AARP IN
ACTION
ASK LEE
TEST YOUR S-M-A-R-T-S
What is keratomileusis?
It’s the word that
won last year’s AARP
National Spelling Bee
for Scott Firebaugh. If
you’re a stellar speller
age 50 or older, come
to Cheyenne, Wyoming,
June 17 and 18 to compete in the
16th annual bee. Expanded program
and prizes ( aarp.org/spellingbee).
Keep your brain in top shape! Neuroscientists explain how—in plain
English—on Staying Sharp (C2500),
a free 30-minute DVD from NRTA:
AARP’s Educator Community,
together with The Dana Alliance for
Brain Initiatives. Order by name and
number (1-888-687-2277).
LOOKING TO THE LONG-TERM
Many women avoid thinking about
their own possible future need
for long-term care, even if they’ve
cared for relatives through illness
or disability. Ready to end the
denial? A free new AARP resource
guide, Planning for Long-Term Care
(D19247), helps women create a
comprehensive strategy (1-888-
687-2277; aarp.org/decide).
Q: With rising utility rates, what
is AARP doing to help us save
money on our utility bills?
A: AARP has worked with members
to successfully challenge utility-rate
increases for nearly 20 years. How do
we do that? In South Carolina last year,
for instance, AARP warned members
about a proposed rate increase. By
e-mail, and at public hearings, thou-
sands of members spoke out—and the
utility request was cut by $96 million. In
2010 alone, our advocacy on affordable
home energy resulted in savings to con-
sumers of at least $3 billion in denied
rate increases. We are now expanding
these efforts significantly, with a long-
term commitment by AARP to ensure
that people 50 and up have affordable,
fair, and reliable utilities.
a permanent, fair Medicare physician-payment formula that will provide both
doctors and patients with the stability
and peace of mind they deserve.
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN SNOOK; MICHAEL LEWIS; GETTY IMAGES
PRESIDEN T W. Lee Hammond
PRESIDEN T-ELECT Robert Romasco
BOARD CHAIR Phil Zarlengo
BOARD VICE-CHAIR Gail E. Aldrich
SECRETARY/TREASURER A. James Forbes Jr.
CLASS OF 2012 Leobardo Estrada, William
J. Hall, Mara Mayor, Maeona Mendelson,
Robert Romasco, George Rowan, Phil
Zarlengo
CLASS OF 2014 Gail E. Aldrich, Allen
Douma, A. James Forbes Jr., Hubert
H. Humphrey III, Jacob Lozada,
J. David Nelson, Charles E. Reed
CLASS OF 2016 Jeannine English,
Catherine Georges, Barbara O’Connor,
John Penn, Diane Pratt, Carol Raphael,
Fernando Torres-Gil
AARP Board
Q: I’m worried I’ll lose my doctor
if her Medicare reimbursement
is cut. Can you explain what the
“Doc Fix” problem is all about?
A: In 1997 Congress passed the
Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula
for paying doctors who treat Medicare
patients. This system, designed to hold
down physician costs by setting limits
on spending, underestimated how much
Medicare would spend on tests and
procedures for patients. As a result, it
called for reducing physician fees to
stay within spending limits—and in 2011
the SGR mandated a decrease of more
than 20 percent in payments to doctors.
Had that happened, many physicians
would have stopped treating Medicare
patients, so Congress postponed the
cuts, as it had in previous years. AARP
will continue to press Congress to pass
A: NRTA: AARP’s Educator Community
is a division of AARP—and the nation’s
largest network of 50-plus adults and
organizations that share a passion for
education and community service.
Many NRTA members have retired from
the classroom, but they still support
children in programs like Equipped to
Learn, which in 2010 collected and
donated backpacks filled with school
supplies to thousands of needy students. NRTA’s With Our Youth! program
serves 500,000 students every year
in 1,000 communities by creating key
resources such as safe places where
children can learn and grow. As a
former teacher, school administrator,
and volunteer leader of the Maryland
Retired Teachers Association, I know
these volunteer efforts help students
succeed. NRTA membership is free
for AARP members (1-888-687-2277;
aarp.org/nrta).
—W. Lee
Hammond
HAVE A QUESTION
ABOUT AARP?
Write to Ask Lee, AARP, 601 E St. NW, Washington,
DC 20049, or e-mail AskLee@aarp.org.
