AARP CEO Bill Novelli identified healthcare IT as a key initiative in his organization's work with the 111th Congress on reducing healthcare cost and boosting quality.
"This is not the time for business as usual," Novelli said. "It is the time to demonstrate bold leadership ... to demand change and to work hard to bring about that change. And that's exactly what we intend to do."
Novelli spoke at an AARP briefing Tuesday in the nation's capital.
The AARP called the briefing to release a new survey that Novelli said showed the depth of the healthcare crisis.
The survey revealed that Americans remain concerned about their ability to pay healthcare bills, Novelli said, and many expect to delay retirement and work longer due to investment losses.
Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said they are concerned about being able to pay their healthcare bills over the next 12 months.
Eighty-three percent say the government should help people who have lost their jobs to keep their health insurance or purchase affordable health insurance.
In outlining the AARP agenda for the 111th Congress, Novelli stressed the need to provide economic relief for America and fix the country's healthcare system.
AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond said the AARP's advocacy agenda reflects the need to solve these problems for all generations.
Among the key initiatives that AARP is working toward in the 111th Congress are two focused on healthcare:
1. Reducing healthcare costs and improving quality: Advance health information technology, evidence-based practices, chronic care coordination and disease management and prevention and provide greater consumer access to information on health care quality and costs.
2. Expanding healthcare coverage: Extend quality, affordable, healthcare coverage through Medicaid, private insurance reform, new incentives to expand coverage to the 50-64 age group and expansion of children's coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).