BLCP Connections
December 17, 2010
In This Issue
AARP Member Deals
Burlington Bike Path
Medicare "Doc Fix"
Volunteer Spotlight
Calendar of Events

BURLINGTON WALK/BIKE COUNCIL SEEKS LEADERS

 

The Burlington Walk/Bike Council, an advisory council to the City of Burlington, is seeking two dedicated volunteers to serve on its six member steering committee.  Responsibilities of steering committee members include: strategic planning; setting agendas; leading bicycle/pedestrian projects, initiatives, and events; and providing continuity from meeting to meeting. Steering committee members meet once a month, in addition to leading the monthly council meeting. If you have any questions or would like further information regarding this opportunity, please contact Bryan Davis at [email protected] or 660-4071 x17.

 

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Another Benefit of Your AARP Membership!

 

One of the many benefits of being an AARP member is discounts, especially deals right here in your community. AARP has just announced its latest member discounts for the winter season - most of which are in Chittenden County. The Flynn Theater, Vermont Stage Company, UVM basketball and hockey, Bolton Valley Resort, and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra are offering discounted tickets for AARP members.

Click here for more details on the offers.

 

Free Ticket Giveaway!!

 

As a special holiday bonus, we are giving away free tickets to any Vermont Stage Company show this season.  The first 5 readers to email us at [email protected] will receive a pair of tickets good for any show.    

  Weigh In on the Burlington Bike Path  

 

The Burlington Bike Path is a tremendous asset to the city as a recreation resource and an attraction to visitors. A task force has been formed by the city council to examine how to best protect, maintain and improve the path going forward.  Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur of AARP Vermont has been appointed to the task force.

 

On Tuesday, December 7th, the Burlington Bike Path Task Force (BPTF) held a hearing to seek input from community members on needs, interests, and other thoughts about the bike path.  The BPTF initiative to gather citizen input about the path will help the group to shape its understanding of the community interests toward future path improvement needs. The Task Force plans to guide updates to the path's capital plan, management and maintenance plans, and review funding options. 

 

It's not too late to share your opinion. Complete this survey http://www.localmotion.org/bikepath by December 31, 2010 and your opinions will be passed along to the task force as they deliberate over the next several months. If you'd like to share your thoughts or ideas directly with Jennifer, please call her at 951-1313 or e-mail her at [email protected].  She will be sure your views are shared with the task force.

 

Some Key Facts about the Bike Path:

Need for Comprehensive Rehabilitation: When the Burlington Bike Path was built, it was one of the first multi-use paths in New England. Today it is the busiest multi-use trail in Vermont.

 

A Local Treasure: The Bike Path is a key recreation resource for our community.  It is our gateway to Lake Champlain. Burlingtonians enjoy it for recreation, staying fit, scenic viewing and commuting.

 

A Regional Corridor: The Bike Path is the potential spine of the region's network of bike paths, connecting Burlington to the Grand Isle and South Burlington areas.  The Path is also part of Burlington's network of on-street paths and other bicycle amenities.

 

The Path Generates $4.5 Million in Tourism Revenue: A UVM Transportation Research Center study confirms the path's impact on our economy. 30% of trail users come from beyond Chittenden County and spend $4.5 million each year. Strategic improvements would increase the trail's economic impact.

 

Let your voice be heard on this important local resource!

 

Congress and President Obama Approve Freeze on Medicare Doc Payments
 
Last week Congress voted to approve a one-year freeze on Medicare physician payments to avoid a sharp rate reduction that was scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1. President Obama signed the bill and called the freeze "an important step forward to stabilize Medicare."  Vermont's Congressional delegation all voted in favor of extending the current reimbursement levels. AARP worked extremely hard in Washington and in the states to lobby lawmakers on this critical issue.

The threatened pay cuts had raised the possibility that more doctors would turn away Medicare patients.  Doctors had been facing a 25 percent cut in reimbursement rates for treating Medicare patients.  The new "doc fix," which is estimated to cost $19 billion, will be paid for through funding under the health care reform law.

The one-year deal was hailed by both AARP and physicians groups. "Stopping the steep 25 percent Medicare cut for one year was vital to preserve seniors' access to physician care in 2011," said Cecil B. Wilson, president of the American Medical Association. The first boomers turn 65 next year, "adding urgency to the need for a long-term solution before this demographic tsunami swamps the Medicare program," he said.

"On behalf of the 110,000 Vermonters in Medicare and the 4670 clinicians caring for them, we thank the U.S. Congress for protecting seniors' access to their doctors," said Greg Marchildon, AARP Vermont state director. "We renew our call on Congress to make replacing this unstable payment system an urgent priority next year so we can ensure greater stability for the doctor-patient relationship in Medicare."

"Seniors and the doctors who care for them deserve the stability of a Medicare system that does not require Band-Aid fixes each year," said A. Barry Rand, AARP's chief executive officer. More than 100,000 AARP members had contacted Congress asking lawmakers to prevent the payment cut, he added.

The new one-year freeze follows a series of short-term fixes that have blocked the threatened cuts repeatedly over the past eight years.

The cuts are required because of legislation passed in 1997 that tied
Medicare funding to a formula based on economic growth. Typically when the deadline for the cuts looms, Congress votes to block them. Then several months later the process repeats without lawmakers addressing the underlying problem of the formula. So far, the cuts have been blocked 10 times in the past eight years, including four times this year.

For the 46 million Americans in Medicare, the threatened pay cuts had raised the possibility that more doctors would turn away Medicare patients.

"Recent AARP surveys show that more than 80 percent of our members are concerned that if this pay cut goes into effect they could lose their doctors," Rand wrote in an earlier letter to Congress urging passage of a yearlong fix. "Our research also shows that our members believe Congress has a responsibility to keep doctors in the Medicare program by providing doctors with a stable payment system."

The legislation also extends for one year a Medicare program that pays Part B premiums for low-income beneficiaries who can't otherwise afford them. The program was due to expire Dec. 31, said Joe Baker, president of the
Medicare Rights Center. "At a time when the financial security of an increasing number of Medicare consumers is uncertain, programs [like this] have become essential," he said.

Volunteer Spotlight 
 

United Way of Chittenden County Volunteer Center is partnering with the Center on Aging at the University of Vermont to find volunteers aged 55 plus who can help the Center meet their mission to promote a sense of well being and a high quality of life for older adults.

 

If you would like to teach Dementia Communications training to First Responders OR become an editor-in-chief of their newsletter OR assist with event planning, call us today at 860-1677 or email: [email protected]

 

You can find many other volunteer opportunities at the United Way of Chittenden County Volunteer Center's online searchable database: www.unitedwaycc.org  and click on "Volunteer Now".

Calendar of Events


December 17 and 18

The Holiday Artists Market

Friday, 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Contois Auditorium, City Hall

Artists from the BCA Summer Artist Market with other high quality local artists

Free

 

December 18

Winter's Eve at Ethan Allen Homestead

Ethan Allen Homestead Museum

5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Live entertainment, historical demonstrations, period refreshments and candle-lit tours of Ethan Allen's home.

$5 adults; $3 children 6-12; free for children under 6

More information 865-4566 or email [email protected]

 

December 18

Dinner and a Show: Italian dinner followed by the Burlington High School production of Hello Dolly

Dinner 5:15 p.m.; Show 7:30 p.m.

Tickets $20 for adults; $15 for students and seniors

Proceeds benefit The Latin and Drama Clubs at BHS

To reserve a seat contact [email protected]

 

December 25

6th Annual Holiday Dinner for Seniors

Burlington High School

1:00 p.m.

Sponsored by AARP, City of Burlington, Champlain Valley Agency on Aging and HANDS.

To reserve a free dinner and transportation or to have a meal delivered, call the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging at 865-0360.