Congress

The Worldwide Debate Over Raising The Retirement Age

In the U.S., some Republican lawmakers are proposing  to raise the age of eligibility for full Social Security benefits, provoking withering criticism from President Biden and many Democrats. But the debate over when government should begin paying retirement benefits isn’t just a controversy here. It is happening all over the world. French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed gradually raising the [...]

By |2023-03-15T11:20:25-04:00March 15th, 2023|Social Security|0 Comments

What Will The Mid-Term Elections Mean For Seniors And Their Families?

What will last Tuesday’s election mean for older adults and their families? A slim Democratic majority in the Senate combined with what is likely to be narrow Republican control of the House likely means no new legislative initiatives will pass Congress in 2023. The Biden Administration’s ambitious plan to support frail older adults and their families is dead, at least [...]

By |2022-11-16T10:42:53-05:00November 16th, 2022|Federal senior services programs|0 Comments

Even After Covid, Could Congress Ignore The Long-Term Care Needs Of Older Adults?

Is it possible that Congress will do nothing to improve long-term services and supports for older adults and younger people with disabilities or assist their families? Even after 603,000 people over age 65 were killed by Covid-19 in the past two years. Yes, it is possible. The House version of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan included many provisions aimed [...]

By |2022-01-03T12:29:47-05:00January 3rd, 2022|long term care reform|0 Comments

Why Won’t Congress Ease Medicare Enrollment For Those Not Yet Taking Social Security?

You are turning 65. But-- like 40 percent of other 65-year-olds-- you have not yet claimed your Social Security benefits. For many older adults, that choice makes good financial sense. Except for one problem: You may find yourself getting hit with big penalties for failing to enroll in Medicare.  Why? Because you probably didn’t know you had to. Congress could [...]

By |2020-01-10T09:36:19-05:00January 10th, 2020|Medicare|11 Comments

What The New Congress Will Mean For Medicare And Other Issues For Older Adults

After the new Congress is sworn in next January it may address several issues that directly affect the well-being of older adults as well as younger people with disabilities. The House, which will be controlled by Democrats, and the Senate, still run by Republicans, will have very different perspectives on these issues but both chambers are likely to confront the [...]

By |2018-11-26T13:00:07-05:00November 26th, 2018|long term care reform, Medicare|0 Comments

A Constitutional Amendment To Cut Benefits For Old and Sick People

The House is scheduled to vote tomorrow on a constitutional amendment to require the federal government to balance its budget every year. Lawmakers would be more honest if they just called it a Constitutional Amendment To Cut Benefits For Old People. Because that’s who’d likely bear the brunt of the spending cuts needed to comply with such a balanced budget [...]

By |2018-04-11T15:18:37-04:00April 11th, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments

What the Trump Budget Would Mean For Seniors

While most proposals in President Trump’s newly released 2019 budget are unlikely to become law, the fiscal framework does show the White House’s priorities for government over the coming year. And those apparently don’t include support for older adults, younger people with disabilities, or their families. For example, the budget would: Restructure the Medicare drug benefit to reduce costs for [...]

By |2018-02-14T10:42:20-05:00February 14th, 2018|Federal senior services programs, Medicare|2 Comments

Congress Should Not Kill End-Of-Life Talks Just As Physicians And Patients Are Having Them

We may be about to have a new debate over “death panels.” If we do, it would be a tragedy for tens of millions of Americans and their families. You may remember this small piece of the Affordable Care Act that garnered outsized attention back in 2010. It allowed Medicare to pay physicians for having end-of-life conversations with their patients. [...]

By |2017-03-02T09:33:41-05:00March 2nd, 2017|End of life, Medicare|0 Comments

Should Drugmakers Be Allowed To Avoid Taxes On Their Profits From An Alzheimer’s Drug?

In one of the worst ideas I’ve heard in a long time, two congressmen have introduced a bill to make profits from the sale of certain anti-Alzheimer’s drugs tax free for seven years.  The measure, sponsored by representatives Patrick Murphy (D-FL) and Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA), may be well-intentioned, but it would provide a multi-billion dollar windfall to pharmaceutical companies. There [...]

By |2016-07-08T12:25:35-04:00July 8th, 2016|dementia|0 Comments

Hill Republicans Won’t Try To Restructure Medicare—Yet

Congressional Republicans agreed to a non-binding budget framework yesterday that would slow projected growth of Medicare, but not completely restructure the program as the House GOP wanted. House Republicans tried to use the budget process to fundamentally rewrite Medicare, turning it from an open-ended entitlement program to a model known as premium support. But the move was blocked by Senate [...]

By |2015-04-30T09:16:41-04:00April 30th, 2015|Medicare|0 Comments