AARP Bulletin - April 2012

Your AARP ;

DISCOUNTS

; Travel

AARP members save up to

$100 per person on a variety of small-group tours and expeditions to more than 100 countries with G Adventures.

Get details at gadventures .com/aarp.

; The UPS Store

AARP members get 15 percent off eligible products and services, and 5 percent off shipping services at The UPS Store locations when they show their AARP card. For information, call 1-800-789-4623.

Congress has put together another
temporary “doc fix,” averting a 27
percent cut in payments to doctors
who treat Medicare patients. The
fix covers a longer stretch than pre-
vious fixes that only lasted weeks.
; Doctors will next face a big cut on
Jan. 1, 2013, unless Congress steps in
again. ; “We are pleased that Con-
gress has acted to avoid devastating
cuts to physicians’ Medicare pay-
ments that could have reduced se-
niors’ access to their doctors,” says
David Certner, AARP legislative
policy director. “However, another
temporary patch leaves a broken
physician payment system in place,
and will require what is likely to be
yet another round of last-minute ac-
tion at year’s end to prevent a large
physician pay cut for next
year. Seniors in Medicare
and the physicians who
care for them deserve
a greater measure
of stability.” ; The
long-term issue is
that none of the
doc fixes address
the “sustainable
growth rate” for-
mula for Medi-
care that Con-
gress enacted in
1997. The formula
sets a limit each year on total expen-
ditures for doctor fees. If the limit
is breached, the formula reduces
the individual fees to physicians for
thousands of medical services for
the following year. ; Meanwhile,
the Congressional Budget Office es-
timates that it will cost an additional
$316 billion to keep the doctor fees
where they are for the next decade.
Congress Acts to Avoid
Medicare Payment Cuts
; WASHINGTON WATCH

If your passion is difficult words, head to Cheyenne, Wyo., for a roundup of the best spellers 50 and older at the AARP National Spelling Bee on Aug. 11. ; Many return year after year, including last year’s winner, Tony Johnson of LaGrange, Ga., who placed fifth in 2010.

; For information, go to aarp.org/spell ingbee.

Get Ready for
This Year’s
Spelling Bee

IN THE WORKS: Bipartisan
Effort to Curb Age Bias
A bipartisan Senate bill would reverse
a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision
that made age discrimination claims
more difficult to pursue. ; “The laws
need to be restored so we can get
the level playing field back for all
workers,” said Jack Gross, now 63,
whose reassignment to a position he
considered a demotion, while most
of his duties were given to a younger
worker, led to the landmark case.
The high court held that age must be
the primary reason, not just a “moti-
vating factor,” in age discrimination
cases. ; The legislation, which has
AARP’s support, is backed by Sens.
Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Tom
Harkin (D-Iowa) and Patrick Leahy
(D-Vt.). ; Over 45 million people
age 50 and older are in the work-
force. By the end of the decade, one
in four workers will be 50 or older.

; BOOKS

Most Social Security questions
are personal: When should I
apply for retirement benefits?
How can married couples
coordi-
nate their
claims
to get
the most
money?
AARP’s
new book Social Security for
Dummies answers these ques-
tions and many others. Here’s
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retirement benefits—as well
as spousal, disability and survi-
vor benefits—with instructions
on how to make sure you get
what you’ve earned. It’s avail-
able at aarp.org/bookstore or
at bookstores nationwide.