A Chance to be Heard
As you might notice the name of this blog is, “Seniors Speak Out”. That means that somehow, I need to tap into what older Americans find important. I can’t do that unless I find a way to get out and actually talk with those of us who can be classified as seniors . . . and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
The idea of a listening tour is not new, I did one a few years ago when I ran a senior advocacy organization. I found it was a great way to really understand how seniors felt. I was somewhat limited in how much of the nation I could get to on that listening tour, but I’m not limited this time. I am committed to getting to all corners of our nation. I know that there are state and regional differences in healthcare, and it will be important to listen to, and convey, those differences. I will focus on getting in front of small groups at assisted living and senior centers, to get on radio programs to invite comments, to go to senior fairs and expos and to go to important senior conferences. My goal will be to find out what is important to you, what keeps you up at night, how you feel about the proposed changes to health care and what solutions you might have. I then will assemble your comments, views and solutions into simple and common-sense statements that I can deliver to Capitol hill. Something that will convey to them how seniors really feel.
Just recently, I had a chance to speak to a group in Virginia. We spent about an hour and a half discussing healthcare. One of the things they brought up was the difference in the price of their prescription drugs when they go to the pharmacist and use their insurance as compared to when they use a discount card and finally when they go someplace else, like Costco, and pay cash. The question was asked, “why does the cost to the patient differ”. We had quite a discussion and I won’t go into it here, but it is the type of discussion that America needs and one that the people in Washington need to hear about.
I would like your help. If you would like to have a chance to tell me and your members of Congress how you feel about your healthcare please click here and tell me when and where. I might not be able to accommodate all the requests, but I’ll do my best.
This blog is about you, the patient, and I’m looking forward to getting to know exactly how you feel.