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THE VOICE OF MIDLIFE
AND OLDER WOMEN

Volume III  

Issue 4  

April 2011 


 

 

 

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OWL recently has joined forces with Strategies to Overcome & Prevent Obesity Alliance (STOP Obesity) as an Associate Member.

 




























































 

Quote of the Month:

 

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."

-Mother Teresa 


New Report Looks at Health Reform and Older Women

 

OWL will launch its 2011 Mother's Day campaign on May 5th with a briefing and release of its report on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 provisions that affect the lives of 70 million women over the age of 40. OWL publishes an annual report and this year's describes major changes to America's health care system that affect older women, discusses the ACA's impact and puts this complex set of changes into a commonsense perspective. OWL's Mother's Day report will also include recommendations for changes to improve coverage and to make the system more affordable, equitable and workable.

The report includes:

  • A description of the basic changes that will expand health coverage, eliminate the "donut hole," provide a comprehensive set of services, and bring cost savings to Medicare;
  • Information on Medicaid eligibility expansion provisions and Community Living Assistance Service and Supports (CLASS) Act provisions that create a voluntary long term care program for currently working adults as well as the CLASS Act provisions which provide for community-based services and supports; and
  • Elder Justice Act provisions to improve enforcement and support services for victims of elder abuse.

WHO:

*Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

*Assistant Secretary for Aging, HHS Kathy Greenlee

*White House spokesperson 

*Margaret Hellie Huyck, OWL Board Chair

WHEN:

Thursday, May 5th

9:30-10:30am

A light breakfast will be served

WHERE:

The Capitol, Room H-137

RSVP:

Melissa Fernandez

[email protected]  

A copy of the report will be available to all attendees.

 

This event will be co-sponsored by:


League of Women Voters of the United States
American Association of University Women
Amplify Public Affairs, LLC | Disruptive Women in Health Care | HOLOGIC
Clinical Social Work Association
Dialogue on Diversity
MANA | National Council of Women's Organizations
National Senior Citizens Law Center 
Ovarian Cancer National Alliance | Society for Women's Health Research
The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

 

 

Take Action Now!

 

An Equal Pay Day report released in April by the Joint Economic Committee shows that the pay gap between men and women, where women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts, affects women's retirement incomes and results in reduced economic security for women during their retirement years.

 

The newly reintroduced Paycheck Fairness Act would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages to coworkers.

 

Read the Joint Economic Committee's report on OWL's Social Security Matters Media page and contact your Congressman today!  

 

 

The Social Security Media Watch Project Highlights  

OWL's Efforts

  

The Social Security Media Watch Project, an Initiative of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, documents many organizations who have begun collecting stories of Americans' experiences with Social Security.    

The project highlights OWL's 2010 video "Social Security: An American Promise," which showed narratives from the range of women who receive benefits from Social Security.   

 

Social Security Media Watch Project also mentioned a similar project from the National Women's Law Center which created a Facebook page to collect input about how people had been affected by Social Security.  Participants were asked to complete the sentence "Because of Social Security, I can..."  Another organization using the same strategy is the Frances Perkins Center which started the Social Security Stories Project where people can submit stories directly on their website showing how they are part of how Social Security has transformed our country.

 

The Social Security Media Project also recently called attention to OWL's animated video emphasizing the "Scrap the Cap" issue in which fictional versions of Whoopi Goldberg and Glenn Beck debate the importance of the Social Security program.

 

Read more about the ways organizations are shedding light on the truths of Social Security on the Social Security Media Watch Project's website

 

May is Older Americans Month

 

This year's theme for Older Americans Month is Older Americans: Connecting the Community. 2011's celebration is meant to pay homage to the many ways in which older adults bring inspiration and continuity to the fabric of our communities. It also highlights the many ways technology is helping older Americans live longer, healthier and more engaged lives.

 

Refer to the Administration on Aging's website for more information and materials to help celebrate this month. 

 

National Senior Citizens Law Center: Medicaid Block Grants Means Lost Benefits  

 

The National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC) recently released a statement warning that Medicaid block grants would mean low-income adults could lose benefits. Block granting Medicaid would mean taking health care coverage away from millions of low-income older adults and people with disabilities. In a Policy Issue Brief entitled "Medicaid Block Grants: Attacking the Safety Net for Low-Income Older Adults," NSCLC shows that the courts were needed to stop state attempts to cut costs through changing eligibility or benefits mandated by federal Medicaid law.

 



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THE VOICE OF MIDLIFE AND OLDER WOMEN
OWL is a 501(c)(3) national grassroots organization founded in 1980 that continues to be the only national membership organization that advocates solely from the perspective of now over 70 million mid-life and older women.

1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 701
Washington, DC  20036

Phone: 1-877-OLDRWMN (653-7966)  Fax: 202-833-3472