News
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Video Notch Reform
Sources: "Crackdown Proposed To Prevent Illegal Immigrants From Obtaining Medicare," Robert Pear, The New York Times, March 3, 201"Medicare Improperly Paid Providers Millions Of Dollars For Unlawfully Present Beneficiaries," Daniel R. Levinson, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General January 2013. .In addition to ensuring that we insulate seniors from fraud, we must support older Americans seeking to remain an active part of the workforce. Earlier this year, I worked with Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) to introduce the Empowering Encore Entrepreneurs Act to create job opportunities for seniors who have not yet reached retirement but possess years of business experience. My bipartisan bill will expand successful collaborative efforts between AARP and the Small Business Administration that offer mentoring and training to people over age 50 seeking to expand or start a small business. Older workers, once unemployed, are more likely than others to remain unemployed, which is why we need to revitalize our economy by supporting those who found themselves out of a job before retirement. .And then it added this, "In fact, the study found that some patients who see increased drug prices will indiscriminately cut back on all drugs—regardless of how impactful those drugs are on their health. … Continued
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Congress Still Cant Get Its Work Done
This week, the House of Representatives was scheduled to consider legislation which would repeal the health care reform law. However, due to the tragic shooting in Arizona over the weekend—which left six people dead, eleven wounded, and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) clinging to life—the House schedule was cleared. .— who have no Medicare supplement through a former employer. .While most people have rebounded, too many mature workers are still struggling to find work, much less a good-paying job. According to a survey by AARP, half of mature workers who experienced unemployment between 2010-2014 were still looking for work five years later. … Continued
To see if your Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings during the spring recess, click HERE or call their local offices. You can find contact information HERE. .According to information from the Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit organization that provides Medicare counseling and educational programs, when you notify a Medicare Advantage plan after the move, then your mom's Special Enrollment Period begins the month you tell her plan, plus two more full months thereafter. .Last month, I reintroduced our resolution with modifications to address the changes in these scams. Congress should not only pass legislation to prevent the scams from happening, but also to improve protections for seniors from these incidents in light of the new challenges in this pandemic. .On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee held a hearing on the state of the Social Security program's information technology (IT). Lawmakers on the subcommittee heard from three expert witnesses, including Rajive Mathur, Chief Information Officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA). .For 80 years, Social Security has successfully kept millions of seniors who can no longer work out of poverty, as well as millions of disabled adults and children of deceased or disabled parents. About two-thirds of beneficiaries depend on Social Security for more than half of their income, and around one-third depend on Social Security for almost all of their income. .At the time of writing this week's legislative update, the bill had not yet been approved on the House floor. However, its passage is expected by early next week. Despite bipartisan support in the House, its prospects in the Senate remain uncertain. Lawmakers in that chamber have not yet acted on their version of the bill (S. 141). .The changes closed two claiming tactics known as "file and suspend" and "restricted application for spousal benefits." The claiming strategies have made it possible for both members of a couple who are 66 or older to delay claiming Social Security based on their own earnings records, in order to increase payments, while at the same time one spouse receives a spousal benefit. Alicia Munnell of The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College estimates the changes would save .5 billion per year — a potential cost that would grow over time. .Second, four new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 915, H.R. 1205), bringing the cosponsor total up to twenty-seven in the Senate and 190 in the House. The new cosponsors are: Senator Patty Murray (WA), Senator Tom Udall (NM), Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), and Representative Vicky Hartzler (MO-4). If adopted, the Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – two provisions that unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, police officers, and other state and local government employees each year. .Members of the committee questioned several witnesses at Thursday's hearing, including Dr. Janet Woodcock (Director at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration), Nancy Retzlaff (Chief Commercial Officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals), and Martin Shkreli (founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals).