
Guess who doesn't like that plan? Drug companies. They'll be fighting us tooth and nail, along with an army of other special interest lobbyists who benefit from the current system. But with your help, we'll be ready to do whatever it takes to protect the benefits you've earned. When you make your gift, you'll be helping mobilize thousands of AARP activists to get letters and calls to Capitol Hill, schedule more visits to key decision makers, and to do whatever it takes to make sure Congress does the right thing. Please, chip in $5 today to help us reach our goal of 2,500 donors before February 26.
Protecting your financial security isn't easy. But when thousands of us work together, we can win this year's doc fix battle for older Americans – and make sure your doctor remains a trusted partner for years to come.
Thank you,
Fred Griesbach
AARP Campaigns
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