2009 AARP Voters Guide

Transcription

1 2009 AARP Voters Guide House of Delegates District 36 Virginia Inside: Retirement Savings Health Care Long-Term Care Financial Exploitation Car Title Lending How to use the AARP Voters Guide: Here s how this Voters Guide works. AARP asked key questions about issues important to our members and their families of each major candidate for this race. Each candidate was allowed up to 125 words to answer each question. AARP did not edit or modify those answers. The candidates were asked to check the support or oppose circles. The candidates may have chosen not to check a circle AARP has provided a summary of our position for each of the issues. Pass this guide on to friends and family. Share your views with the candidates. Ask for clarification from any candidate whose answer seems unclear. Be sure to vote on November 3.

2 Retirement Savings Will you support or oppose legislation that would create an affordable way for small businesses to establish employee payroll Q: deduction plans for retirement? Create an affordable way for small businesses to establish employee payroll deduction plans for retirement. Create an affordable way for small businesses to establish employee payroll deduction plans for retirement. Create an affordable way for small businesses to establish employee payroll deduction plans for retirement. The personal savings rate of Americans has been falling for the past two decades. Low savings rates do not help today s workers prepare for retirement. Statistics show that employees who save through an employer-provided payroll deduction plan generally are better prepared for retirement than those who do not. Today, only about 50 percent of workers have access to an employer plan. Small businesses that want to offer payroll deduction plans find the cost too high and the availability of product offerings limited. By pooling plans in a state-supported program it would be possible to expand retirement savings plans and help workers better prepare for their futures. I think this is an important and vital issue facing all age groups in our country. Saving for your future and taking on the responsibility of fiscal discipline when you first enter the workforce is central to building a solid financial foundation. Life is uncertain and if we can find a way to help small businesses and their employee s better plan for the future, then we need to focus on that issue. I am for using free market solutions to achieve this goal. The candidate chose not to make additional comments. 2 November 3, 2009 House of Delegates

3 Health Care Q: Will you support or oppose legislation that would expand the availability of affordable quality health care to all Virginians? Expand the availability of affordable quality health care to all Virginians. Expand the availability of affordable quality health care to all Virginians. Expand the availability of affordable quality health care to all Virginians. Today, more than one million Virginians do not have health insurance. In 1998 Virginia ranked 10th among the states in health status. By 2006 that had dropped to 21st. As the economic downturn continues, many more Virginians find themselves without employer-provided health coverage and unable to purchase private plans due to cost or preexisting health conditions. Providing health care services to individuals without health coverage drives up overall costs, compromises quality care and contributes to individual family hardships. I am in favor of finding the best options for affordable healthcare for Virginians. I think that a key to identifying these policies is to promote more free and unrestricted competition. Opening up access to the full spectrum of plans in the free market is a beginning. I would work to seriously reduce the preclusion of pre-existing conditions when it comes to individuals entering a new insurance policy. I consider this issue to be very high priority House of Delegates November 3,

4 Long-Term Care Will you support or oppose legislation that would provide greater choices for Virginians to receive long-term care services at home in Q: the communities where they live? Provide greater choices for individuals to receive long-term care services at home in the commun ities where they live. Provide greater choices for individuals to receive long-term care services at home in the commun ities where they live. Provide greater choices for individuals to receive long-term care services at home in the commun ities where they live. According to AARP research, more than 80 percent of all Virginians want to age in their homes as long as possible. Today, however, Virginia spends 77 percent of its Medicaid long-term care budget on nursing home care and just 23 percent of it on home- and community-based services. Evidence indicates that a greater investment in home- and community-based services will better serve an aging population and could result in Medicaid savings over the long run. As Virginia s population ages, the need for greater choice in care options will increase dramatically. I am very concerned about the quality of life and care that our seniors have access to as they mature. Moreover I am concerned about the financial impact to those individuals and their families when high costs from assisted living and nursing home care literally wipe out their savings and investments. Individuals and their families should not have to be virtually bankrupt for Medicaid to kick in and if that person passes on, there should not be an estate tax that takes another 50% of what remains. I would work to find a solution to these issues affecting our families. I recently had a family experience that once again confirmed for me the importance of long term care in the home. I strongly support this initiative. 4 November 3, 2009 House of Delegates

5 Financial Exploitation Do you support or oppose legislation that would require financial institutions to report suspected financial abuse and exploitation Q: of the elderly? Require financial institutions to report suspected financial abuse and exploitation of the elderly. Require financial institutions to report suspected financial abuse and exploitation of the elderly. Require financial institutions to report suspected financial abuse and exploitation of the elderly. Financial abuse and exploitation is a crime that is not usually reported. The national Center on Elder Abuse reported that only 1 in 25 cases is reported. Less than 1 percent of the reports made in 2007 were from financial institutions. Suspected financial exploitation of the elderly can be detected by trained financial employees and deterred by early and prompt reporting. Presently, financial institutions in Virginia are not required to train their employees or to report suspect financial abuse to Adult Protective Services. I support protection of the elderly when it comes to financial abuse and exploitation. Our seniors deserve the respect and admiration they deserve without fear of being taken advantage of. I support the training of employees at financial institutions in regards to senior s issues and needs. Ethical behavior should be the hallmark of their business when it comes to any client. Insofar as reporting abuse and exploitation, I believe that there should be a mechanism for individuals of their advocates make reports and each would be addressed in a timely and fair manner. I would stop short of legislating a self imposed requirement on those same institutions. I support the reporting of suspected abuse as well as educational programs by the institutions to inform elderly persons of financial scams. House of Delegates November 3,

6 Car Title Lending Do you support or oppose legislation that would prohibit car title Q: lenders from charging interest rates above 36% APR? Prohibit car title lenders from charging interest rates above 36% APR. Prohibit car title lenders from charging interest rates above 36% APR. Prohibit car title lenders from charging interest rates above 36% APR. Car title loans are short-term, high interest loans secured by the borrower s automobile. Triple-digit interest rates make it nearly impossible to repay the loan, leading to over 6,000 vehicle repossessions each year in Virginia and the loss of what is most likely a family s greatest asset and only way to work and school. Car title lenders in Virginia are currently allowed to charge any interest rate they wish as long as they don t require any payment for the first 25 days. Most car title lenders are charging up to 360% APR on a fully secured loan, well over the 36% APR maximum allowed for banks and other lending institutions in Virginia. I would oppose legislation that would prohibit the free market from functioning. Although this scenario seems to be unfair, we need to remember that ownership of an automobile is not a right, it is a privilege for those that find value in prioritizing their household expenses, in this case a car. I would not legislate to make it more affordable and fair for people to purchase automobiles who are not in the position to afford their payments. We need to closely monitor what is happening with payday lending as well as title lenders to put necessary controls and laws into place. 6 November 3, 2009 House of Delegates

7 AARP is making a difference! Whether it s fighting for affordable health care or working to ensure retirement security for all Americans, we can t do it without you. Sign up for free updates and action alerts from AARP. We ll keep you informed about what s really going on in the White House, Congress, and your state legislature. Visit or fill out the form below. Thank you for participating in the AARP 2009 Election Project! # FIRST NAME INIT. LAST NAME ADDRESS STATE ZIP CODE APT. # - (for example: your @provider.com) ( ) - PHONE NUMBER Yes, please me news, information, and offers from AARP and organizations that provide exclusive AARP discounts and benefits. Please mail form to: AARP 2009 Election Project Office of Voter Education 601 E Street, NW Washington, DC to: About 2009 Ethe AARP Project lection : AAR P ha 2009 E s launched the n l your he ection Proje onpartisan lp we c c t, and w an v oices a ith make s r any spe e heard. We do ure our cif n just car ic candidate t endorse or party e about.w is help we ll make sues and with e your clear st sure ca an nd can ma ds on the issu idates take ke e importa choices that s so people reflect nt to th what s em. Visit w ww.aarp.o rg/elec tions. 7

8 AARP Virginia 707 E. Main Street, Suite 910 Richmond, VA If you are not registered to vote, go to and click on Helping Americans Vote under Tools for a form to fill out and send to your local voter registrar (the address will be there). Go to the same website if you need an application for an absentee ballot or to find out if your state allows early voting and what dates that will occur. Candidate websites: Voter Information Inside