Over the recent holiday season, I attended many parties and had a number of dinners with friends. Although I turned 65 several years ago, this was the first time I was aware that the conversations with my peers had moved on to a new list of topics.
Just ten years ago, at the turn of the millennium, we talked about our jobs first and retirement plans to a lesser degree. Mentions about the accomplishments of our adult children and grandkids were also sprinkled throughout the conversation.
Now, once the obligatory review of the nation’s financial condition is completed, the subject quickly turns to health issues. This applies to most of those 65+ whether they are working or retired. Other once popular subjects take a back seat to this all-important issue.
Individual health situations, quality of health care and health insurance (both coverage and cost) gain greater concern as New Seniors continue along life’s path. Until the health care reform bill became a political football, many of those 65+ took the subject for granted. We came to expect the notion that Medicare would take care of 80% of the costs and a supplemental plan would cover the rest.
The new legislation included a $500 billion cut in Medicare spending supposedly to reduce waste, fraud and abuse. In addition, medical equipment reimbursement and payments to participating doctors and hospitals were due to be cut. The prescription drug plan is to be revamped, too. However, some insurance providers raised premiums for this coverage 20% at the beginning of last year and another 20% for 2011.
While cut backs and changes are working their way through Washington, the fact that health care is still up in the air is unsettling to New Seniors. Some politicians tell us not to worry and others warn the 65+ citizens that trouble looms ahead. What matters is this state of flux can contribute to stress, which in turn can be manifested in a wide range of physical conditions. Maybe that’s why so many New Seniors I talk to are not feeling good about how their health care situation is being kicked around the halls of Congress.
If we raise the banner of “platinum power” as we did in the recent elections, where New Seniors cast one out of every three votes, the politicians must listen. They are already working on fund-raising efforts for the 2012 elections. So the preliminary campaigning is not far off. This is the ideal time to contact your representatives and let them know how vital health care is to your wellbeing, your peace of mind as well as your physical health. They must not take any part of our coverage away. This is a promise the government must keep, because we are not in a position to more money to pay for rising rates.
Maybe, if we get New Senior health care under control, we won’t worry about our health and that will have a positive effect on how we feel. So the next time I’m talking to a group of New Seniors, we can talk about positive things such as our grandchildren.
