-
Issues in Health
Care Policy
The Challenges of Medicare Part D,
Even Amid Decreased Complaints
Prescriptions for Dually
Eligible Beneficiaries May
Cost More under Medicare
Proposed Pilot Program Would
Expand At-Home Health Services
- Aging Well and the Presidential Election
ASA Says Details are
Needed in Candidates’
Aging-Related Platforms
- The Economy
and Aging
Economy is Changing the Way Americans Take Care of Health
President of AAHSA Interviewed
on the Economy
Ziegler Capital Markets on Recent Economic Concerns
- Nursing Home Quality
Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction Among Nursing Home Workers
The Nursing Home Survey on
Patient Safety Culture
CARE Wisconsin Leading the
Charge for Culture Change
- Ways to Age Well
Government Issues First
Science-Based Guidelines
for Fitness
How Engaged are Consumers
in Their Health?
Regular Eye Exams Could
Help Prevent Impairment
ASA Says Details are Needed in Candidates’ Aging-Related Platforms
By Richard Shank
Current polling numbers suggest that Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama are running a dead heat in the race for older adult votes. Some political consultants believe that older adults will help push one candidate over the edge on Election Day. Currently, about 10% of older adult voters claim to be undecided on the election.
Attempting to provide their audience with greater knowledge of each candidate’s platforms, the newsletter for the American Society on Aging (ASA) recently examined each nominee’s website to outline their positions on issues important to older adults. The society claims that more details are needed.
The McCain website includes very brief statements related to aging under the section “Health”. The ASA reports that very little specific policy programs are proposed on the website in favor of general statements such as: “Chronic conditions account for three-quarters of the nation’s annual health care bill.” The platform of the party contains similar generalities alongside ideological statements concerning entitlement, Social Security, and Medicare and Medicaid reform.
The Obama website offers similar generalized statements related to aging alongside “position statements” concerning Social Security, “strengthening retirement security,” and limited references to Medicare, chronic illness, and long-term care.
From the ASA’s analysis, it is clear that older adults will need to look beyond the candidate’s websites to their past speeches and proposed legislations. For instance, McCain’s positions on Social Security reform and Obama’s call for ending long-term care fraud and abuse have been widely reported in the media but are not outlined in detail on their websites.
The ASA is committed to updating their analysis with more detail as the election approaches. You can find their newsletter at: http://www.asaging.org.
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