Published in Pawtucket Times on May 27, 2002

Three years ago, Alice, 60, lost her job as a graphic designer along with 143 co-workers when the Providence-based company closed. Corporate management had made the decision to  move South to tap into a cheaper labor pool.

The Pawtucket resident considered her full-time job to be a fulfilling one. Most important, she had good health insurance coverage with a very nominal monthly cop-pay of $ 80. Although she received coverage under COBRA, Alice’s monthly health care premium shot up to $ 256. When the federally mandated health insurance coverage ended, her monthly health insurance premium almost double to $ 600.

Alice never went back to full-time employment, choosing to take partial retirement in order to collect a pension. To make ends meet, she is currently teaching art classes and working part-time for a nonprofit art group. When her COBRA coverage ran out, Alice signed up for health insurance coverage from the National Association of Self-Employed. This reduced her monthly premium to $ 253; however she was left with a $ 10,000 deductible per year.

At age 60, Alice recently had a hip replacement surgery. Before the operation, the hospital required a $ 5,000 down payment, forcing her to withdraw money from her several saving accounts. Now recuperating from surgery that costs more than $ 10,000, she is about $ 5,000 in debt.

According to a new AARP report, seniors age 50 and over may be healthier and living longer overall, but their long-term health security remains at risk. In the Ocean State, Alice and other seniors have lived the findings of the report. They struggle to maintain their costly health insurance  coverage.

The report, “Beyond 50: A Report to the Nation on Trends in Health Security” is the most comprehensive picture to date of the state of health care for older Americans.

Changes in health security during the last 20 years have been driven by increased reliance on prescription drugs and other innovative technologies, changes in chronic disease and challenges in chronic care, greater longevity and functional limitations patients’ roles and responsibilities as consumers and fluctuating cost growth, the AARP report finds.

“Americans age 50-plus have the chance to capitalize on wonderful advances in longevity. But they need a chain of dominoes to fall right – initial good health, adequate health care coverage, affordable quality care that’s easy to access and a system that encourages informed decision making,” said AARP CEO Bill Novelli.

“Missing one of these dominoes puts a person’s – and a generations – whole health security at risk,” says Novelli.

At age 50, Americans can expect to live another 30 years, the report notes, almost nine years longer than expected in 1900, and fewer are suffering disabilities. The aging baby boomers are healthier with fewer smoking and more using preventative services and trying to exercise.

The AARP report also found that more people age 50-64 are uninsured than in the past and those with insurance are worried about losing what coverage they have or receiving fewer benefits in the future because Medicare doesn’t cover prescription drugs and few Americans have long-term care insurance.

“It’s a good news/bad news report,” said Novelli. “Personal behavior can make a positive difference in people’s health and longevity, but health care for Americans age 50-plus is harder to get, to pay for and to manage. The health care system is a non-system.”

The AARP report calls for the public health system to continue to promote positive health behaviors.

In addition, the general lack of long-term care coverage and the increasing inadequacy and instability of health care coverage for portions of the 50-plus population must be addressed by policy makers.

In 2000, 39 million Americans were uninsured. Out of this number, 5.2 million were seniors between  ages 50 to 64. With the graying of America’s population, the Rhode Island congressional delegation must work closely together to craft meaningful legislation that will create a safety net for the underinsured and uninsured. It’s now time to fix this long-debated policy problem once and for all.

Every senior must have access to affordable health care services. For me, that right is as American as apple pie.