AARP pushes prescription issue

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

AARP Hawai'i is launching its biggest effort ever to raise awareness about issues such as prescription drugs, long-term care and whether the state should be more aggressive in its inspection of care homes. Surveys show these issues are top concerns for AARP members, said AARP state director Greg Marchildon.

With older residents typically voting more than any other age group, the AARP — which boasts a Hawai'i membership of 140,000 — has an opportunity to have a presence in this year's gubernatorial election, some political experts say. They say the clear consequences of high prescription drug costs also may stand out in a political season that so far seems to be saturated with vague promises to deliver "change."

Hirono and Lingle will be addressing these issues in an AARP forum tomorrow, in which up to 450 members are expected to attend. It will be the first time the two have appeared together after the primary election. Marchildon said the fact that both candidates are attending shows recognition of older voters' concerns.

"You blow this audience off at your own peril," Marchildon said. "This is a highly engaged audience and one that will get out and vote."

Some political experts say the AARP's message is effective because it touches on an area that affects not only the elderly but also the families and friends who care for them.

"I think it can be very significant," said University of Hawai'i political science professor Ira Rohter. "Anytime you get a lot of people together with a pretty focused message you're going to have an impact. This is a set of questions that apply to a ton of people."

"You've got the money, you've got some time, you've got a set of issues, you've got a political system which isn't delivering the goods, bingo. I think it can be very influential here."

While education and the economy are clearly top issues in the gubernatorial campaign, Hirono and Lingle are making sure not to ignore concerns of older voters. More than 200,000 people in Hawai'i are 60 or older.

Rising prescription drug costs have been cited by candidates on the national level since the early 1990s. The issue is no longer seen only as a concern by the elderly; an AARP public opinion survey indicated the issue is as important to baby boomers in their late 40s and 50s as it is for senior citizens.

Reducing prescription drug costs also was a high-profile topic at the state Legislature this year. Bills signed into law this year to reduce prescription drug costs for the uninsured and needy are among the consumer-related legislation that Democrats, in particular, are touting this election season. Some Republican lawmakers are also reminding constituents they voted for the state-sponsored drug discount buying programs for the uninsured and the poor.

The Hawai'i Rx law, modeled after a Maine law, would create a purchasing pool of people to negotiate discounts on prescription drugs for more than 220,000 Hawai'i residents who have no prescription drug coverage. The program would begin in January 2005. Another prescription drug program to help residents with incomes below triple the national poverty level could kick in by early next year.

An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court filed by the pharmaceutical industry has put the Maine program on hold. The High Court will review the case next year. Meanwhile, the Bush administration has issued a legal opinion in support of the Maine law.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono has supported Hawai'i's prescription drug legislation and said she will "aggressively push for other creative ways to lower prescription drug costs for our people, such as joining a multistate prescription drug pool purchasing program."

Republican gubernatorial candidate Linda Lingle said the Hawai'i prescription drug laws will not provide immediate help and that she will propose "requiring the drug companies to set up an industry-paid ombudsman's office to help physicians and patients gain access to drugs that are available now at discounted or no cost through existing patient assistance programs." She did not say whether she would push to repeal the prescription drug laws.

The AARP strongly supported the Hawai'i Rx legislation and was heavily involved in its passage this year.

In addition to sponsoring the forum, the AARP will mail voter guides to 110,000 AARP households statewide and make the guides available at public libraries, senior centers and local AARP information centers. The organization will also run television and print ads and hold voter registration drives. In all, AARP Hawaii is spending as much as $100,000 for the campaign.

The voters' guides will include Hirono's and Lingle's positions on prescription drugs, long-term care and care home inspections, as well as AARP's position. AARP does not endorse candidates or contribute to campaigns, Marchildon said.

"The people who are really going to make or break this election for these candidates are older voters," Marchildon said.

"We want to put these issues on the map, cement them in the candidates' minds, and we want to make sure that they're providing real answers and when they're not we're telling our members go out and get the answers."

University of Hawai'i political science professor Neal Milner said the AARP appears to be doing the right things, but that he's not sure whether it has enough time to mobilize its members and make the issues more visible in the campaign.

"It's not clear to me whether these issues are in the mix of things here," he said. "But there are two other issues, one of which is that seniors vote, and secondly, in a perceived close election with low turnout, with candidates who are still to some extent undefined, maybe AARP figures it can exercise a little more leverage here in all of this uncertainty."

But Milner noted that Hirono and Lingle should take the AARP and tomorrow's forum seriously because at this stage, they can't afford to be confident about anything.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.