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How “Senior Friendly” are U.S. Presidential candidates in 2008?

Newswise — With the front edge of 75 million Baby Boomers now hitting sixty years of age, policies that affect seniors could gain substantial attention in this year’s U.S. presidential race. (Click here to review positions.)

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) examined positions from leading candidates and today released their findings on seven issues affecting America’s aging population.

The news comes the week prior to Super Tuesday, when more than 20 states award delegates, representing almost half of the entire U.S. delegate count.

“While this week’s Florida primary was an early indicator of the senior vote, the majority of seniors have yet to weigh in on issues at the polling booth,” said Mark Shalloway, NAELA President and Certified Elder Law Attorney based in West Palm Beach.

“By focusing on key issues important to many seniors, we hope to help seniors sift through candidate positions and choose a leader that best shares their views.”

The next four years of the presidency is especially significant for Baby Boomers, as they begin to become eligible for entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.

“The sheer numbers make this year’s race particularly impactful,” says Shalloway. As Boomers age, what are their concerns?

The last NAELA Survey of Elder Issues polled Americans over 35 years of age, who named “losing their physical health” (55%) and “running out of money” (37%) as top issues.

NAELA examined stated positions from the candidates’ websites on Medicare, Medicaid, prescription drugs, universal health care, Social Security, taxes and elder abuse.

Candidates differ on their approach to Medicare, a national health insurance program (at $331 billion in FY2006) for people age 65 or older (or those with certain disabilities regardless of age).

Democratic hopeful Barack Obama favors letting individuals choose the type of long-term care they prefer. Hillary Clinton has put forward separate plans to find cost savings in health care, improve quality, cover all Americans, and improve our long-term care system including preventive care and a better database to improve efficiency.

Republican hopeful John McCain supports Medicare with reform, including more oversight in health care provider payments and increased competition among health care providers to reduce costs and control premiums.

Candidates from both sides of the aisle shared more common ground on Medicaid -- a federally funded (at $183 billion in FY2006) national program implemented at the state level for low income individuals, individuals with disabilities and other qualified individuals.

Clinton and Romney favor giving states more clout in making decisions. Clinton and Obama are pushing for expanded eligibility of home and community based care. McCain prefers states develop metrics to address high cost and low-income families, while also allowing states to experiment with alternative forms of access. Huckabee supports transferring more Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.

On the Medicare Part Dprescription drug program, Democrats largely favored the safe importation of drugs from Canada and abroad and the ability of the government to negotiate with drug companies. Obama also proposes closing the donut hole (where prescription drugs are not covered). 

The Republicans platforms varied among the party candidates including allowing the federal government to negotiate costs with drug companies and incorporating free market dynamics to help control costs.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL SURVEY OF ELDER ISSUES
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) gauged public sentiment in respect to various issues affecting the elder population in a national consumer survey.

More than 1,000 people aged 35 and older were included in the survey taken November 16-22, 2006.

ABOUT NAELA
Established in 1987, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) is a non-profit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations and others.

Members of NAELA are attorneys who are experienced and trained in working with the legal problems of aging Americans and individuals of all ages with disabilities.

The mission of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is to establish NAELA members as the premier providers of legal advocacy, guidance and services to enhance the lives of people with special needs and people as they age. NAELA currently has more than 5,000 members across the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit http://www.naela.org.

ABOUT ELDER LAW
Elder law is a specialized area of law that involves representing, counseling and assisting seniors, people with disabilities and their families in connection with a variety of legal issues, with a primary emphasis on promoting the highest quality of life for individuals.

Typically, elder law addresses the convergence of legal needs with the social, psychological, medical and financial needs of individuals.

The elder law practitioner handles estate planning and counsels clients about planning for incapacity with health care decision making documents. The attorney also assists clients in planning for possible long-term care needs, including at-home care, assisted living or nursing home care.

Locating the appropriate type of care, coordinating public and private resources to finance the cost of care, and working to ensure the client's right to quality care are all part of the elder law practice.