Nearly two dozen AARP Colorado volunteers plan to track legislation and either support or oppose bills the organization has identified as important to older adults and their families during the 2017 legislative session, an AARP Colorado spokeswoman said.

Last week, a group of AARP Colorado advocates walked from the group’s state offices in uptown to the Capitol to make their volunteer advocacy roles official. The volunteers represent more than 680,000 AARP members in Colorado.

AARP Colorado also outlined this year’s legislative priorities: Passing the Colorado Secure Savings Plan, intended to allow state residents the chance to save for retirement at work even if employers don’t offer plans; making sure the Public Utilities Commission regulates all 911 calls, regardless of the technology used to make them; creating a fund to pay for housing for those in need; and supporting Medicaid for those who rely on it for health care and long-term care. In addition, AARP Colorado is supporting efforts to resolve conflicting constitutional requirements so that budget needs aren’t in endless competition.

The organization is also sounding the alarm over proposals advanced by leading congressional Republicans to turn Medicare into a voucher system.

“In Colorado, we know what a vital program Medicare is,” said Angela Cortez, AARP Colorado associate state director for communications, in a statement. The federal program covers roughly 722,000 Colorado residents, with more than 1 million eligible for Medicare within 15 years.

“That’s why we’re worried about what’s happening in Washington, D.C.,” Cortez said. “Despite the President’s support for the program, Republican leaders in Congress are pushing ahead with their long-simmering proposal to turn Medicare into a ‘premium support program.'”

“What that really means is they want to create a Medicare voucher system,” she continued. “It would be a fixed-dollar subsidy that beneficiaries would use to buy private insurance. If the amount isn’t enough to cover their needed health care – tough luck.”

In order to combat what she terms a “risky scheme,” AARP plans to wage an aggressive national campaign to deliver a message to Congress: “We’ve earned our Medicare benefits with every paycheck and that we’re going to fight against any proposal to turn it into a voucher program.”

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com