Gubernatorial candidates and issues facing seniors
Okay, this is going to be a bit regional in interest, being of interest mostly just to Alaskans, but maybe it'll help people in other states in thinking of what they want to say in similar letters. I have decided to find out just what the folks running for office in Alaska think about the issues facing Alaska's seniors and family caregivers, so tonight I wrote a letter to one of the gubernatorial candidates, Sarah Palin.
The letter follows (edited to protect my personal information), I intend to write similar letters to the others running for office. (Critiques on the letter welcome.)
Mrs Palin,
On your website under "issues" you say:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pro-Family, Pro-Veterans, Pro-Seniors, Pro-Life
Sarah respects all Alaskans, at every age. She honors those who have fought for our freedoms. Sarah knows our veterans and State elders have given us the opportunities we're so blessed to enjoy today. She believes in showing that respect by making sure we return to our veterans and seniors the necessities they deserve for all they provided as they built up this Great Land.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a full-time family caregiver (what I think is probably the highest stress, unpaid job in the world), I would be very interested to know just where you stand in regards to issues that effect family caregivers and those they provide care for. Issues such as H.R. 175 - the Family Caregiver Security Act of 2005, which seeks to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the use of qualified family caregivers in the provision of home health aide services under the Medicare Program. This bill would provide for payment for the services of a family caregiver "...at a rate comparable to the rate otherwise paid for such services provided by other qualified personnel". This amendment was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2006, however it is locked up in the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Based on the U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey, there are 42,156 persons age 65 or older living in Alaska - that is 6.2% of the population with an estimated 31,337 households with one or more people aged 65 and over in the state.
Currently there is a program in Alaska that would provide for the payment of services by family caregivers whose care recipient receives Medicaid, however, they only work with people on the Medicaid program. For family caregivers in a position such as I am, where the care recipient is just above the level of qualifying for Medicaid, there is no assistive programs in Alaska outside of the Food Stamp program. Even when the care recipient is a veteran, as my father is, there are no programs to provide for family caregivers. One of the major concerns facing caregivers (or at least me) is the issue of their own health care and eventual retirement and how years of working as a full-time caregiver will make it difficult if not impossible to retire.
With this in mind I would be very interested in finding out just what your own thoughts on these issues are and what, if anything, you might have considered as possible courses of action that might address these issues.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration of this inquiry.
name
City, AK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
e-mail
Phone #
Address
The letter follows (edited to protect my personal information), I intend to write similar letters to the others running for office. (Critiques on the letter welcome.)
Mrs Palin,
On your website under "issues" you say:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pro-Family, Pro-Veterans, Pro-Seniors, Pro-Life
Sarah respects all Alaskans, at every age. She honors those who have fought for our freedoms. Sarah knows our veterans and State elders have given us the opportunities we're so blessed to enjoy today. She believes in showing that respect by making sure we return to our veterans and seniors the necessities they deserve for all they provided as they built up this Great Land.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a full-time family caregiver (what I think is probably the highest stress, unpaid job in the world), I would be very interested to know just where you stand in regards to issues that effect family caregivers and those they provide care for. Issues such as H.R. 175 - the Family Caregiver Security Act of 2005, which seeks to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the use of qualified family caregivers in the provision of home health aide services under the Medicare Program. This bill would provide for payment for the services of a family caregiver "...at a rate comparable to the rate otherwise paid for such services provided by other qualified personnel". This amendment was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2006, however it is locked up in the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Based on the U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey, there are 42,156 persons age 65 or older living in Alaska - that is 6.2% of the population with an estimated 31,337 households with one or more people aged 65 and over in the state.
Currently there is a program in Alaska that would provide for the payment of services by family caregivers whose care recipient receives Medicaid, however, they only work with people on the Medicaid program. For family caregivers in a position such as I am, where the care recipient is just above the level of qualifying for Medicaid, there is no assistive programs in Alaska outside of the Food Stamp program. Even when the care recipient is a veteran, as my father is, there are no programs to provide for family caregivers. One of the major concerns facing caregivers (or at least me) is the issue of their own health care and eventual retirement and how years of working as a full-time caregiver will make it difficult if not impossible to retire.
With this in mind I would be very interested in finding out just what your own thoughts on these issues are and what, if anything, you might have considered as possible courses of action that might address these issues.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration of this inquiry.
name
City, AK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phone #
Address
posted by Sandra at 4:03 PM
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