AARP Illinois Key Vote News Alert

AARP Praises House Passage of Health Care Reform Bill

Critical legislation would strengthen Medicare, improve coverage for all
Americans

CHICAGO, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the United States House of
Representatives passed by a vote of 220-215, critical health care reform
legislation that would strengthen Medicare for seniors and end discrimination
by insurance companies that prices millions of Americans out of affordable
health coverage.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) makes prescription
drugs more affordable for seniors by closing the dangerous gap in Medicare
drug coverage and allowing the program to negotiate lower drug prices. It
adds cost-free preventive services like cancer screenings and cracks down on
waste and fraud to protect and strengthen traditional Medicare benefits. In
addition, the legislation provides benefits to help seniors and people with
disabilities live in their own homes and communities by establishing the
Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.

For all Americans -- especially those age 50 to 64 who often struggle to find
affordable insurance -- this plan strictly limits how much more insurance
companies can charge based on age, and stops insurers from denying coverage
based on a person's health history or gender. For those who still cannot find
affordable coverage on their own, this bill offers help so they can purchase
insurance.

ILLINOIS HOUSE MEMBERS VOTE:

ILLINOIS VOTED YES ON THE VOTED NO ON THE
AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
FOR AMERICA ACT FOR AMERICA ACT
---------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------
Bobby Rush (D) X
Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D) X
Daniel Lipinski (D) X
Luis Gutierrez (D) X
Mike Quigley (D) X
Peter Roskam (R) X
Danny Davis (D) X
Melissa Bean (D) X
Janice Schakowsky (D) X
Mark Kirk (R) X
Debbie Halvorson (D) X
Jerry Costello (D) X
Judy Biggert (R) X
Bill Foster (D) X
Timothy Johnson (R) X
Donald Manzullo (R) X
Phil Hare (D) X
Aaron Schock (R) X
John Shimkus (R) X

"We applaud those Illinois members of the House who supported this crucial
legislation," said Bob Gallo, AARP Illinois Senior State Director. "This bill
will help millions of older Americans get the health coverage they need, while
strengthening Medicare for today's seniors and future generations. We look
forward to working with these lawmakers to pass the Affordable Health Care for
America Act this year."

"It's disappointing that some lawmakers voted against this bill and the
opportunity to fix our health care system," Gallo added. "When millions of
older Americans are struggling to afford quality insurance and millions of
seniors must choose between their prescriptions and other necessities, we know
this legislation must move forward. We hope they will reconsider their votes
when a health care bill returns to the House for final approval."

AARP notified the 111th Congress that it was tracking roll call votes on key
legislation important to its nearly 40 million members and reporting the
outcomes of these votes back to its members.

AARP members can see how their representatives voted on health care reform by
going to www.aarp.org/governmentwatch. AARP's Government Watch is a one-stop
online portal that will be tracking and publicizing every designated key vote
on issues facing Americans age 50-plus. A "Key Vote Summary" highlighting
votes on these issues will be published at the end of each congressional
session.

SOURCE AARP Illinois

Gerardo Cardenas, +1-312-351-0228, or Heather Heppner, +1-312-206-4662, both
of AARP Illinois