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SOMERVILLE, NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO PRESERVE SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE TO HOST PUBLIC FORUM THIS FRIDAY

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

SOMERVILLE - 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^th at 11:00 A.M. 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.

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