The Divided We Fail platform contends Americans should have peace of mind that comes with knowing their futures will be financially secure and they will have health coverage when they need it.
Quality, affordable health care and lifelong financial security was discussed during the Divided We Fail Community Conversation and Forum on Thursday evening in the Ardmore Convention Center.
Sean Voskuhl, associate state director for AARP, said Thursday if it’s just a Democrat issue or just a Republican issue, it’s not going to pass through Congress.
“We’ve got to put this on the forefront,” Voskuhl said.
Jessica Pfau, Ardmore Village director, said some younger, hourly workers at the village are not concerned with saving for retirement. They are living from paycheck to paycheck and are more concerned with feeding their children and family needs rather than saving for retirement, she said.
Pfau said the average daily cost for a semi-private room in a nursing home is $68,985 annually. The average cost for living in an assisted living facility is $35,628 per year. Her figures came from the American Association of Housing and Services for the Aging.
Jay Johnson, Mercy Memorial Health Center chief operating officer, said someone he knows called him concerned that his father had a stroke and his father had no insurance. Johnson said the man did not have a stroke but he did see a doctor, who put him on high blood pressure medicine. He said the uninsured man had not seen a doctor for the problem because he didn’t want to have to pay the bill.
An audience member, John Thompson, said, “Affordable health care is something that we should all have. So many of our citizens don’t have access to quality health care. Maybe our legislators will take a better look at this problem and hopefully something will come out of all of this. This affects all of us.”
Sonnia Godwin, Pooleville, won the drawing for a $250 VISA gift card. She said the meeting was informative and she learned a lot.
Information about Divided We Fail is available online at www.aarp.org.
Sheila J. Robinson, 221-6536
sheila.robinson@ardmoreite.com
