|
Press Release: AARP and LULAC Collaborate To Call Attention To Health and Financial Security Concerns. Town hall meeting set for Wednesday evening at Guadalupe Theatre. September 16, 2008 For more information contact: SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Two of the most influential membership organizations in the country will join forces in San Antonio on Wednesday to call attention to the pressing domestic issues of access to quality, affordable health care and lifetime financial security. AARP the leading nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people age 50 and over in the U.S. and the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights membership organization in the country, will host a town hall meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Guadalupe Theatre, 1301 Guadalupe Street. The public is invited to share their personal stories and accounts about health care and financial security and to learn more about the national movement called “Divided We Fail” (http://www.dividedwefail.org/), comprised by a nonpartisan coalition of business, labor and nonprofit groups representing more than 53 million Americans. The free event will include a performance by a local mariachi band, food and refreshments. LULAC National President Rosa Rosales and AARP Texas President Gus Cárdenas will talk about the collaboration of both groups around Divided We Fail. LULAC is planning to conduct similar town hall meetings in three other states Arizona, Illinois and California regarding the importance of health and financial security and of holding elected officials accountable for the priorities outlined in the DWF platform. “We applaud AARP’s efforts to work with LULAC in the Latino community to increase services and discuss health care and financial security. Texas leads the nation in the number of uninsured. Furthermore, Texas has the highest percentage in the nation of residents without health insurance during a three-year period, according to a report released in August 2008 by the U.S. Census Bureau,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. “The two issues at hand are joined at the hip,” said AARP Texas State President Gus Cárdenas. “There are 1.85 million medical bankruptcies in our country each year, a good number of them right here in San Antonio. It’s difficult for millions of families to know that one serious illness or accident can put them on the brink of financial ruin. We must find common ground and get going before it’s too late.” Adding to the plight of many Texans is an uncertain economic climate that accelerates personal bankruptcies and diminishes personal savings accounts. Only one out of five workers today has an employer-provided pension plan while four in ten workers have saved less than $25,000 for retirement; and, throughout Texas, more than one out of four residents age 65 or older relies on Social Security as his or her only source of income. As boomers age, this is a potential recipe for disaster. Divided We Fail was launched last summer to raise the voices of American voters who will demand action, answers and accountability from elected officials in the 2008 election and beyond. More than 335 members of Congress and both principal candidates for the presidency have signed a pledge or letter of support to work across party lines and find solutions to the health care and financial security crisis. More than 750,000 pledges from regular citizens all over the country have been gathered to date, promising to vote for candidates who will address these matters, end the gridlock in Washington and get things done. # # # AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50 + educators; and our website, http://www.aarp.org/. The League of United Latin American Citizens advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide. |