White House Conference on Aging
Other WHCoA Resolutions
Although the White House Conference strongly backed the Older Americans Act, it also backed other resolutions that would carry hefty price tags:
LONG-TERM CARE: The Conference recommended a "comprehensive strategy" to assure long-term insurance coverage for "all Americans of all ages."
MEDICAID: The Conference urged that the program be "strengthened and improved." Specifically, it urged federal coverage for treatment in private homes, not just institutions.
MEDICARE: The Conference urged that this popular federal program be amended to cover more mental illnesses. It urged a new section of the Medicare law to cover long-term care.
SOCIAL SECURITY: "Establish principles to strengthen" Social Security, the Conference recommended. It took no formal position on the privatization proposal made in 2004 by the Bush Administration. Barbara Kennelly, a former Democratic Congresswoman from Connecticut who served on the policy committee of the White House Conference, drew robust cheers when she declared that privatization is dead and should remain dead. But Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican who also served on the policy committee, said he wasn't persuaded about either of Kennelly's conclusions. That position drew cheers, too.
TAX BREAKS FOR THOSE WHO VOLUNTEER AND THOSE WHO CARE FOR SENIOR CITIZENS: The Conference urged these policy changes, and also urged that informal caregivers get Social Security credit for the time they provide care.
HURRICANE KATRINA: Recognizing what went wrong in New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast, the Conference urged development of a disaster plan specifically geared toward senior citizens. The Conference recommended special attention for rural seniors, and special emphasis on transportation problems that crop up when a disaster is about to.
In other actions, the White House Conference:
- Urged that barriers to hiring and retaining senior citizens be eliminated.
- Urged that no one be allowed to graduate from high school in the United States without achieving "financial literacy." The idea would be to equip Americans to manage their own retirement planning. However, the Conference declined to recommend a proposal to promote "financial literacy throughout the life span."
- Urged the development of "aging and disability resource centers" so that elderly Americans could find help, information and health care in one place.
- Urged that an "accountability plan" be developed--including the creation of a bipartisan commission--to assure that the 2005 Conference's recommendations keep their momentum and visibility.
- Backed tax breaks for grandparents and other senior citizens who care for the children of their relatives.
The Conference declined to recommend steps in the following areas:
- Although technology was often mentioned as a way to assure better health for senior citizens, the White House Conference did not adopt any of four resolutions that would have made computers and "e-literacy" more available to the elderly.
- A resolution that would have strengthened "defined benefit pension plans" (traditional pensions).
- Assistance to senior citizens whose command of English is limited or non-existent.
- Although the Conference urged better prosecution of financial crimes against senior citizens, it declined to support programs aimed at better prevention of these crimes.
--Bob Levey