The State of the Union address last night was well written, well delivered, and received with much standing and much applause . . . but it seemed to ignore the fastest growing, most vulnerable and the most politically active segment of Americans, those who have retired or are close to retiring. 

RetireSafe today urged Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI) to return to the negotiating table, and come to an agreement with Walgreens.

Washington, DC (October 20, 2011) Today RetireSafe, the voice of 400,000 older Americans nationwide, called the announced Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase for 2012, desperately needed, but far too little, too late for seniors across the land.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has been given a tough assignment; putting tons of lipstick on the pig that is the Affordable Care Act Rationing Board, otherwise known as IPAB, the Independent Payment Advisory Board.

A long time ago the politicians in Washington made a promise to us, not one backed up by laws but one that has been understood from the very beginning of Social Security. They promised that when we retired, the money we received from Social Security would be protected from losing its purchasing power. 

Last week U.S. Representatives John “Jimmy” Duncan, Jr. (TN-2) and Daniel Lipinski (IL-3), along with six of their House colleagues introduced the CPI for Seniors Act, H.R. 1086. This critical House legislation, will finally end the use of the admittedly flawed Consumer Price Index (CPI) now used to set Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs), and directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to create a “CPI for Seniors” that is accurate, honest, and beyond reproach. RetireSafe supports this important legislation and congratulates these heroes of older Americans.

The citizens of this country delivered a loud and clear message to Washington last November – get our spending in line and reduce the size of government. Congress has an opportunity to deliver on both points of this citizen mandate right now.

Last Friday Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, wrote an Op-Ed in the Washington Post titled, “Health-care reform, the states’ way. Her opening paragraphs assert that Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) puts states in the driver’s seat…” and she further states that, “states aren’t just participating in implementation of the law; they’re leading it.”

Late last year, in an op-ed, I outlined the danger of letting unelected bureaucracies control us. As I said then, “This is not what the Founding Fathers envisioned; this is what they were fighting against -- the ability of a government entity, one in which they had no representation and no power to elect, having the power to affect their finances and well-being.” It was the founders fear then and my fear now that through regulations the government will institute processes that would further reduce our freedoms.

The President delivered his annual “State of the Union” address Tuesday evening. The House Chamber was different as many members chose to sit with “dates” from the other side of the aisle. The President’s speech was different as well. Rather than wading through a laundry list of accomplishments from last year, and goals for next year (an approach that historically had produced a standing ovation from one side of the chamber and a dour, sit on their hands, reaction from the other side), the President attempted to stay above the fray and used different words to express his goals. The bottom line, however, seemed to be the same – just let the government solve our problems.

The House is scheduled this week to vote on repealing Obamacare. Many new and returning politicians promised during their campaign that they would work to repeal the law, and they understandably want to get right to it. Obamacare will have a huge impact on our lives and I feel it is especially important to outline RetireSafe’s position on the repeal of Obamacare.

The phrase "unintended consequences" has been used a lot in the last year. It is often used to refer to the mostly negative impacts government laws and regulations have on people and businesses.

Two interesting events happened within the last seven days that I think are related and reveal a lot about the Administration's desperation to sell the new health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

I talked last year about the fact that no one seemed to be listening to older Americans. It seemed like everyone seemed to know what was best for seniors but no one ever took the time to stop, ask and then listen to what seniors had to say.

We have listened to what you've had to say about the zero Social Security Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) and now we're acting on those comments and doing something about this injustice.

May is older Americans month and it is a good time to reflect on what has happened since the last older Americans month in May 2009. The "great" recession had settled in by May, 2009 and its impact was felt in all corners of our economy.

As I stated in my previous message, RetireSafe is committed to continue the fight to protect older Americans from Medicare cuts, massive debt and government interference. Our efforts will not cease just because the health care reform bill has been signed into law.

The President's health care reform bill has been signed, sealed and delivered. It was a long hard-fought battle, and in the end, the voices of the people were ignored.

Today, we find ourselves at a place with health care reform that no one could have imagined a year ago. The road to where we are today has been a series of bad ideas, followed by a partisan sleight-of-hand legislative process.

The health care reform battle just had its first birthday. We need to look back and remember how this last year unfolded.

The President once again has missed the point; his attempt at forcing Republican support in the health care summit was just that, forced. His attempt at sprinkling other, more popular reform approaches into his latest bill today had more to do with gaining Democrat votes than it did with implementing good, commonsense health care reform legislation (you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear).

The President's health care proposal that was released Monday was long on cost, taxes and government interference and short on details. The President chose to take the Senate bill, add some sugar by including some parts from the House bill, mix in some spice for the unions, and then frost it all over by expanding the cornhusker kickback to all of the states.

I asked and you responded. I've received almost 800 surveys and numerous phone calls and email concerning the current Social Security cost-of-living-adjustment or rather the cost-of-living NON-adjustment since everyone on Social Security got zero this year.

The President's State of the Union speech last night talked a lot about the economy and jobs. I'm glad that his focus might finally be changing to those things that the American people really need.

As I have watched the legislative process play out during the health care reform debates, I have always tried to keep RetireSafe's views, comments, and analysis simple and focused on the common sense aspects of the proposed legislation.

While the back room creation of a debt-building, tax-raising, Medicare-rationing, health care reform bill continues in the Senate, we now find out that the vote buying by Senate Democrats has also continued.

It appears this morning that the Senate will take two positive steps in their march toward health care reform. While nothing is in writing, the rumors indicate that the expansion of Medicare to those age 55 up to and through age 64 will be removed from what will be the final Senate bill.

Senator John McCain earlier this week submitted an amendment to the Senate health care reform bill, an amendment that is the first and most important step to really reform health care.

The Senate Democrats finally released their "health care reform" bill last week and it was more of the same. Compiled behind closed doors, the bill is even bigger than the House bill, some 2,074 pages long, and it reflects a huge expansion in the size of our government and its control over our lives.

Last weekend the U.S. House of Representatives passed a monstrous $1 trillion dollar health care reform bill by the narrowest of margins, 220 votes for and 215 against. While the passing of the bill marked a victory for those who support a government run health care system and saddling tax payers with the burden of its cost, it is not by any means the last word, or even the most important word, in this debate.

RetireSafe's Listen campaign has gotten off to a great start. We said we'd listen, and now over 1200 of you have spoken.

RetireSafe wants to hear from you. After visiting two senior expos, reading hundreds of surveys and emails, and listening first hand to many of our over 400,000 supporters, we confirmed that no one is listening to older Americans.

Dear Mr. President:

My name is Thair Phillips and I am the newly elected President of RetireSafe, an organization representing 400,000 Americans, mostly seniors, mostly over the age of 70.

I strongly believe that choice is the solution to many of the issues that plague the current health care debate. Consumers with choices drive prices to the appropriate level while fostering the development of better products and services.

President Obama got elected because the American people wanted something different, they wanted change. They knew who Senator John McCain was but they didn’t know who this new Senator from Illinois was.

Congress is back in their states and districts and they are finally hearing from "we the people." Why is everyone so surprised that the people are speaking so loudly?

The healthcare reform initiative has consumed the focus of the press, Congress, the President, private business and a multitude of groups (RetireSafe being one). This focus is well deserved;

The President's experiment in health care is at a critical juncture. As the details emerge so do the questions.

The massive house health care reform bill (H.R. 3200) will provide taxpayer health benefits to illegal aliens, according to Roll Call, the premier capital hill newspaper. According to Roll Call, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is pushing Speaker Pelosi to make sure all illegal aliens are covered in the bill.