How insurers are hiding Obamacare benefits

<div class="imgon2"><img alt="(illustration: AP)" border="0" height="181" src="http://readersupportednews.org/images/stories/article_imgs10/011029-health-care-scare-110513.jpg" title="(illustration: AP)" width="400" /> <br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(illustration: AP)</b></span></span></div><div class="noslink"></div><div class="txtimg"><h1 class="txttitle"></h1><div class="txtauthor"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>By Dylan Scott, Talking Points Memo</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="date"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>05 November 13</b></span></span></div><div class="date"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>readersupportednews.org </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><img border="0" src="http://readersupportednews.org/images/stories/alphabet/rsn-D.jpg" />onna received the letter canceling her insurance plan on Sept. 16. Her insurance company, LifeWise of Washington, told her that they'd identified a new plan for her. If she did nothing, she'd be covered.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A 56-year-old Seattle resident with a 57-year-old husband and 15-year-old daughter, Donna had been looking forward to the savings that the Affordable Care Act had to offer.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>But that's not what she found. Instead, she'd be paying an additional $300 a month for coverage. The letter made no mention of the health insurance marketplace that would soon open in Washington, where she could shop for competitive plans, and only an oblique reference to financial help that she might qualify for, if she made the effort to call and find out.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Otherwise, she'd be automatically rolled over to a new plan -- and, as the letter said, "If you're happy with this plan, do nothing."</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>If Donna had done nothing, she would have ended up spending about $1,000 more a month for insurance than she will now that she went to the marketplace, picked the best plan for her family and accessed tax credits at the heart of the health care reform law.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"The info that we were sent by LifeWise was totally bogus. Why the heck did they try to screw us?" Donna said. "People who are afraid of the ACA should be much more afraid of the insurance companies who will exploit their fear and end up overcharging them."</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Donna is not alone.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Across the country, insurance companies <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303983904579093620345333370" target="_blank">have sent</a> misleading letters to consumers, trying to lock them into the companies' own, sometimes more expensive health insurance plans rather than let them shop for insurance and tax credits on the Obamacare marketplaces -- which could lead to people like Donna spending thousands more for insurance than the law intended. In some cases, mentions of the marketplace in those letters are relegated to a mere footnote, which can be easily overlooked.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The extreme lengths to which some insurance companies are going to hold on to existing customers at higher price, as the Affordable Care Act fundamentally re-orders the individual insurance market, has caught the attention of state insurance regulators.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The insurance companies argue that it's simply capitalism at work. But regulators don't see it that way. By warning customers that their health insurance plans <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/what-happens-to-people-whose-insurance-is-cancelled-because-of-obamacare" target="_blank">are being canceled</a> as a result of Obamacare and urging them to secure new insurance plans before the Obamacare launched on Oct. 1, these insurers put their customers at risk of enrolling in plans that were not as good or as affordable as what they could buy on the marketplaces.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>TPM has confirmed two specific examples where companies contacted their customers prior to the marketplace's Oct. 1 opening and pushed them to renew their health coverage at a higher price than they would pay through the marketplace. State regulators identified the schemes, but they weren't necessarily able to stop them.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>It's not yet clear how widespread this practice became in the months leading up to the marketplace's opening -- or how many Americans will end up paying more than they should be for health coverage. But misleading letters have been sent out in at least four states across the country, and one offending carrier, Humana, is a company with a national reach.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"If you're an insurance company, you're trying to hang onto the consumers you have at the highest price you can get them," Laura Etherton, a health policy analyst at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, told TPM. "You can take advantage of the confusion about what people get to have now. It's a new world. It's disappointing that insurance companies are sending confusing letters to consumers to take advantage of that confusion. The reality is that this could do real harm."</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Before Obamacare, Donna paid a $724 monthly premium for $10,000 deductible, catastrophic health coverage from LifeWise, a subsidiary of the state's Blue Cross/Blue Shield affiliate. She asked that TPM withhold her last name because she was disclosing personal financial information.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Sept. 16 letter from LifeWise told her that her existing plan was being canceled to comply with the new requirements of Obamacare and that she would automatically be rolled over into a new plan that was the "closest match" to her old plan. "If we don't hear from you, we'll automatically move you to this plan and you'll be covered starting January 1, 2014," the notice read.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Under the new LifeWise plan, Donna would have to pay more than $1,000 a month, a nearly $300 per month increase and a huge hit for a family with an income around $40,000. It was bare-bones coverage by ACA standards, with a $6,350 deductible.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The letter, which you can read here, made no mention of the insurance marketplace that was about to open, where she could shop around for other options. It did mention that she might qualify for financial help in the form of a tax credit but the onus was on Donna to call the insurer for more information.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Fast forward a month, and Donna was able to log onto Washington's marketplace and shop for insurance. And what did she find? Options. A LifeWise plan with the same deductible they offered her outside the exchange was a little cheaper. Plans with a lower deductible had the same or lower premiums as the LifeWise plan. What she ended up buying was a plan through Community Health Plan of Washington with a $250 deductible.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>And crucially, she also discovered she would qualify for a federal tax subsidy that would knock her monthly premium to $80. Her daughter could enroll in Medicaid, at no cost to the family.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>  </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>So here's the bottom line: If Donna had taken the default option that LifeWise offered outside of the marketplace, she would have paid nearly $1,000 more per month for a worse plan than she was able to obtain on the marketplace.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>A LifeWise spokesman told TPM that the Washington marketplace had done plenty of its own advertising and the company assumes that customers know they have other options. He also noted that more information was available on the company's website.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"Our experience is that our customers are already aware that they have other options in the market and that we've never had to tell them in the past that we have competitors," Eric Earling, director of corporate communications at Premera Blue Cross/Blue Shield, said. "We knew that (the marketplace) would have a robust marketing campaign for themselves and knew they didn't need any additional help from us."</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>As a result of the letter LifeWise sent to Donna and other customers, state regulators in Washington issued a <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/180817948/Washington-Consumer-Alert-pdf" target="_blank">consumer alert</a> on Sept. 19, warning residents about the misleading information. "Don't just take what your insurance company says, make sure you shop around. You have the right to buy any plan inside the new exchange or in the outside market," Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said in the alert.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>But the agency doesn't have the statutory authority to stop LifeWise from sending the misleading letters, a spokeswoman told TPM. The company controls one-third of the state's 300,000-person individual health insurance market -- leaving a lot of people at risk of being duped.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"Yes, that's possible," Stephanie Marquis, the spokeswoman, said when asked if some Washingtonians could be paying much more for insurance than they could if they went on the exchange because of LifeWise's actions.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"One of our concerns has been that people don't know they have these new rights," Marquis said. "The insurance companies can manipulate or withhold that information to increase their market share. It's just really disingenuous."</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Donna's experience isn't an isolated incident, however. And the wider spread the issue is, the likelier it becomes that some people have been manipulated into spending more for insurance than they should.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kentucky <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013309240089" target="_blank">fined</a> Louisville-based Humana for sending out letters with similarly misleading information to customers in that state. They received complaints about an Aug. 21 letter that pressed customers to renew their policy now or risk increased rates under Obamacare.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>But like LifeWise, Humana downplayed the fact that people could search the marketplace for other insurance options or that they might qualify for Obamacare's financial assistance, state insurance commissioner Sharon Clark, pictured, told TPM in an interview. A footnote referenced the "open enrollment period" that started Oct. 1. Humana directed customers to their website for more information about the marketplace, but offered no further explanation.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>After receiving the letter, which you can read here, some customers were badgered through phone calls to make a decision, Clark said. Of the 6,500 people who received a letter, 2,200 actually responded and gave the company their answer before they had a chance to look at what the Kentucky marketplace had to offer.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>But Clark's office soon stepped in. They fined Humana $65,000 for the "misleading" information, and the 2,200 respondents were released from their obligation to Humana and freed to shop for insurance through the Obamacare marketplace starting Oct. 1.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The most troubling part of the Humana case is that the company was pushing customers into a Humana insurance plan that was more expensive than the plan Humana was selling on the Obamacare marketplace, without the financial help available under Obamcare.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Clark gave the example of a single mother with children who was urged to sign up for a Humana plan with a monthly premium of $719.86. That price is higher than any comparable plan for sale on the state's insurance marketplace, Clark said -- not to mention that the mother might have qualified for tax subsidies to help pay for it if she went through the marketplace, as Donna did.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"People don't think about insurance every day," Clark said, "and in an environment with so many changes, this has been a period of confusion and uncertainty for people."</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Colorado regulators also received complaints about a similar Humana letter, dated Aug. 28 on a <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/180818879/Colorado-Humana-Letter-pdf" target="_blank">copy</a> obtained by TPM, that went out to 3,400 customers in their state.</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>It explained options available on the Obamacare marketplace and financial help in, again, a footnote. The company wasn't fined as it was in Kentucky, but state officials forced Humana to send out an apology and a corrected letter that met the state's standards.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"The letter appeared threatening," Vincent Plymell, a spokesman for the state insurance department, told TPM. "You've got to let people know their options. You can't make it seem like they have to stick with your company."</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>State officials in Missouri also told TPM that they have received complaints about misleading letters from Humana and were in the process of investigating them.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Asked by TPM about the Kentucky letter that resulted in a fine, Humana senior vice president for corporate communications Tom Noland offered the following statement via email, but declined to comment further.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"In retrospect, the letter could have been more consumer-friendly and we've rewritten it with that in mind. We are continuing to work closely with the Department of Insurance to ensure our messaging is clear and not adding confusion to consumers during this period of adjustment and transition."</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Clark, the Kentucky insurance commissioner, told TPM that Humana executives had told state officials that there had been "a major disconnect" between the marketing and government compliance arms of the company.</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"That was the excuse they gave us," she said. "That was the rationale."</b></span></span></div><div class="indent"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="indent"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>"This is a great example of the kind of consumer abuses that are typical of the insurance industry, and they're supposed to stop under the ACA," Ethan Rome, executive director of Health Care For America Now, a pro-Obamacare advocacy group, told TPM. "In this case, they're trying to get in just one more abuse."</b></span></span></div></div>

CONSUMER NEWS NATIONAL NEWS NATURAL HEALTH by Leilah SENIORS How insurers are hiding Obamacare benefits

(illustration: AP) By Dylan Scott, Talking Points Memo 05 November 13 readersupportednews.org onna received the letter canceling her insur...

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Work in the wilderness - for free

<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span style="background-color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Volunteer Open House, Tonto National Forest  </span></b></i></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span style="background-color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mesa Ranger District Office, <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_192305717" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Saturday, November 9</span></span></span></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-autospace: none;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Phoenix (October 28, 2013) – The annual Volunteer Program Open House will be held on <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_192305718" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">Saturday, Nov. 9</span></span> at the Mesa Ranger District office, <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_192305719" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">9 a.m. - 12 p.m.</span></span> Tonto National Forest Volunteer opportunities for the <span style="color: #cc0000;">Payson</span>, central Phoenix, Mesa, Cave Creek, <span style="color: #cc0000;">Globe, Young, and Tonto Basin</span> areas will be displayed.  </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>“Whatever your interests or skills, we probably have an opportunity for you.  For example, if you would like to work in the Wilderness, you might serve as an information host at trailheads and help keep the trailhead in good condition.  At our lake recreation sites, you might weed and trim vegetation and help to maintain facilities, or you might repair or replace signs,” said Mesa District Ranger Gary Hanna.</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The forest includes the Superstition, Four Peaks, Mazatzal and other Wilderness areas.  Popular recreation sites include Bulldog, The Rolls, Sycamore Creek, the Salt and Verde rivers, and Roosevelt, Canyon, Saguaro, and Bartlett lakes. </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>“Regularly scheduled long-term volunteers leading volunteer events, volunteers with trade skills such as welding or facilities maintenance, educators who can attend conservation education events, and administrative volunteers are in high demand by the forest,” observed Amy Racki, Tonto Partnership Coordinator.  </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>“Groups that want to adopt a specific area, such as a trailhead or recreation site, by providing monthly care and maintenance is an ideal scenario for us, with a handful of forest field staff to manage more than 3 million acres of land,” concluded Racki.</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Volunteer opportunities are also available with the Arizona Trail Association, Usery Mountain Park, Lost Dutchman State Park, and other agencies and partners.  For off-highway enthusiasts, there are volunteer opportunities to help maintain off-highway vehicle (OHV) sites and educate forest visitors through Tonto Recreation Alliance (TRAL), one of the district’s partnership organizations.  </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>For more information about being an OHV Forest Service volunteer, go to <a href="http://www.tontorecreationalliance.org/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">www.tontorecreationalliance.<wbr></wbr>org</span></a>.  The Arizona Trail Association (<a href="http://www.aztrail.org/" target="_blank">www.aztrail.org</a>) has trail maintenance opportunities on the Tonto National Forest that will be displayed at the open house.   </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>            The Mesa Ranger District office is located at 5140 E. Ingram Street, Mesa 85205.  </b></span></span></div>

FOREST GILA COUNTY GOOD NEWS SENIORS TONTO BASIN Work in the wilderness - for free

 Volunteer Open House, Tonto National Forest  Mesa Ranger District Office, Saturday, November 9 Phoenix (October 28, 2013) – The annual Volu...

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Ready to work until you're 80?

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6383741895455123821" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZ2kGEqPmnA9fFjpYNwQWJsPLriOi5qXf05RiuH-ggRxzeqD15WcxZZF9BEPZT1eOeOq6lgZOwH4iUGoKC71rS_yLKNvhVxfwYQi86s9LcQr-hogYZ67TAtIP-QMKGLnIuigKxBMld_Sa/s1600/too-much-email-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZ2kGEqPmnA9fFjpYNwQWJsPLriOi5qXf05RiuH-ggRxzeqD15WcxZZF9BEPZT1eOeOq6lgZOwH4iUGoKC71rS_yLKNvhVxfwYQi86s9LcQr-hogYZ67TAtIP-QMKGLnIuigKxBMld_Sa/s400/too-much-email-logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>In our ever more unequal times, stats that once would have shocked us today often rate no more than a dismissive ho-hum. But pollsters with Wells Fargo last week <a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2FGh61%2B4gYIqRMdxVz%2BnBjqCGfvTxRepB" style="color: #127964; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">shared</a> a stat that might bring even the most jaded among us up short.</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><div style="color: black; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>These pollsters asked a sampling of middle-income Americans how long they expect to have to work before they could afford to retire. Over a third — 34 percent — replied they expect to have to work <em>until they hit age 80</em>!</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><div style="color: black; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Last month, interestingly, another poll — from the <em>Washington Post</em> and the Miller Center — <a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=xVmxj7tG4KuKXIxAKI1pUaCGfvTxRepB" style="color: #127964; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">asked Americans</a> why the United States now has so few decent jobs. Over three-quarters of those surveyed, a substantial 76 percent, placed blame on the “gap in pay between business executives and ordinary workers.”</b></span></span></div>

NATIONAL NEWS SENIORS SIGN OF THE TIMES Ready to work until you're 80?

In our ever more unequal times, stats that once would have shocked us today often rate no more than a dismissive ho-hum. But pollsters wi...

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5 reasons why cutting Social Security is irrational...

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nationofchange.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_main_image/CuttingSocialSecurityisIrrational102813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Article image" border="0" class="imagecache imagecache-article_main_image" height="240" src="http://www.nationofchange.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_main_image/CuttingSocialSecurityisIrrational102813.jpg" title="article image" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>By Paul Buchheit</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.nationofchange.org/">nationofchange.org</a></b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Even for Congress. They, and others who apparently don't study the facts, believe that Social Security is a government handout. But 'entitlement' means that people who have paid into a program all their lives are entitled to a reasonable return on their investment. A better definition, as pointed out by <a href="http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18268-social-security-pumps-$2-into-us-economy-for-every-benefit-dollar-spent">Mark Karlin</a> at Truthout, is a "mandated retirement savings plan."</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Cutting this popular and well-run and <i>life-sustaining</i> program would be irrational. There are many reasons for this.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1. Americans Have Paid For It Throughout Their Working Lives</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>As of 2010, according to the <a href="http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412660-Social-Security-and-Medicare-Taxes-and-Benefits-Over-a-Lifetime.pdf">Urban Institute</a>, the average two-earner couple making average wages throughout their lifetimes receives less in Social Security benefits than they paid in. It is the same for single males and same, by now, for single females. One-earner couples get back more than they paid in.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2. It's a Small Benefit, But Most Seniors Depend On It</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The average Social Security benefit is less than <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/video/2013/04/05">$15,000</a> a year, but most of our <a href="http://truth-out.org/news/item/16213-social-securitys-explosive-injustices">seniors rely</a> on this for the majority of their income. Even the <a href="http://www.alternet.org/economy/dont-cut-social-security-double-it">second richest</a> quartile of Americans depends on Social Security for over half of its retirement income.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3. It's Been Well-Run for Over Half a Century </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The poverty rate has <a href="http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/11023-ignore-the-deficit-hawks-social-security-is-easy-to-fix">decreased</a> dramatically over the past 50 years, in large part because of the benefits of the Social Security program. </b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><br /><div class="imgcontainer" style="margin-bottom: 16px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span> </div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Social Security is running on a <a href="http://ssa.gov/oact/TRSUM/index.html">surplus</a> of $2.6 trillion, it's funded until <a href="http://www.alternet.org/economy/dont-cut-social-security-double-it">2037</a>, it <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/johntharvey/2013/01/07/social-security-rerun/">cannot</a> run out of money, it <a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/lesson-for-reporters-social-security-does-not-add-to-the-budget-deficit">cannot</a> contribute to the deficit, it has <a href="http://www.nextnewdeal.net/deficit-hawks-we-people-know-best-social-security">lower</a> administrative costs than private sector 401k retirement plans, and it's wildly <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/158834/economy-entitlements-iran-americans-top-priorities.aspx">popular</a>.</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>  </b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>On top of all this, a report by the <a href="http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-09-2013/social-security-strengthens-us-economy.html">AARP Public Policy Institute</a> found that Social Security stimulates the economy, adding more than $1 trillion to the U.S. economy each year as recipients spend their benefits on goods and services.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/why-big-bucks-donors-dont-want-president-obama-champion-social-security">Dean Baker</a> calls Social Security "perhaps the greatest success story of any program in US history."</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>4. The Free-Market Alternative Doesn't Work</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The free-market alternative is everybody for them. That's fine for people with good jobs and retirement plans. But stunningly, the number of private sector workers <a href="http://www.alternet.org/economy/dont-cut-social-security-double-it">covered by a pension</a> with a guaranteed payout has dropped from 60 percent to 10 percent in a little over thirty years.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Americans are <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/many-americans-accumulating-debt-faster-than-theyre-saving-for-retirement/2013/10/23/b7a9c85e-3b3e-11e3-b6a9-da62c264f40e_story.html">going into debt</a> faster than they're saving for retirement, and those able to put something aside often make <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/05/01/it_s_a_401_k_world_and_it_sucks.html">wrong choices</a> with their money.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> Financial experts, who generally speak for the people with enough money to hire a financial expert, tell us to have $200,000 to $300,000 in personal retirement <a href="http://www.alternet.org/economy/dont-cut-social-security-double-it">savings</a>. Most Americans have about a tenth of that, less than <a href="http://www.ebri.org/publications/ib/index.cfm?fa=ibDisp&content_id=5175">$25,000</a>.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>5. Redistribution Has Moved Retirement Money from the Middle Class to the Rich</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Tax Expenditures -- subsidies from special deductions, exemptions, exclusions, credits, capital gains, and loopholes that move <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/04/13/opinion/sunday/0415web-leonhardt2.html?ref=business">tax money to the richest</a> taxpayers -- are <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/412404-Tax-Expenditure-Trends.pdf">estimated</a> to be worth up to <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/julyaugust_2011/features/20000_leagues_under_the_state030498.php">8 percent</a> of the GDP, or about $1.2 trillion.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>That alone is more than enough to pay for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_United_States_federal_budget">Social Security</a> ($883 billion).</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Because of this misdirected revenue, government has been forced to <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-social-security-adds-budget-deficit-161813776.html">borrow from Social Security</a> to fund its programs. Most notably, <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/01/26-1">George W. Bush</a> took our retirement money to pay for his two wars and his tax cuts for the rich.</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>This last reason, more than any of the others, reveals the overwhelming unfairness of cutting Social Security. In effect, the middle class is being told to <i>replenish its own savings account</i> after those savings were passed along to the military and the super-rich.</b></span></span>

CONSUMER NEWS HEALTH NATIONAL NEWS SENIORS TRUTH 5 reasons why cutting Social Security is irrational...

By Paul Buchheit nationofchange.org Even for Congress. They, and others who apparently don't study the facts, believe that Social Secur...

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Right's attack on Social Security, Medicare must fail

<br /><div class="email_body_content"> <div style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.75;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn4iNZhX1Trfm2O3KwHVgmEbqsPbTUCVkYBd7HYx06NLOYAlvAIV9JXOemTAqIczyZ88wogZFlxn1AEGEuEXr-i9pcG3bPf1sXbIijr5vMOCnxoBznemxZ4OrIXLBdk90-Y3cPj9_-Eis/s1600/1202-bernie-sanders-031109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn4iNZhX1Trfm2O3KwHVgmEbqsPbTUCVkYBd7HYx06NLOYAlvAIV9JXOemTAqIczyZ88wogZFlxn1AEGEuEXr-i9pcG3bPf1sXbIijr5vMOCnxoBznemxZ4OrIXLBdk90-Y3cPj9_-Eis/s400/1202-bernie-sanders-031109.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>They're at it again.</b></span></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Billionaires like the Koch Brothers, Pete Peterson, Stanley Druckenmiller and others are leading the charge to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.</b></span></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>If they succeed, millions of senior citizens, working families, disabled veterans and children will suffer. We must not allow that to happen.<span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT284"> </span></b></span></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT284">Today</span>, the middle class is disappearing, real unemployment is extremely high, poverty is increasing and working families throughout the country are struggling to keep their heads above water economically. Meanwhile, the gap between the very rich and everyone else is growing wider and wider and the wealthiest people and the largest corporations are doing phenomenally well.</b></span></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>We must not balance the budget on the backs of working families, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor.</b></span></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>As Vermont's senator, I have the honor of serving on the Budget Conference Committee which will be negotiating a new federal budget over the next few months -- and where I am fearful that a deal could be struck to slash Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.</b></span></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT285"><a href="http://caf.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=dia6Zy7OHUZjwp2ri9mioIaSq2K7gCjf" target="_blank">As the founder of the Defending Social Security Caucus, please stand with me, our friends at Social Security Works and our coalition partners in demanding; "No grand bargain in exchange for cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits." </a></span></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6383741895455123821" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Let's be clear. Despite right-wing rhetoric:</b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><ul><li style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Social Security is not going broke. According to the Social Security Administration, Social Security has a surplus <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT286">today</span> of $2.8 trillion and can pay out every benefit owed to every eligible person for the next 20 years.</b></span></span></li><li style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Social Security has not contributed to the deficit. Social Security is funded independently by FICA taxes which are paid by workers and their employers.</b></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT287"><a class="buttonthing" href="http://caf.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=gUbutJO2Bfaxai9BhjFrD4aSq2K7gCjf" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #2b9709; background-image: none; background-position: left top; background-repeat: repeat; color: white; display: block; margin: 30px auto; padding: 9px 15px 12px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 200px;" target="_blank">Sign this petition.</a></span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The so-called chained-CPI, which recalculates how COLA's are formulated, is not a "modest tweak." If the chained CPI went into effect <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT288">today</span>, a senior aged 65 would receive $658 a year less in Social Security benefits when he/she is 75, and $1,100 a year less at age 85. Further, the average disabled veteran would lose tens of thousands of dollars in benefits over his/her lifetime.</b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT289"><a href="http://caf.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Lk0%2BGE4WaXUHp8c%2FRcj%2BKIaSq2K7gCjf" target="_blank">Please stand with me today and demand that Congress and the President oppose any grand bargain which cuts Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.</a></span></b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>When one out of four U.S. corporations pay nothing in federal income taxes; when Bush's tax breaks for the rich remain in place for many wealthy Americans; when the U.S. spends almost as much as the rest of the world combined on defense, there are much fairer and economically sound ways to address the budget than cutting programs desperately needed by the most vulnerable people in our country.</b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT290"><a href="http://caf.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=KKyxRwltnum%2BC4jNA%2FPoqIaSq2K7gCjf" target="_blank">Please stand with me and Social Security Works in protecting the future of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.</a></span></b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Let's go forward together. Thanks for your continued support.</b></span></div><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Sincerely,</b></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></span><div style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.75;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders</b></span></div></div>

HEALTH NATIONAL NEWS OPINION SENIORS Right's attack on Social Security, Medicare must fail

They're at it again. Billionaires like the Koch Brothers, Pete Peterson, Stanley Druckenmille...

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Free Alzheimers conference at Sr. Center Oct. 25

<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Alzheimer's Association is offering a free conference next <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT333">Friday, October 25</span>, from 1-4:45pm at the Payson Senior Center (514 West Main Street).</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Topics include "The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease," "Difficult Behaviors: What Do I Do?" and "Legal and Financial Planning for Alzheimer's."</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>While there is no charge, pre-registration is required. If interested, please call <a href="tel:602-528-0545" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">602-528-0545</span></a> right away!</b></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">ART AUCTION BENEFITS ALZHEIMERS SUPPORT</span> </b></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Payson Care Center Nursing Team invites  the Community to attend A Silent Art Auction Tuesday,  November 12th  1:00 to 4:00 pm Payson Care Center 107 E. Lone Pine Dr. Payson, AZ 85541  <br /> </b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Proceeds benefit the “Forget me Nots” (Payson’s Alzheimer’s Support Group).  <br /> </b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Sparkling wine and hors d’ oeuvres will be served. <br /> </b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Art and picture donations will be appreciated 928-951-2305. </b></span></span>

HEALTH LOCAL NEWS SENIORS Free Alzheimers conference at Sr. Center Oct. 25

The Alzheimer's Association is offering a free conference next Friday, October 25 , from 1-4:45pm at the Payson Senior Center (514 West ...

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Unions speak the truth on Social Security

<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="380" id="cnbcplayer" width="400"> <param name="type" value="application/x-shockwave-flash"/> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/> <param name="quality" value="best"/> <param name="scale" value="noscale" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"/> <param name="salign" value="lt"/> <param name="flashVars" value="startTime=000"/> <param name="flashVars" value="endTime=000"/> <param name="movie" value="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/3000209229/code/cnbcplayershare" /> <embed name="cnbcplayer" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" height="380" width="400" quality="best" wmode="transparent" scale="noscale" salign="lt" src="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/3000209229/code/cnbcplayershare" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /></object><br /><br />Social Security, the program that provides over half  of American seniors a majority of their income, is more important than ever. Across America, <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/basicfact.htm" rel="nofollow">nearly 58 billion workers and their families</a> rely on Social Security every month to pay the bills.<br /><br />But once again, the<a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/01/fix-debt-is-full-of-crap.html"> greedy billionaires behind Fix the Debt</a> are trying to cut Social Security benefits so they don't have to pay their fair share of taxes. They don't care that Social Security keeps millions out of poverty. They don't care that it's essential to sustaining what's left of the middle class.<br /><br />The greedy billionaires are now trying to persuade Congress to cut Social Security (and probably Medicare) when they meet in three months to discuss budget cuts. They're trying to disguise it by calling it "chained CPI," which is nothing but jargon for "cuts."<br /><br />Unions are out front warning Americans of the looming threat -- just like the last time the billionaires tried to push the cuts through Congress. Teamster General President Jim Hoffa <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/teamsters-strongly-oppose-cuts-social-security">staunchly opposes the cuts, which hurt the oldest and poorest retirees the most:</a><br /><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><br />Social Security does not contribute to the budget deficit and should remain off the table in these year-end budget negotiations.  Americans work all their lives to earn the Social Security benefits they were promised. It would be a terrible mistake to go back on that promise.</div><br />Even though <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/10/19/5-incredible-social-security-facts-that-young-adul/" rel="nofollow">less than three-quarters of the fund </a>comes from payroll deductions, Fix the Debt minions have been spreading misinformation, saying that Social Security will cause the US to go bankrupt.  When an anchor from CNBC claimed that the US may well go bankrupt from Social Security, Damon Silver, the AFL-CIO's policy director, <a href="http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Political-Action-Legislation/ZING!-Talking-Truth-to-CNBC-on-Social-Security-Lies" rel="nofollow">set the record straight</a>:<br /><br /><div style="margin-left: 30px;">That’s frankly not true. That is a lie put forward by billionaires who don’t want to pay higher taxes....The people who believe what you said are people not counting on those programs and who are worried their very large incomes will be taxed.</div><br /><div style="margin-left: 30px;">Chained CPI is like the vampire of American politics. It keeps being shot through the heart and it keeps reviving. The reason it keeps coming back is because it has billionaires behind it. </div><br />Our nation needs to keep the decades-old promise to workers.  There is no such thing as an acceptable cut -- especially when the country has more than enough resources to fund the program that keeps millions of seniors out of poverty.<br /><br />

chained CPI middle class retirement SENIORS social security Unions speak the truth on Social Security

Social Security, the program that provides over half  of American seniors a majority of their income, is more important than eve...

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