Medicare Advantage (MA) plans – the privatized alternative to traditional Medicare – are coming under growing scrutiny for a number of questionable practices that undermine patient care and overcharge taxpayers.

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans – the privatized alternative to traditional Medicare – are coming under growing scrutiny for a number of questionable practices that undermine patient care and overcharge taxpayers.

If you are represented by a Democrat in the U.S. House, chances are that your member of Congress has already cosponsored a piece of landmark legislation to boost and strengthen Social Security: Rep. John Larson’s Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust. In fact, the bill currently has 202 Democratic cosponsors (and zero Republicans). But some Democrats have not signed on as cosponsors.

One of our nation's most popular federal programs marks another year of success on August 14th.  Social Security—the income security program for workers, retirees, people with disabilities, and their families - was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 86 years ago. But it's been almost four decades since the program was last reformed. In 1983, Congress took action to shore up Social Security's finances under the acute threat of insolvency. Fast-forward to the present.  We are confronted with a looming shortfall in the program's finances amid a growing demand to boost benefits.  But bi-partisan action to strengthen Social Security has been elusive—despite the best efforts of some lawmakers to put forward solid proposals.