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State Representative Patti Fritz
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8237
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
Rep. Fritz meets with AARP to identify priorities for senior healthcare
Last week I had the privilege of speaking to members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) at the first of four scheduled regional Lobby Days at the Capitol. On March 2 they invited members from the southeast region of the state, some of whom are my constituents.
I have long supported the efforts of AARP and I am happy to do what I can to strengthen their agenda. One item that is crucial at this time of setting budget priorities is increased funding to long-term care facilities. As more and more people are requiring this level of care, we are not seeing the corresponding increase in the number of staff or increased pay for these staff. In fact, in some facilities the staff has gone over three years without a pay increase at all, and the number of caregivers has not grown. This has to be changed if we want our loved ones to receive high quality care.
Another critical issue to AARP members is the cost of prescription drugs. We must look for ways to provide assistance to low-income residents and help more of them take advantage of the new federal benefit plan. The language and details of this change can be confusing and we need to find ways to help more eligible seniors understand it and benefit from it.
Finally, as legislators we need to continue to pressure the prescription drug industry to find ways to bring down prices. Drug prices have skyrocketed for everyone, but seniors living on a fixed income are especially vulnerable. We often hear stories of individuals who have to choose between buying their medicine or other essentials, even food. In a country as rich and blessed as ours, this is clearly not acceptable.
These issues are big and change won't come easily. I will do whatever I can to help us move in the right direction, to right these wrongs and improve the quality of the latter years of life for all of us.
If you want to contact me, please call me at 1-800-292-0012, email me at rep.patti.fritz@house.mn, or write to me at 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155. I look forward to hearing from you!
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- Rep. Fritz: Homeowners, Farmers Need Property Tax Relief - (Posted: 2012-05-01 00:00:00)
- Rep. Fritz: Let’s Vote on a Bonding Bill that Benefits All - (Posted: 2012-04-19 00:00:00)
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