AARP volunteers call on Sen. Durbin with Rx bottles containing constituents' health care stories

Springfield AARP Volunteers Deliver Constituent's Health Care Stories in Rx Bottles & Call on Senator, Congressmen to Tackle Issue

While Members of Congress may be taking a break from Washington, AARP is making sure they don't get a break from the need to fix the broken health care system. With a giant inflatable Rx bottle as a backdrop, armed with prescription bottles filled with constituents' personal health care stories, AARP members converged in Springfield today calling on Senator Durbin and the Springfield-area Congressmen (John Shimkus, Aaron Schock and Phil Hare) to tackle health care reform when they go back to the nation's Capitol in September.

After the press conference, the group took the prescription bottles and delivered them to the offices of Senator Durbin in Springfield.

"Failure to pass health care reform legislation this year is not an option," said AARP Springfield-area volunteer Dean Clough. "AARP is sending to Senator Durbin, and Congressmen Shimkus, Schock, and Hare a strong message in a bottle and a prescription for reform from their constituents: fix what's wrong with our health care system, and preserve what's right. We cannot afford not to fix health care."

The group's effort also took aim at debunking the myths, misinformation and "swift boat" style scare tactics being used to derail progress on health care reform, with volunteers working to get the public the facts on the issue.

As part of the statewide efforts during the Congressional recess, AARP has been hosting community events and press conferences, aimed at getting the public the facts and "busting" the health care reform myths being spread. AARP has worked to hold "Rx for health care reform" events in every Congressional district in Illinois, where volunteers will deliver thousands of Rx pill bottles filled with personal health care stories from constituents to their members of Congress, highlighting the need for reform.

Opponents of health reform are spreading such myths as: health reform will hurt Medicare; it will allow the government to make life-and-death decisions for you; and reform is socialized medicine. AARP has set up a website (www.healthactionnow.org) where the public can get the facts and other up-to-date information on the health care reform debate.