NCPSSM, Author at NCPSSM

Medicare To Cover At-Home COVID Test Kits

Seniors on Medicare soon won't have to pay for over-the-counter COVID test kits, thanks to a rule change from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS announced Wednesday that Medicare will begin covering the cost of home kits sold at pharmacies and other retailers starting in early spring.

NCPSSM2022-02-04T11:22:08-04:00February 3rd, 2022|Categories: COVID, Medicare, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare|

Seniors’ Champions in Washington State Continue to Lead the Way on Long-Term Care, Despite Roadblocks

In 2019, the state of Washington plunged headlong into the treacherous waters of public long-term care insurance with WA Cares – the first comprehensive program of its kind in the country. WA Cares was born out of the realization that most seniors will need some form of long term-care at some point in their lives.

NCPSSM2022-01-27T16:31:10-04:00January 27th, 2022|Categories: Democrats, Long term care, Medicaid, Medicare, Republicans|

SSA Field Offices to Re-open in March

After nearly two years of Social Security field offices being closed for all but “dire needs,” the Social Security Administration indicated today that there is progress toward re-opening. Acting SSA Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi announced in a press release that the agency and its three main labor unions have reached agreement on a re-opening plan.

NCPSSM2022-01-21T17:18:43-04:00January 20th, 2022|Categories: Acting SSA Commissioner Kijakazi, Disability, Social Security, Social Security Administration (SSA), SSA field offices|

Pending Aduhelm Coverage Decision Could Pave the Way for Lower Medicare Premiums

Medicare Part B beneficiaries have seen their monthly premiums jump to from $148.50 to $170.10 this year – one of the biggest increases in recent history. Many seniors on fixed incomes who welcomed this year’s 5.9% Social Security COLA were dismayed to find that $21 of it will be consumed by the Medicare premium bump. But this week brought some potentially encouraging news.

NCPSSM2022-03-21T12:31:59-04:00January 11th, 2022|Categories: COLAs, Congress, Medicare, Medicare premiums, Prescription Drug Prices, President Biden|

Seniors’ Voting Rights on the Line As Schumer Vows Senate Action

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has set a self-imposed deadline of January 17th – Martin Luther King Day – to pass sweeping voting rights legislation. This will be a heavy lift given opposition from Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to adjusting the filibuster, an essential step in passing voting rights legislation without Republican votes. Nevertheless, President Biden and Hill Democrats feel compelled to try, given that the voting rights of millions of Americans – including and especially seniors – are very much at stake with the 2022 midterm elections approaching.

NCPSSM2022-01-18T16:56:34-04:00January 10th, 2022|Categories: Democrats, Election 2022, Republicans, Voting Rights|

Trump Plan to Privatize Medicare Is Alive and Well

Seniors and their loved ones may be alarmed to learn that there is an insidious, but largely unpublicized effort underway to gradually privatize Medicare. According to recent reporting, some traditional Medicare patients are now being placed in for-profit managed care plans without even knowing, thanks to a Trump administration policy that is still in effect.

NCPSSM2022-01-05T11:38:32-04:00December 22nd, 2021|Categories: Medicare, privatization, Trump Administration, Uncategorized|

President Biden Should Roll Back Medicare Premium Hike

The National Committee is urging President Biden to mitigate the announced $21 monthly increase in Medicare Part B premiums. President and CEO Max Richtman sent a letter to the White House this week asking President Biden to intervene before the premium hike takes effect in 2022.

NCPSSM2021-12-23T12:22:28-04:00December 17th, 2021|Categories: COLAs, Congress, Medicare, Medicare premiums, Prescription Drug Prices, President Biden|

NCPSSM President Testifies at Hill Hearing on Social Security Legislation

Social Security must be expanded and strengthened now. That was the message National Committee president Max Richtman delivered in testimony today before the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee, chaired by Rep. John Larson (D-CT). This was the first and possibly only hearing on Congressman Larson’s Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust legislation, which would boost benefits and extend the solvency of the program’s trust fund.

NCPSSM2021-12-08T12:21:49-04:00December 7th, 2021|Categories: COLAs, Congress, COVID, Democrats, Max Richtman, Rep. John Larson, Republicans, Social Security, women, women's retirement security|

Stop Scaring Millennials About the Future of Social Security

Some tropes never die. The one about Millennials not being able to rely on Social Security when they retire re-surfaces every few months, most recently in an article by John Csiszar on the financial news site GoBankingRates.

NCPSSM2021-12-01T13:56:58-04:00December 1st, 2021|Categories: Equal Time, Payroll Tax Cap, payroll taxes, Rep. John Larson, Social Security|

House Passage of Build Back Better is Something For Seniors To Be Thankful For

The House of Representatives passed President Biden’s landmark Build Back Better plan this morning --- a victory achieved by Democrats to benefit American seniors. The House-enacted legislation represents the biggest expansion of the social safety net for older Americans and their families in five decades.