Submitted
Two organizations involved in public policy on behalf of seniors, one partisan and the other non-partisan, have decided to endorse Democratic primary candidate Mark Hinton for state representative in Indiana House District 39.
It marks the first time that the Indiana Democratic Senior Caucus and the Indiana Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund have decided to endorse candidates in a political primary, according to a statement from both senior advocacy groups.
“These are perilous times, particularly for seniors and retired workers living on limited incomes,” said Randy Schmidt, president of both organizations. “The slow response from the federal government to the coronavirus threat has also shown a bright light on longstanding Indiana healthcare policy problems. I’ve personally known Mark Hinton for several years. His work in the healthcare industry has uniquely prepared him to tackle issues like lowering prescription drug prices, access to quality healthcare and home health options for seniors. Hinton deserves our support in his race for the nomination of his party.”
According to Schmidt, older Americans are also more prone to chronic medical conditions than younger people. Together with advancing age, this makes them among the most vulnerable groups facing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
And recent decades have also seen a huge drop in federal funding to help state and local officials prepare for emergencies – from about $1 billion after 9/11 to less than $650 million last year.
“This ‘you’re on your own’ approach has trickled down to the conservative Indiana legislature, which has refused to address the growing public health care needs of its citizens during this same time period,” said Schmidt. “Retirees are typically among the least able to pay the inflated costs associated with our for-profit health care system, and seniors will pay a high price for this lack of leadership in Indianapolis. Mark Hinton has always been an advocate for senior citizens, and he will make an excellent addition to the Indiana House of Representatives.”
About the Alliance for Retired Americans
The Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of retired trade union members affiliated with the AFL-CIO as well as non-union, community-based members. The Alliance has more than 4.4 million members in 39 states. The IARA Educational Fund is Indiana’s 501c4 program.
About the Indiana Democratic Senior Caucus
The Indiana Democratic Senior Caucus is a retiree constituency organization that works with candidates, office holders and Indiana Democrats to influence public policy on issues of importance to older Americans.
Both public policy organizations voted separately in March to endorse Mark Hinton for Indiana State Representative in the 39th District.