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SSA Woefully Underfunded, Struggling to Provide Customer Service, Witnesses Tell Congress

Witness after witness at Tuesday’s Congressional hearing on Social Security Administration (SSA) customer service testified that the agency is in dire need of additional resources in order to properly serve the public.  The hearing was held by the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee, chaired by Rep. John Larson (D-CT), with testimony from a variety of witnesses from SSA and advocacy groups. 
2022-05-18T11:29:21-04:00May 18th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Max Richtman, Rep. John Larson, Social Security, Social Security Administration (SSA)|

The Part D Prescription Drug Bait and Switch

Medicare Part D prescription drug beneficiaries can be in for a rude surprise after they sign up for coverage.   In an article this week in Kaiser Health News, Susan Jaffe writes that the price of a drug may jump within a month of a patient enrolling in the Part D drug plan
2022-05-06T10:51:04-04:00May 5th, 2022|Categories: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Congress, Democrats, Medicare, Medicare Drug Coverage and Costs, Prescription Drug Prices, President Biden|

It’s Time to Bring Back the House Select Committee on Aging

Some two decades ago, seniors had a Congressional committee dedicated solely to safeguarding their interests.  Then the Republicans, led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, took control of the House for the first time in 40 years and shut down the House Select Committee on Aging.  Today, there is a movement to revive that committee – and there truly is no moment since 1994 when it has been so sorely needed.
2022-05-04T10:04:32-04:00April 25th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Medicaid, Medicare, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Retirement, Trump|

What Does the President’s Budget Mean for Seniors?

There’s encouraging news for seniors in President Biden’s FY2023 budget, even though it does not contain everything that advocates for older Americans had hoped.  The budget, which now will be submitted to Congress, includes crucial funding for services that seniors rely upon – from the operation of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to nutrition programs under the Older Americans Act.
2022-03-28T15:13:27-04:00March 28th, 2022|Categories: Boost Social Security, Budget, Congress, COVID, Democrats, Long term care, Medicare, Prescription Drug Prices, President Biden, Social Security, Social Security Administration (SSA), Uncategorized|

Is Permanent Daylight Saving Time Healthy for Seniors?

There has been significant discussion of how making Daylight Saving Time permanent might affect children and teens – but scant dialogue about the impact on seniors. Is permanent Daylight Saving Time good for older people? There’s no clear-cut answer. One thing is certain:  switching back and forth from DST to ST isn’t healthy for anyone – seniors in particular.
2022-03-18T14:20:09-04:00March 18th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Senate|

Seniors’ Programs in Jeopardy if Republicans Retake Majority

Any older voters inclined to put the GOP back in control of the House and Senate in November’s elections might well remember what the Republicans have long wanted to do to their earned benefits.  As if to provide that very reminder, Senator Rick Scott, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, released a plan last week that would terminate Social Security and Medicare.
2022-03-09T17:06:29-04:00March 9th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Election 2022, GOP, healthcare, Medicare, Payroll tax cut, Politics, President Trump, Senator Mitch McConnell, Social Security|

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. 
2022-03-21T12:31:59-04:00January 11th, 2022|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.
2021-12-08T12:21:49-04:00December 7th, 2021|Categories: COLAs, Congress, COVID, Democrats, Max Richtman, Rep. John Larson, Republicans, Social Security, women, women's retirement security|

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