NCPSSM Celebrates New Drug Pricing Law at White House with President Biden, Advocates

National Committee President Max Richtman and other advocates joined President Biden at the White House on Tuesday for a celebration of the new law reducing prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries, the Inflation Reduction Act.  The event, held on the South Lawn, was attended by members of Congress, administration officials, and representatives of seniors’ groups including AARP, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and the seniors’ council of the Democratic National Committee.
2022-09-15T10:17:02-04:00September 14th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Joe Biden, Max Richtman, Medicare, Prescription Drug Prices|

Over the Counter Hearing Aids Could Be a Winner for Seniors

On August 16th, the Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule establishing a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.  This will allow people with 'mild to moderate' hearing loss to buy hearing aids directly from stores or online retailers.  Consumers will not need an exam, prescription or a fitting by an audiologist.
2022-09-12T10:36:57-04:00September 9th, 2022|Categories: Congress, hearing care, Medicare, President Biden|

NCPSSM President and House Members Team-Up to Tout New Prescription Drug Pricing Measures

NCPSSM President and CEO Max Richtman joined two Pennsylvania congressmen in announcing that seniors will benefit from the just-enacted Inflation Reduction Act. Richtman appeared last week at Circle Pharmacy in Philadelphia with representatives Brendan Boyle (D-PA) and Dwight Evans (D-PA).

House Passes Historic Prescription Drug Pricing Legislation

The U.S. House today passed historic legislation to bring down prescription drug prices for tens of millions of American seniors. The Inflation Reduction Act, which the Senate passed last weekend after intense negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, now goes to President Biden's desk for signature.  It is the most sweeping health care legislation since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

Prescription Drug Price Reform of Historic Proportions

Those who refer to the Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Senate this past weekend as “historic” are not exaggerating. The Act represents the most muscular legislation to date to try to tame rising prescription drug prices, which can be devastating for seniors.

Ron Johnson’s Plan is Part of GOP Assault on Seniors’ Earned Benefits

Social Security and Medicare defenders often say that the public doesn’t understand the threat that Republicans pose to these programs.  Indeed, many Republicans proclaim support for both while pushing proposals to undermine them.  But lately it seems as if Republicans are going out of their way to lay bare their intentions – or, as some put it, “to say the quiet part out loud.” Earlier this week, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) said during an interview that Social Security and Medicare should no longer be mandatory spending programs
2022-08-05T14:24:23-04:00August 5th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Medicare, Republicans, Senator Mitt Romney, Social Insurance, Social Security|

Manchin Pulls the Football Away from Schumer – and Medicare

Senator Joe Manchin has once again pulled the proverbial football away from Chuck Schumer just before the kick. After negotiating with the Senate Majority Leader over a pared-back version of the Build Back Better bill, Sen. Manchin has once again withdrawn his support - not for the entire plan, but for key components that would have helped seniors. He declared on Thursday that he would not support any new tax provisions.  One of these provisions would have closed a loophole, compelling the wealthy to pay a 3.8% investment tax.  The revenue would have been directed to the Medicare Part A trust fund, which is currently projected to run dry in 2028. 
2022-07-16T00:42:30-04:00July 15th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Medicare, Prescription Drug Prices, Senate, Senator Joe Manchin|

Schumer-Manchin Negotiations May Yield Some Wins for Seniors

The negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) over a new budget reconciliation deal have been great fodder for political journalists, but they are also incredibly important to American seniors.  Senators Schumer and Manchin are haggling over a pared-down version of the Build Back Better legislation, which the West Virginia Senator effectively killed earlier this year, designed to pass with only Democratic votes via the reconciliation process. The new package reportedly retains some crucial items for older Americans:  prescription drug pricing reform and Medicare solvency.
2022-07-13T15:52:53-04:00July 13th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Medicare, Prescription Drug Prices, Senate, Senator Joe Manchin|
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