Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Congressman Michael Capuano, HHS Regional Director Christie Hager, Secretary of Elder Affairs Ann Hartstein, Tufts University Professor Raymond Hyatt to Speak on Panel Regarding the State of Medicare & Social Security; Hundreds of Senior Citizens, Student Attendees Expected for Event on Friday.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Congressman Michael Capuano, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare will host a public forum on Friday, September 28 to discuss current proposals to address long-term funding and benefits issues affecting these long-standing and popular federal programs.  The forum will be held at Tufts University’s Cohen Auditorium (in the Aidekman Arts Center, Talbot Ave., Somerville), and will offer a panel discussion followed by a Q&A session with the public.  Opened and moderated by Mayor Curtatone, the panel includes Congressman Capuano, Health & Human Services New England Regional Director Christie L. Hager, Massachusetts’ Secretary of Elder Affairs Ann L. Hartstein, Dan Adcock from the National Committee,  and Associate Professor Raymond R. Hyatt, Ph.D., from the Department of Public Health & Community Medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine.  Hundreds of attendees from Councils on Aging across the region are expected to be in attendance, as are students from Tufts University.  The event is free of charge, but RSVPs are encouraged.  Attendees can confirm their interest by contacting Jackie Rossetti in Mayor Curtatone’s Office at 617-625-6600 ext 2614, or JRossetti@somervillema.gov

“Whenever I meet with area residents, especially seniors, these issues are always among the first to come up.  This is an opportunity to step back from the superheated rhetoric of the campaign season and take a purely informational and balanced look at the various plans that are out there and what their effects might be,” said Curtatone.  “I think we all benefit when major programs like Social Security and Medicaid can be discussed by policy experts rather than caricatured in thirty-second sound bites.  I expect this to be a frank and wide-ranging discussion of how to deal with the issues surrounding two federal programs that play an essential role in health and quality of life almost every American.

“Social Security and Medicare are usually top tier issues in any election, but their importance has been elevated by harmful proposals to privatize both programs and cut benefits in each.  Middle class Americans deserve to know how these plans could affect their earned benefits before they vote on November 6,” said Dan Adcock, Director of Government Relations and Policy for the NCPSSM.

This forum is a non-partisan discussion and is open to the public via RSVP to:  Jackie Rossetti, 617-625-6600 ext 2614, or JRossetti@somervillema.gov  .  The forum is intended to provide information regarding Social Security and Medicare and related health care policies, and allow senior citizens to learn more about available resources and options.