Trump & GOP Intransigence Will Hike Health Care Premiums
Open enrollment season for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans arrives amid a severe threat from Trump and congressional Republicans —- who continue to block the extension of crucial ACA premium subsidies. These subsidies have helped middle and lower-income Americans afford health coverage since they were enacted during the Covid pandemic. This is what the government shutdown — now in its fifth week — is all about. Democrats insist that the subsidies be extended; Trump and the GOP have refused, despite the economic pain and health insecurity their actions will inflict on everyday Americans – including millions of MAGA voters. The president and his party won’t even negotiate with Democrats to end the shutdown.
New Senior Poverty Data Disproves ‘Greedy Geezer’ Myth
Conservative think tanks have been pushing a false narrative that older Americans who collect Social Security are somehow ‘ripping off’ younger adults. This propaganda ignores the facts — pitting hardworking Americans (of all ages) against one another. While right-leaning analysts push the argument that younger workers shouldn’t have to pay into Social Security while wealthy ‘greedy geezers’ collect benefits, the data tells a different story. New statistics show that poverty among seniors is on the rise, reaching 15% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM).
News from the Frontlines of the Fight Against Alzheimer’s
In this week’s episode of our You Earned This podcast, Dr. Heather Snyder of the Alzheimer’s Association tells us about some common misconceptions about Alzheimer’s disease while also sharing exciting developments in research, treatment, and prevention. These advances should be welcome news to America’s Seniors, demonstrating important steps forward in the ongoing fight against Alzheimer’s.
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What Does Project 2025 Bode for Older Americans? Hint: Nothing Good
The right-wing Heritage Foundation produced Project 2025, a blueprint for a second Trump term. Though Project 2025 doesn’t specifically advocate for cuts to Social Security, the right-wing think tank has taken positions that would seriously undermine the nation’s most popular social insurance program. On the issue of Medicare and prescription drug prices, however, Project 2025 explicitly calls for changes that could be devastating for seniors. We chatted with our senior legislative representative, Maria Freese, about the implications of Project 2025 for older Americans.
Our Debate Takeaway: Trump’s Lies Undermine Seniors’ Earned Benefits
As seniors’ advocates, it is not our job to parse Joe Biden’s debate performance. It’s our job to tell Americans in straight talk who is telling the truth about Social Security and Medicare — and who will protect them as president. In last night’s debate, Donald Trump repeatedly spread disinformation about seniors’ earned benefits, while President Biden’s statements were consistent with the truth — and with his record in office of defending both programs.
House Budget Cmte. Holds Hearing on Social Security Trustees Report
Ranking Committee Member Brendan Boyle (D-PA) Republicans and Democrats clearly had different takeaways from the recent Social
National Committee Backs Biden; Campaign Launches Seniors For Biden-Harris
For only the second time in our history, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare is endorsing a candidate for President of the United States. And for the second time, that candidate is Joe Biden. NCPSSM broke precedent in 2020 because we believed Joe Biden would fight for America’s seniors --- and protect Social Security and Medicare. We did not trust Donald Trump to safeguard either program or to uphold other cherished American institutions. Four years later, those beliefs have been validated beyond dispute.
Dem/GOP Split on Social Security Apparent in Hill Hearing
The House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee held a hearing about the program's trustees' projection that the Social Security trust fund will become depleted in 2035, absent Congressional action. Even so, Social Security still could pay 83% of scheduled benefits at that time. No one wants Congressional inaction, but the hearing emphasized the difference in the two parties' approaches to the problem.
House GOP Appropriators Announce 10% Cut in Labor/HHS Spending
House Republicans once again are showing where their true priorities lie. Appropriations committee chair Tom Cole (R-OK) announced the GOP’s topline numbers for fiscal year 2025 --- including at least a 10% cut in funding for Labor/HHS (Health & Human Services). That could mean agencies like the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would endure a huge spending cut, while Republican appropriators propose to boost military spending by 1%.
