When jobs are disentangled from health care, older American's experience will once again be worth something. Period.

"AARP allegedly holds its clients' insurance premiums for up to a month and then invests that money, adding another $40 million to its revenue. That's a lot of money to be making off people who are living in retirement and trying to save their money. Once again, it is retired people—those who really, truly cannot afford it—who are taken advantage of.

And they are being taken advantage of by an organization that they count on. AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, is a widely trusted organization. Retirees turn to AARP for insurance, tax returns and estate planning. So why are they being promised big savings only to pay more than the average person for insurance?

The answer, of course, is money. With AARP making more money off royalties from insurers, there is no incentive to fight to keep the costs of those premiums down"

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/features/aarp-insurance-health-united-4.html.

"Age discrimination APPEARS to be on the rise too"? HAHAHAAA! Ask anybody 60 or older who's unemployed but wants to work if it APPEARS to him or her that age discrimination is on the rise. Compared with the other cultures of the world, Americans simply throw away older, wiser people as if they're so much embarrassing trash. It's shameful, wasteful, and stupid.

A further problem is that people 55 and over will not be the recipients of the government jobs programs....many if not most of the jobs are physical labor jobs and the contractors are hiring young people.

You want to help my company increase revenue I will hire you immediately I don't care how old you are!
If you are willing to work, make things go right, don't make excuses and want to produce I don't care if you are 18 or 108- lets get something done!
grant cardone

I don't want to point fingers at my own generational colleagues here but... well, some over-45 people are what might be called "luddites." They don't like computers. They don't like gadgets. They don't like to learn new software applications. I know because at the last two jobs I had, I was the one "middle-aged lady" they'd send to troubleshoot stuff, or to show the other workers how to do things on their PCs.

I'm just saying: The techno gap is possibly a factor.

Not necessarily for those of us here (we're on the Internet, after all!) but for some folks, maybe.
And even for me, the PERCEPTION that younger workers are more cyber-handy has been something of a barrier. My employers act all surprised when I know where the USB cable goes, for cryin out loud.

The Republicans and Blue Dogs (who are comfortably well-fixed and in the same age category) showed their disdain for their contemporaries by not lowering the age for Medicare to 55 as part of the HCR package.

3 Days before Thanksgiving I was told I was being let go from a very well paid white collar job, after 35 years in the industry. They were trying to keep the company going.. My wife had 2 major surgeries in July and September 2008, each requiring several days hospitalization and 4-6 weeks off work.. Her business went out of business in Dec. 08 leaving her unemployed as well..

We've managed, but at 60 and 59 we hear things like;
Overqualified and can't give you what you deserve for pay. Questions along the line of why have you not found a job for 15 months ?

She just went back to work for $9.00 and hour when she had been making $40,000.

The age discrimination is silent -- how long will you work for ? Why hire you when I can get a 30 something for half price. Can they afford health insurance benefits for 2 boomers...

I've applied for over 200 positions and have had 11 in person interviews.. Never thought it could be this discouraging.

That's because Insurance companies raise their health premium's so high when a person turn's 62 that the employer can no longer afford to cover them. Happened to my cousin and my husband!

It seems to me that a very large part of what's dysfunctional with the employment landscape of today is that too many of those in positions to hire, particularly the younger HR gatekeepers, are consciously or sub-consciously indoctrinated to believe that having a college degree is required for EVERY job opening and that experience doesn't count for much. Perhaps they're angry and bitter about having to become debt slaves just to get their degrees and childishly taking it out on the boomer generation.

We're all moving to Obamaville!

I'm 60 and have been looking for work since 11/08, with no luck. I have good skills and lots of experience, but feel if I and others in my age group (say, 50 to 65) I could get health coverage through a public option, we might have a better shot at finding work. At this point, I'm giving up hope of ever finding a good paying job again. Poverty in retirement - here I come!

Wow. There have been quite a few articles about how baby boomers have crashed and burned financially. Based upon comments to the articles, baby boomer bashing is great sport.

Out with the old in with the new pay the younger workers less money get more work out of them less money for benefits this is nothing new it's been going on since the late 70's. When the corporations can figure out a cheaper way to business they'll throw the younger workers under the bus to!

AARP is of little or no help. They have become a liberal wing of the Democrat party and beholden to the SEIU union. Leave their membership asap.