MEDICARE: Power to the people

With all the noise coming out of the nation's Capitol these days, it's easy to forget that in the next few weeks, Congress' so-called "supercommittee" could make cuts that will shift more health care costs onto Idaho seniors and cut their hard earned Social Security benefits.

Now is not the time to lose sight of this, now is the time to make our voices heard and put the concerns of Idaho on the map for this Congressional committee.

We've got to remind this "supercommittee" that Idaho seniors aren't just numbers or line items on a budget, and we sure aren't pushovers! Idahoans have worked hard to earn our Social Security and Medicare benefits - they are ours, not Congress'.

There's much at stake as this committee meets behind closed doors to consider proposals that will cut Social Security by $112 billion, and raise the Medicare eligibility age, cutting benefits for younger retirees and increasing out of pocket spending for older ones. In the Gem State 260,000 people receive Social Security and 226,000 count on Medicare for access to doctors and health care.

On Oct. 12, hundreds of AARP members descended on Washington, D.C., and raised their voice in every state on this issue and we'll continue until Congress stops threatening our Medicare and Social Security benefits!

This Congressional group has a choice, they can start focusing on cutting waste and tax loopholes, or they can harm hundreds of thousands of Idahoans who have worked their entire lives to earn these benefits.

JIM WORDELMAN

Idaho director, AARP