If you didn't find what you were looking for, try a new search!
While it’s true that a runoff win by Senator Raphael Warnock would give the Democrats a 51-50 majority, there is more at stake for Georgia voters – especially seniors. They need Senator Warnock to remain in the Senate to fight for their vital Social Security and Medicare benefits – and to continue advocating for lower prescription drug prices.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who declared Thursday that she will not seek a leadership position in the next Congress, has been lauded as a master of legislative procedure, a unifier of her caucus, a skilled tactician – and as someone who broke the “marble ceiling” for women in the halls of Congress.
As the midterm campaign draws to a close with the future of Social Security and Medicare possibly at stake, NCPSSM has been completing its final round of candidate endorsement events around the country. Today in Charlotte, North Carolina, NCPSSM legislative director and PAC coordinator Dan Adcock formally endorsed Democrat Cheri Beasley for U.S. Senate in one of the pivotal swing state races of this election cycle.
It is no exaggeration to say that the nation's two most important programs for seniors—Social Security and Medicare—are on the line in this November's elections. This is not a matter of nuance; it's truly existential. Whichever party controls Congress will influence whether Social Security and Medicare will continue as we know them—or be weakened and privatized.
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.
“Now is not the time to turn our backs on seniors by cutting Social Security and Medicare!” declared Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
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
News of a deal between Senators Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer for a broader reconciliation package including climate, inflation, and prescription
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.
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 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
We have been sounding alarm bells for many years about Medicare Advantage (MA), the privately-run health plans for seniors that are growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional Medicare. This week, an eye-opening report by the Inspector General’s office at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed some key criticisms by the National Committee and other seniors’ advocates - namely, that MA plans are denying legitimate claims and refusing to authorize reasonable medical procedures.
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.
Classic movie star Mae West famously said, “Getting old isn't for the faint of heart.” Most older people probably know what she means. Of course, aging can also be a rewarding time of pursuing hobbies and interests, travel and discovery, and enjoying grandchildren, among other things. But the "not for the faint of heart" part rings particularly true when it comes to participating in our senior health care system
The federal law providing seniors with nutritional services turns half a century old today. In 1972, the Congregate Meals program was added to the Older Americans Act (OAA) providing seniors in need with food in community settings.
Seniors on Medicare soon won't have to pay for over-the-counter COVID test kits, thanks to a rule change from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS announced Wednesday that Medicare will begin covering the cost of home kits sold at pharmacies and other retailers starting in early spring.
In 2019, the state of Washington plunged headlong into the treacherous waters of public long-term care insurance with WA Cares – the first comprehensive program of its kind in the country. WA Cares was born out of the realization that most seniors will need some form of long term-care at some point in their lives.
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.
We and other seniors' advocates cheered President Biden's Build Back Better plan, which called for adding dental, vision, and hearing coverage to Medicare. That plan is having a difficult birth in Congress, as moderate and Progressive Democrats wrangle over the plan's size and scope.
Lost in much of the coverage is the actual intent of the budget resolution – to lift-up vulnerable Americans during very trying times, especially the nation’s seniors.
On this day in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare (and Medicaid) into law, providing hundreds of millions of Americans
National Committee president and CEO Max Richtman recently urged in Common Dreams that we rebuild America’s middle class after decades of
There appears to be new momentum on Capitol Hill for expanding Medicare. The most urgent expansion is adding dental, hearing, and
photo by Greg Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons President Biden’s $6 trillion budget proposal for 2022 demonstrates a bold commitment
The nation’s pre-eminent coalition representing older Americans supports President Biden’s American Jobs Plan “as a bold step in the right direction