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 Manchin has once again withdrawn his support - not for the entire plan, but for key components that would have helped seniors.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.
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.
House Members Urge CMS to Expand Medicare Dental Coverage
More than 100 members of the U.S. House have sent a letter to the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in an effort to expand Medicare dental coverage. (Traditional Medicare only covers “medically necessary” dental care in a narrowly defined way that excludes not only routine care, but many illness-related treatments.) The members implored CMS administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to broaden the definition of “medically necessary” to cover many more types of dental care.
Upcoming Celebration Event
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin a laoreet magna, nec interdum nibh. Aliquam at lacinia arcu. Fusce vulputate mauris quis eros efficitur vehicula. Sed eget volutpat ipsum. Duis eget dui facilisis, interdum sapien a, rhoncus dolor. Sed pulvinar risus vel metus blandit, non consequat risus rhoncus.