Outrageous Fortune
Through patent extensions, inflated price information, superficial lawsuits, political contributions, lobbying and marketing, and lucrative opportunities with the Medicare Modernization Act Part D benefit, the pharmaceutical industry has been able to increase as well as protect its profits while plundering the pockets of the American people.

White House Conference on Aging: Neglecting a Generation
Released on the first anniversary of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA), this report outlines the politicization and mismangement of the decennial conference charged with developing policy recommendations for the President and Congress.  In this report, the Alliance chronicles the Administration's efforts to misuse the conference to advance its political agenda.

Nursing Home Care: When Will We Get it Right?
This 84-page study examines the status of what is being done, or not done, to protect residents and improve the conditions of work and quality of care in nursing homes and proposes actions that can be taken on a number of levels. Despite decades of laws, regulations, studies, hearings and promises by representatives of government, America is still unable to guarantee quality care for patients in the nation’s 17,000 nursing homes.

The Failure of Medicare+Choice
The Medicare+Choice program, created in 1997, was intended to provide Medicare beneficiaries access to greater benefits than the traditional Medicare program and, at the same time, reduce Medicare spending. This report examines why the program failed so quickly and the implications for current policy proposals based on a similar structure.

Health Care We Can Count On
(November 2007)
This issue brief from the Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund (ARAEF) examines the stake that retirees have in the health care reform discussion and why their involvement is critical if there is to be universal coverage with an adequate benefits package. In particular, questions need to be raised and answered on prospective changes to Medicare, retiree health care, long-term care, and the health security of younger generations.

Medicare Advantage: A Windfall For Insurers; Downfall for Beneficiaries
(August 2007)
Nearly 44 million Americans are Medicare beneficiaries. Although 80 percent receive their health care services through the traditional Medicare program, about one in five—8.7 million—receive care through Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. This issue brief from the Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund (ARAEF) provides an overview of the shortcomings of Medicare Advantage plans overall and of the fastest growing of MA plan types, the Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS) plans, in particular.

Medicare Under Attack: Will Privatizing Measures Destroy the Program?
(August 2007)
Since the 1965 enactment of Medicare, the program has provided hospital and outpatient health care coverage for persons over age 65 and younger adults with permanent disabilities. This issue brief from the Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund (ARAEF) outlines the evolution of the privatization of Medicare and what it means to the future of the program and well-being of Medicare beneficiaries.

The Future of Social Security and Those Who Depend on It
(May 2007)
For more than 70 years, Social Security has been the bedrock of dependable income for millions of Americans, providing benefits to retirees, those with disabilities and the survivors of retired and deceased workers.

Understanding Medicare's Preventive Services
(Aug 2006)
This report highlights the preventive care services and demonstration projects provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers these programs.

How Medicare Part D Fares and What Lies Ahead
(Aug 2006)
The new Medicare prescription drug law was created under great controversy and implemented with confusion and uncertainty.  In this report, the Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund examines the issues seniors faced in enrolling in a drug plan, and the subsequent economic and health care ramifications of this new law.