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The National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN) is dedicated to senior Americans over age 50. Two million of us welcome you to our website and urge you to share www.nrln.org in emails, with your Facebook Friends and your Twitter Followers. We provide timely news, important information and tools that enable you to help us lobby Congress for reliable pension and Social Security Income and lower cost Health Care Benefits and Medicare. There are over 50 million of us over age 65 now, our children will join 75 million by 2035, and our great grandkids 100 million by 2060. We need to help each other now and they need us to insure their futures NOW!
The NRLN recently created the American Retirees Education Foundation (AREF) with a mission is to research, educate and inform retirees, future retirees and the general public on how best to protect and promote retirement income security and retiree health care. Donations to AREF are tax deductible. Learn more about AREF, at www.SeniorsAREF.org.
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The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate are back on Capitol Hill after another legislative break from doing the “people’s business” in Washington, DC. The Easter / Passover break began on March 23 and the legislators returned to Capitol Hill on April 9. The House is schedule to be in session 133 days this year. The Senate is scheduled to be in session 54 more days than their colleagues across the Capitol Rotunda.
With 2018 being a midterm election year Representatives are expected to be back in their home districts about four weeks prior to Election Day, Nov. 6. The Senate plans to recess for two weeks around the midterm Election Day.
When Congress is in session there has been constant partisan fighting. It is understandable that a poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center released Feb. 26 found that 85 percent of Americans, including 89 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans, disapprove of the job Congress is doing. In addition, only about 2 in 10 said they think Congress pays much attention to their own constituents or Americans as a whole, or even give much consideration to the best interests of those people. Instead, most said Congress does listen to lobbyists, donors and the wealthy.
NRLN Spring Conference Caught Congress in Session
Since Congress is in session so few days in a year and the NRLN must schedule its meetings in Washington, DC around a year in advance to get a competitive room rate, we were fortunate that Representatives and Senators were on Capitol Hill during our annual spring Leadership Conference on March 12-14. While the leaders of the NRLN, retiree associations and chapters don’t always get to meet with their Representatives and Senators, we believe the information we provide to their staff members has a better chance of getting to the lawmakers if they are on Capitol Hill at the time of our meetings. (Our 2018 fall fly-in will be Sept. 10-12.)
A brief report about the conference is posted on the NRLN website at www.nrln.org in the center column. There are links to videos that Alyson Parker, NRLN Executive Director, and I recorded while in Washington, DC and photos taken at a number of the attendees’ appointments on Capitol Hill. Also, there is a link to my PowerPoint slides presented at our Monday afternoon briefing session. A detailed report on the conference will be in the upcoming spring issue of the NRLN FOCUS newsletter.
Importance of NRLN’s Washington Meetings
The leaders of the NRLN retiree associations and chapters who attend the NRLN’s spring and fall meetings in Washington, DC recognize the importance of communicating the NRLN’s legislative agenda to members of Congress, staffs and federal agency officials and at times they address an agenda related to their organization’s specific interests. Here are two examples.
PBGC Staff Addresses Takeover of Avaya Salaried Pension
During our March conference, in addition to having two officials from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation as presenters on our Monday afternoon program, four other PBGC officials attended with the specific objective to have a dialogue with Vern Larson, President, NRLN Avaya Retirees Chapter. In a side meeting the PBGC staff members answered many questions about the process of the PBGC taking over the Avaya Salaried Pension Plan that was terminated in the Avaya bankruptcy procedures. Afterward, Vern emailed a detailed message to Avaya salaried retirees on what actions the PBGC will be taking in the coming weeks.
Contacts in Washington Important to TVA Retirees
At the NRLN fall fly-in last September, Barry Gore represented the NRLN Tennessee Valley Authority Retirees Chapter (TVA Retirees Coalition) as he discussed with the Tennessee Congressional delegation the $6 billion in unfunded liabilities of the TVA pension plan. And, pointed out there is no serious plan by TVA to close that gap in a time frame that is consistent with either Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or with the Employee Retiree Income Security Act (ERISA) funding requirements that apply to the private sector. (The Tennessee Valley Authority was formed in 1933 as a corporate agency of the United States government to build dams, power generation facilities and transmission lines to provide electricity for businesses and local power companies.) After the fly-in Barry sent a report to TVA members. The report was followed up with two NRLN Action Alerts for TVA retirees and NRLN members in the TVA’s seven states requesting they send letters to Representatives and Senators on the pension underfunding issue.
Those contacts made in the Tennessee lawmakers’ offices could become even more important to TVA Retirees. President Donald Trump has proposed the sale of TVA’s transmission lines to help fund his $1.5 trillion infrastructure program. “The private sector is best suited to own and operate electricity transmission assets,” the administration wrote in a recent budget proposal. “Eliminating the federal government’s own role in owning and operating transmission assets encourages a more efficient allocation of economic resources and mitigates unnecessary risk to taxpayers.”
A March 1 Forbes article carried the headline: Investor-Owned Utilities Salivate Over Trump's Idea to Splinter TVA. The article noted that private utilities would love to get a piece of TVA, not just because TVA has valued assets but also because those private entities compete with TVA for limited capital. In other words, federally-backed utilities are perceived as less risky and may offer cheaper bond rates as a result.
NRLN’s Efforts with Facebook and Twitter
If you have a Facebook and/or Twitter account, I urge you to become a “Friend” of www.facebook.com/nrln1 and “Share” our page with your “Friends”. Also, become a “Follower” of www.twitter.com/nrln3. The NRLN is making a concerted effort to extended its reach to retirees and future retirees through the use of social media.
We believe our brief messages posted on Facebook regarding pensions, health care, prescription drugs, Congress’ and the Administration’s actions—or the lack of actions—have information that is important for Americans ages 50 and older to read.
Mailing of Free New Medicare Cards
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun this month the yearlong process of mailing of new Medicare identification cards to 59 million beneficiaries. The cards, which are free, has a randomly assigned 11-digit number instead of your Social Security number. The intent of the removal of the Social Security number is to help prevent identity theft.
The April to June Medicare card mailings include Middle Atlantic states such as Delaware and Maryland and western states such as California and Oregon, plus Pacific territories. After June, CMS will roll out mailings to five more geographic areas. Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, and some other states/territories, will be in the last group to receive the new Medicare card. This schedule is subject to change so check www.medicare.gov website for updates. The old cards will still be valid for a year or more.
In a new scam, a caller posing as a Medicare representative asks for payment for the new ID card. Medicare will never call you uninvited and ask you for personal information or for money to get your new Medicare card. If you suspect Medicare fraud, call 800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227 - TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048).
NRLN Provides New “Report Card” Feature on Members of Congress
NRLN has introduced a “report card” for each state that shows whether the U.S. Representatives and Senators have supported bills in Congress advocated by the NRLN. Read all about it here.
Click here to read the spring 2018 NRLN FOCUS Newsletter. (Adobe® Reader® is required to view the newsletter. If you do not have this software on your computer click here for free download).
Click on the videos by Kadereit and Parker recorded in Washington.
Click here to view the NRLN President’s presentation.
Click here to view photos from appointments on Capitol Hill.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is undermining traditional Medicare. CMS is incentivizing insurance companies that receive billions in taxpayer subsidies for Medicare Advantage plans to compete with traditional Medicare Part A and B. No action is expected in Congress this year to try to privatize Medicare, but neither has there been any opposition in Congress to CVS paying subsidies to Medicare Advantage insurers and allowing additional benefits to lure those age 65 and older into Medicare Advantage and away from traditional Medicare. However, the CMS subsidies of 2.95% in 2018 and 3.4% in 2019 are effectively creating a “premium support” plan and thus privatization.
Click here https://www.nrln.org/SE.html#/70 to email the NRLN’s sample letter to President Trump, your Representative and Senators to urge them to place a priority on traditional Medicare beneficiaries, not insurance companies who use Medicare Advantage as a “cash cow” and want even larger subsidies offered by a Medicare “premium support” plan.
HAPPENINGS ON THE HILL
March 2018The Joint Select Committee on Solvency of Multi Employer Pension Plans is now up and running and they expect to have their first hearing in April. Outside coalitions and Democrats on the Hill are coalescing around the Butch Lewis Act, which is named after the former President of Teamster Local 100 and a major leader to save the Teamster pensions. The Butch Lewis Act proposal allows pension plans to borrow money to shore up their pension plans. Of course, the process is just beginning so there will be many different proposals considered. We are participating in Hill meetings with industry will ensure that our interests our protected.
House members on the Committee are: Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Phil Roe (R-TN), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), David Schweikert (R-AZ), Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Debbie Dingell (D-MI). Senators on the Committee are: Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Michael Crapo (R-ID), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Rob Portman (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Tina Smith (D-MN).
Prescription drug prices continue to receive a lot of attention on the Hill. The NRLN has been advocating passage of the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (“CREATES”) Act. Senator Grassley and Congressman Marino have been actively pushing for the CREATES Act to be attached to moving legislation. The CREATES Act aims to end the maneuvering used by brand name drug companies to keep generic drugs off the market. The CREATES Act enjoys bipartisan support by senior Senators and Representatives.
Additionally, on March 19 President Trump promised an announcement within a month setting forth a plan to bring down prescription drug prices. The FDA Commissioner also has promised speeding up new drug approvals which will bring down prescription drug prices. We continue to have meetings to advocate for more action on this issue. The steps set forth above will help, but we would still like to see legislation implementing importation from Canada and permitting Medicare to negotiate drug prices passed.
The Senate passed with bipartisan support H.R. 4547, the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018. This legislation strengthens the representative payee program to better protect those Social Security beneficiaries who are unable to manage their benefits on their own. The bill is now headed to the President for his signature.
The NRLN is sharing two articles with important Medicare information that were recently published in the AUSWR CO/WY Retiree Guardian and the NWB – U S WEST – Qwest Retiree Association Retiree Guardian. Both Newsletters are published for retirees of CenturyLink, Qwest, U S WEST and their predecessor companies. Click here to access the articles.
Grassroots advocates of the NRLN retiree associations and chapters will meet in Washington, DC with members of Congress and their staffs during the fall Fly-In Monday, Sept.10 through Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018.
The Holiday Inn Capitol Hotel, at 550 C Street SW, Washington, DC, was selected again for its very competitive nightly room rate and being near Capitol Hill. The room rate for the Sept. meeting is $279 per night. This rate is subject to additional tax and fees.
The Fly-In will begin on Monday afternoon with a session at the hotel. Attendees will spend the entire day of Tuesday and part of Wednesday meeting with their Representatives, Senators and members of their staffs.
The fall Fly-In is open to all NRLN grassroots advocates. Advocates who are affiliated with a retiree association or chapter should notify the president of their organization if they are interested in attending.
Presidents of retiree associations and chapters affiliated with the NRLN are encouraged to solicit as many of their Grassroots State and Congressional District leaders as possible to attend the Fly-In. The sooner the NRLN is notified of intentions to attend the meetings the better it will be for the NRLN to make plans for the meetings. Email intentions to attend and/or questions to contact@nrln.org.
Please Take the NRLN Survey so we can learn your needs on retirement issues. Survey responses are kept anonymous and confidential. Survey results (no personal information) will be emailed to those who take the survey. This survey is intended for website visitors and individuals who have recently signed up to receive NRLN emails. Current NRLN retiree associations and chapters members should not participate in this survey. You will be able to provide your input in the NRLN’s Future Directions survey to be conducted again in 2018.
NRLN members are saving big with the Free Health Savings Rx Card℠
The NRLN has arranged to offer you a Health Savings Rx Card™, at NO COST, that offers you and your family savings on prescription drugs, plus vision and hearing services and products.Click here to access the Rx Savings Card℠ website.If you do not already have a Health Savings Rx Card℠ you will need to create your personal login and then printout your free card. Savings information for prescription drugs, vision and hearing services and products is available through the links under the Savings Plus tab.
AmazonSmile Program to Benefit the
American Retirees Education Program (AREF)The National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN) board created the American Retiree Education Foundation (AREF) in 2014 as a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible, nonprofit education foundation to expand the research and educational reach of the NRLN and to enable NRLN to sharpen its focus as an organization lobbying for the passage of federal legislation and regulations that benefit retirees.
The AREF is always seeking ways to increase its funding through individual tax-deductible contributions, grants from public and private foundations, individual tax-deductible bequests and non-traditional ways. AREF funds pay for a number of tasks previously paid for by the NRLN. For example, the updating this month of the white paper on Protecting Pension Assets which is used to educate members of Congress on the need for legislation to prevent pension plan sponsors from using plan assets for non-pension expenses. Access the white paper here.
The AREF has identified a non-traditional way that you can help fund the AREF without costing you anything extra if (when) you make a purchase online from Amazon through its AmazonSmile program designed to provide a percentage of a purchase price to qualified non-profit organizations, such as the AREF. I urge you to read the following information and help provide funding to the AREF should you make an Amazon purchase. Click here to learn more about AmazonSmile.
The articles and opinion pieces below are for information and are not necessarily a reflection of the NRLN’s position on issues. The NRLN is nonpartisan and its positions on retirement issues are presented in its Legislative Agenda and white papers that can be accessed from the Legislative Agenda tab.
GOP Candidates Shy Away From Once-Favorite ‘Repeal And Replace’ Talking Point
From KHN Morning Briefing; Kaiser Health News ~ Apr 16, 2018
Opinion: Both parties have a plan for the debt crisis: Do nothing
By Robert J. Samuelson; The Washington Post ~ Apr 15, 2018
How Much Should Insurance Companies Know About The Things They Insure?
From Enrique Dans; Forbes ~ Apr 16, 2018
Amazon drops plan to become a major pharmaceutical distributor: 7 things to know
By Alia Paavola; Becker’s Hospital Review ~ Apr 16, 2018
Top Tax-Advantaged Investing Alternatives Beyond Company 401(k) Plans
From Kyle Brownlee; Forbes ~ Apr 16, 2018
Trump to give speech on lowering drug prices this month
By Peter Sullivan; The Hill ~ Apr 16, 2018
Ryan: Trillion-dollar deficits were inevitable
By Alexander Bolton; The Hill ~ Apr 15, 2018
Canadian pharmacy fined $34 million for importing counterfeit drugs into U.S.
By Luis Sanchez; The Hill ~ Apr 14, 2018
How To Track Down That Lost 401(k) Or Pension
From David Rae; Forbes ~ Apr 15, 2018
Opinion: Congress must act to ensure access to air medical services
From Reps. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) & Raul Ruiz (D-Calif; The Hill ~ Apr 13, 2018
Top House, Senate Dems warn administration on short-term insurance
By Nathaniel Weixel; The Hill ~ Apr 13, 2018
House fails to advance a balanced budget amendment to counter high spending levels
By Eliza Collins; USA TODAY ~ Apr 13, 2018
Medicare spending projected to climb 7 percent annually after this year, says Congressional Budget Office
By Jeff Lagasse; Healthcare Finance ~ Apr 12, 2018
Study: Tax refunds used to pay for healthcare
By Allen Cone; United Press International ~ Apr 12, 2018
How are Americans importing more affordable medications?
By Gabriel Levitt, PharmacyChecker.com – Apr 12, 2018
Does House Speaker Paul Ryan's retirement signal a blue wave in the fall?
By Nicole Gaudiano & Eliza Collins, ; USA TODAY ~ Apr 11, 2018
Sadly, fiscal restraint is no longer a core principle of the GOP
From Chris Edwards; The Hill ~ Apr 11, 2018
Opinion: A Constitutional Amendment To Cut Benefits For Old And Sick People
From Howard Gleckman; Forbes ~ Apr 11, 2018
Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-election in November
By Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, NY Times – April 11, 2018
Why We May Lose Generic Drugs
By Cynthia Koons; Bloomberg ~ Apr 11, 2018
House panel approves bipartisan bills aimed at improving the IRS
By Naomi Jagoda; The Hill ~ Apr 11, 2018
Can You Hear Me Now? Senate Bill On Hearing Aids May Make The Answer ‘Yes’
By Michelle Andrews; Kaiser Health News ~ Apr 10, 2018
Like it or not, annuities are coming to retirement plans
InvestmentNews ~ Apr 07, 2018
Administration Relaxes Essential Benefits Regulations, Creates New Mandate Exemptions
From KHN Morning Briefing; Kaiser Health News ~ Apr 10, 2018
Opinion: Limiting patient choice is the wrong way to address high drug prices
From David I. Daikh & Ralph L. Sacco; The Hill ~ Apr 10, 2018
Eight Tax Goofs To Avoid
By Kelly Phillips Erb; Forbes ~ Apr 10, 2018
Avoiding The 5 Greatest Threats To Your Retirement Security
From Bob Carlson; Forbes ~ Apr 10, 2018
Opinion: Avoid these 7 exercises if you’re over 50
From Linda Melone; MarketWatch ~ Apr 10, 2018
CBO Sees $804 Billion 2018 Deficit, $1 Trillion Gap By 2020
By Paul Krawzak; Roll Call ~ Apr 09, 2018
Opinion: Respect For Our Seniors? Let's Put Our Money Where Our Mouths Are
From Bart Astor; Forbes ~ Apr 09, 2018
Primary Care Doctors Being Pushed To Brink Of Extinction By Mega Mergers And Urgent Care Clinics
From KHN Morning Briefing; Kaiser Health News ~ Apr 09, 2018
GOP looks to reduce spending after hearing criticism back home
By Melanie Zanona; The Hill ~ Apr 09, 2018
State solutions to bring down drug prices face steep resistance from drug industry
By Paige Minemyer; FierceHealthcare ~ Apr 09, 2018
Opinion: For Uber And Lyft, Medicare Could Be The Next Profitable Ride
From Bruce Japsen; Forbes ~ Apr 08, 2018
Ask these questions to avoid hiring a bad (or unethical) financial adviser
By Alessandra Malito; MarketWatch ~ Apr 08, 2018
A debt crisis is coming. But don’t blame entitlements.
By Martin Neil Baily, Jason Furman, Alan B. Krueger, Laura D'Andrea Tyson & Janet L. Yellen ; The Washington Post ~ Apr 08, 2018
Facebook's Medical Research Project Shows It Just Doesn't Understand Consent
From Kalev Leetaru; Forbes ~ Apr 06, 2018
Azar taps Landmark Health CEO Adam Boehler as CMS' innovation chief
By Tina Reed; FierceHealthcare ~ Apr 06, 2018
U.S. Medicare sets outpatient rate for Yescarta reimbursement
By Deena Beasley; Reuters ~ Apr 06, 2018
Democrats Spurred To Run By GOP Health Law Attacks Plan To Go On Offense During Midterms
From KHN Morning Briefing; Kaiser Health News ~ Apr 06, 2018
The 8 Challenges Of Aging
From Katy Fike; Forbes ~ Apr 06, 2018
Could You Be Saving Too Much For Retirement?
From Bob Carlson; Forbes ~ Apr 06, 2018
What ACA enrollment numbers do, and don't, show
By Dan Diamond; Politico ~ Apr 04, 2018
Premiums shoot up, but many are paying less for ‘Obamacare’
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar; The Associated Press ~ Apr 03, 2018
Opinion: The Real Reason the Investor Class Hates Pensions
By David Webber; The New York Times ~ Apr 04, 2018
How Trump's New Medicare Rules Boost Amazon And Walmart
From Bruce Japsen; Forbes ~ Apr 05, 2018
Timeline: Despite GOP’s Failure To Repeal Obamacare, The ACA Has Changed
By Julie Rovner; Kaiser Health News ~ Apr 05, 2018
Alexa.......What is HIPAA?
By Kristen Andrews Wilson; The National Law Review ~ Apr 05, 2018
Boomers And Gen Xers Skipping Health Care Due To Cost
From Richard Eisenberg; Forbes ~ Mar 27, 2018
People think Obamacare is failing, but they want it anyway
From Jennifer Rubin; The Washington Post ~ Apr 03, 2018
Medicare Advantage Plans Cleared To Go Beyond Medical Coverage — Even Groceries
By Susan Jaffe; Kaiser Health News ~ Apr 03, 2018
Here's Why Your 401(k) May Be An Ugly Duckling Right Now
From Robert Laura; Forbes ~ Apr 03, 2018
Walmart eyes Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in Humana talks
By Brittany De Lea; Fox Business ~ Apr 02, 2018
How Startup Parachute Health Is Bringing E-Commerce To Your Crutches
By Michela Tindera; Forbes ~ Apr 02, 2018
Retirees will face tough decisions with reverse mortgages
From Liz Weston; MarketWatch ~ Apr 02, 2018
Trump administration aims to lower drug prices for seniors
By Tami Luhby; CNNMoney ~ Apr 02, 2018
Older Americans Are Hooked On Vitamins Despite Scarce Evidence They Work
By Liz Szabo; Kaiser Health News ~ Apr 04, 2018
Ubi Est Mea?" And Social Security Spending
From Elizabeth Bauer; Forbes ~ Apr 01, 2018
April is Financial Literacy Month - Why Financial Wellness Matters
From Mark Avallone; Forbes ~ Mar 31, 2018
U.S. Tax Deadline: IRS Refunds Over $180B, Provides Online Tools To Find Your Refund
From Roger Aitken; Forbes ~ Mar 31, 2018
10 Common Financial Myths That Should Be April Fool's Jokes
From Erik Carter; Forbes ~ Apr 01, 2018
How you’re tracked online _ and what you can do about it
By Anick Jesdanun; The Associated Press ~ Mar 31, 2018
21 Unvarnished Truths About Retirement
From Jonathan Look, NA; Forbes ~ Apr 01, 2018
Drug industry, opponents ratchet up their attacks with eye on HHS
By Robert King; The Washington Examiner ~ Mar 31, 2018
Opinion: Our willful ignorance on drug prices
From Benedic Ippolito; The Hill ~ Mar 30, 2018
If Walmart Buys Humana, Retailer Taps Booming Medicare Market Of Seniors
From Bruce Japsen; Forbes ~ Mar 30, 2018
Many Americans Try Retirement, Then Change Their Minds
By Paula Span; The New York Times ~ Mar 30, 2018
Death Notice Double-Cross
By Sid Kirchheimer, AARP Bulletin – March 2018
Walmart in early talks to buy Humana: report
By John Bowden; The Hill ~ Mar 30, 2018
Opinion: The Call For Drug-Price Transparency Is Growing Louder -- But Will It Matter?
From Arlene Weintraub; Forbes ~ Mar 30, 2018
Poll: Americans fear crippling medical bills more than getting sick
From HealthDay News; United Press International ~ Mar 29, 2018
Opinion: Fix 340B drug discount program to increase patient access to treatment
From Bryan Nyquist; The Hill ~ Mar 29, 2018
Millennials explain why they have nothing saved for retirement
By Katie Lobosco; CNNMoney ~ Mar 29, 2018
10 Ways To Simplify Your Financial Life
From Bob Carlson; Forbes ~ Mar 29, 2018
In Battle To Cut Drug Prices, Outcome-Based Pricing Carries Big Risks For Biopharma
From John LaMattina; Forbes ~ Mar 28, 2018
Can Americans Afford To Be Old?
From Teresa Ghilarducci; Forbes ~ Mar 28, 2018
Americans Haven’t Saved Enough for Retirement. What Are We Going to Do About It?
By Teresa Ghilarducci & Tony James; Harvard Business Review ~ Mar 28, 2018
Pharma Middlemen Have Targets On Their Backs
By Ellie Kincaid; Forbes ~ Mar 28, 2018
The 5 Ways Retirement Plans Are Most Likely To Go Off Track
From Bob Carlson; Forbes ~ Mar 28, 2018
Ending the biggest public health emergencies of our generation
From Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.); The Hill ~ Mar 27, 2018
Boomers And Gen Xers Skipping Health Care Due To Cost
From Richard Eisenberg; Forbes ~ Mar 27, 2018
U.S. Social Security funding should ease customer-service crisis
From Mark Miller; Reuters ~ Mar 27, 2018
Aetna Will Pass Along Discounts as Drug Price Scrutiny Increases
By Zachary Tracer; Bloomberg ~ Mar 27, 2018
Opinion: Under Trump and Azar, a better future for health care lies ahead
From Tim Rice; The Hill ~ Mar 26, 2018
Trump's Health Secretary Wants To Transform Healthcare. Can He?
From Avik Roy; Forbes ~ Mar 26, 2018
Opinion: Congress faces challenging times for American fiscal responsibility
By William Hoagland; The Hill ~ Mar 26, 2018
Benefits of lobbying evident for small drugmaker
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar & Richard Lardner; The Associated Press ~ Mar 24, 2018
Eroding Protection Under the Law for Older Americans
By Peter Gosselin, ProPublica – March 23, 2018
Poll: Both parties need to do more on drug prices
By Nathaniel Weixel; The Hill ~ Mar 23, 2018
Drug prices continue to climb despite barrage of criticism
By Angelica LaVito; CNBC ~ Mar 21, 2018
Trump’s Health Chief Wants to Change How Doctors Do Business
By John Tozzi; Bloomberg Businessweek ~ Mar 21, 2018
Why U.S. healthcare costs so much: High drug prices, doctor salaries and services
By Jeff Lagasse; Healthcare Finance ~ Mar 19, 2018
Trump says he is working to lower prescription drug prices
By Roberta Rampton; Reuters ~ Mar 19, 2018
Senate working on retirement savings package
By Hazel Bradford; Pensions & Investments ~ Mar 19, 2018
Pfizer CEO gets 61% pay raise—to $27.9 million—as drug prices continue to climb
By Beth Mole; Ars Techina ~ Mar 16, 2018
Bipartisan senators push for action on drug-pricing measure
By Peter Sullivan; The Hill ~ Mar 16, 2018
RESA retirement bill introduced in House
By Hazel Bradford; Pensions & Investments ~ Mar 15, 2018
FDA chief becomes point man on drug prices
By Nathaniel Weixel; The Hill ~ Mar 14, 2018
Healthcare: It's The Prices, Stupid. Isn't It?
By Ellie Kincaid; Forbes ~ Mar 13, 2018
Medicare drug prices soar at 10 times rate of inflation, report says
By Wayne Drash; CNN ~ Mar 26, 2018
More US adults at risk for heart attack, stroke: 4 study findings
By Megan Knowles; Becker’s Hospital Review ~ Mar 22, 2018
Nine tips for paying less for doctor visits, drugs and medical treatments
From “Consumer Reports”; The Washington Post ~ Mar 19, 2018
Be wary of Canada’s drug price controls and lack of IP protections
From Robert A. Freeman & D. Wayne Taylor; The Hill ~ Mar 19, 2018
Medicare Will Cover Genetic Cancer Testing, With Caveats
From Elaine Schattner; Forbes ~ Mar 16, 2018
An Early Look at Social Security's 2019 COLA
By Sean Williams; The Motley Fool ~ Mar 17, 2018
Federal court tosses out Obama-era rule requiring financial advisers to act in customers' best interests
By Lydia Wheeler; The Hill ~ Mar 16, 2018
Health Secretary Azar’s Surprisingly Revealing Speech
By Clifton Leaf; Fortune ~ Mar 12, 2018
Opinion: Elegy for the Pension Plan
From Elizabeth Bauer; Forbes ~ Mar 11, 2018
Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act is an upgrade Americans deserve
From Dirk Kempthorne; The Hill ~ Mar 11, 2018
Take Cover - It's Another Retirement Reform Proposal
From Elizabeth Bauer; Forbes ~ Mar 11, 2018
Single Payer Health Care Splits Democratic Base
By Todd Shepherd; The Washington Free Beacon ~ Mar 11, 2018
The days of the 'pharma bro' have come to an end — but we haven't made much progress on drug pricing
By Lydia Ramsey; Business Insider ~ Mar 10, 2018
Less than half of people with high cholesterol taking proper meds: Study
By Allen Cone; United Press International ~ Mar 26, 2018
Opinion: 5 Reasons To Avoid Banks For IRA Advice.
From Michael Chamberlain CFP(R); Forbes ~ Mar 23, 2018
Senators target 'gag clauses' that hide potential savings on prescriptions
By Jessie Hellmann; The Hill ~ Mar 15, 2018
Everything You Need To Know About The New Medicare Cards (But Beware Of Scams)
By Judith Graham; Kaiser Health News ~ Mar 15, 2018
Don’t fix Medicare Part D if it ain’t broke
From Jim Martin; The Hill ~ Mar 15, 2018
Older Americans will outnumber youths in just 17 years
By Reid Wilson; The Hill ~ Mar 15, 2018
Lifting Therapy Caps Is A Load Off Medicare Patients’ Shoulders
By Susan Jaffe; Kaiser Health News ~ Mar 14, 2018
Allegations of generic drug price fixing are troubling
From Robert Freeman; The Hill ~ Mar 13, 2018
New Law Broadens Chronic Care Through Medicare
From Emily Gurnon, NA; Forbes ~ Mar 13, 2018
In The War Against High Drug Prices, Some Patients Are Collateral Damage
By Matthew Herper; Forbes ~ Mar 12, 2018
Insurers Gobble Doctor Practices To Bolster Medicare Advantage Plans
From Bruce Japsen; Forbes ~ Mar 12, 2018
Insurers get into care, but is it good for your health?
By Tom Murphy; The Associated Press ~ Mar 09, 2018
Cigna-Express Scripts Merger QuickTake: The Beginning Of The End
From Erik Kobayashi-Solomon; Forbes ~ Mar 09, 2018
7 Ways to Judge a Retirement Community’s Financial Health
By Peter Finch; The New York Times ~ Mar 09, 2018
Cash rewards have modest health results for low-income families
By Allen Cone; United Press International ~ Mar 08, 2018
The Real Reason the Investor Class Hates Pensions
By David Webber; The New York Times ~ Mar 05, 2018
Cigna's $54 Billion Purchase Of Express Scripts Could Upend The Prescription Drug Market
By Matthew Herper; Forbes ~ Mar 08, 2018
23andMe can now test for BRCA mutations. Here's what you need to know.
By Sara Chodosh; Popular Science ~ Mar 08, 2018
GOP lawmaker meets with Ryan to push for drug pricing bill
By Peter Sullivan; The Hill ~ Mar 08, 2018
Premiums for ACA health insurance plans could jump 90 percent in three years
By Amy Goldstein; The Washington Post ~ Mar 08, 2018
Hospitals offer big bonuses, free housing and tuition to recruit nurses
By Parija Kavilanz; CNNMoney ~ Mar 08, 2018
Insurers' exclusion of disease treatments increases costs
From Seth Ginsberg; The Washington Examiner ~ Mar 08, 2018
Big banks still threaten the economy. But Congress is asleep at the wheel.
From Neel Kashkari; The Washington Post ~ Mar 08, 2018
Azar Emphasizes Administration’s Plan around Value-Based Care, Creation of “True Healthcare Market”
By Rajiv Leventhal; Healthcare Informatics ~ Mar 08, 2018
Amazon Isn’t the Only Retail Giant Trying to Remake Health Care
By Zachary Tracer; Bloomberg ~ Mar 08, 2018
The real problem with pensions
By “Buttonwood”; The Economist ~ Mar 07, 2018
White House Suggests Charging Older People More In Memo On How To Stabilize ACA Marketplaces
From KHN Morning Briefing; Kaiser Health News ~ Mar 07, 2018
Jeff Flake’s DACA bill gives ‘Dreamers’ Obamacare, CBO says
By Stephen Dinan; The Washington Times ~ Mar 07, 2018
House conservatives brace for ObamaCare payments in funding bill
By Peter Sullivan; The Hill ~ Mar 07, 2018
The Healthcare Conversation You Need To Have Now
By Ashlea Ebeling; Forbes ~ Mar 07, 2018
Probe Into Generic Drug Price Fixing Set To Widen
By Charles Lane; NPR ~ Mar 07, 2018
White House pitch to bolster Obamacare includes tough trade-offs for Democrats
By Paul Demko: Politico ~ Mar 06, 2018
Few older Americans think more tests, drugs are helpful
From HealthDay News; United Press International ~ Mar 06, 2018
UnitedHealthcare to pass drug rebates on to some customers
By Tom Murphy, AP: The Washington Post ~ Mar 06, 2018
11 tax deductions and other ways to cut your 2017 tax bill
By Jeanne Sahadi; CNNMoney ~ Mar 06, 2018
CMS Aims to Give Patients Access to Health Records
By Joyce Frieden; MedPage Today ~ Mar 06, 2018
Starting In April: New Medicare ID Cards
From Carol Levine, NA; Forbes ~ Mar 06, 2018
At New Health Office, ‘Civil Rights’ Means Doctors’ Right To Say No To Patients
By Emmarie Huetteman; Kaiser Health News ~ Mar 05, 2018
Minimally invasive surgeries underused with Medicare patients, study says
By Allen Cone; United Press International ~ Mar 05, 2018
Know the Risks When Using Uber Health, Lyft
By John Commin ; HealthLeaders Media ~ Mar 05, 2018
Lyft deal with Allscripts lets 180,000 doctors call rides for their patients
By Marco della Cava; USA TODAY ~ Mar 05, 2018
The Forbes 2018 Tax Guide
By Janet Novack; Forbes ~ Mar 05, 2018
Trump's health chief warns hospital execs about health care costs: 'Change is coming'
By Jessie Hellmann; The Hill ~ Mar 05, 2018
Why Millennials Should Care About Medicare Right Now
By Liz Weston, U.S. News – March 4, 2018
Senators Rally To Attack Skyrocketing Health Care Prices
From Robert Donachie; The Daily Caller ~ Mar 04, 2018
Opinion: Three doses of competition to reduce the soaring cost of health care
From George A. Nation III; The Hill ~ Mar 04, 2018
Getting Past The Shock: Your Aging Parent Has Dementia
From Carolyn Rosenblatt ; Forbes ~ Mar 04, 2018
Your Top 10 Objects Your Kids Don't Want
From Elizabeth Stewart, NA; Forbes ~ Mar 04, 2018
As Surgery Centers Boom, Patients Are Paying With Their Lives
By Christina Jewett & Mark Alesia; Kaiser Health News ~ Mar 02, 2018
Pharmaceutical corporations need to stop free-riding on publicly-funded research
From Jason Cone; The Hill ~ Mar 03, 2018
Experts Weigh In About Whether Social Security Will Go Broke
By Karen Bennett; CheatSheet ~ Mar 03, 2018
Express Scripts Says PBM Relationship With Amazon 'Performing Well'
From Bruce Japsen; Forbes ~ Mar 02, 2018
Congress Races The Clock In Quest To Bring Stability To Individual Insurance Market
By Julie Rovner; Kaiser Health News ~ Mar 02, 2018
Hatch apologizes for 'off-color' comment about 'dumbass' ObamaCare supporters
By Peter Sullivan; The Hill ~ Mar 02, 2018
Putting Humans at the Center of Health Care Innovation
By Yasser Bhatti, Jacqueline del Castillo, Kristian Olson & Ara Darzi ; Harvard Business Review ~ Mar 02, 2018
Opinion: America's Weird High Rates Of Old-Age Poverty And Old-Age Work
From Teresa Ghilarducci; Forbes ~ Mar 02, 2018
Editorial: U.S. Prescription Drug Costs Are a Crime
By The Editors, Bloomberg – Feb 27, 2018
Buried In The Budget Bill Are Belated Gifts For Some Health Care Providers
By Shefali Luthra; Kaiser Health News ~ Mar 02, 2018
Public Approval Of Obamacare Hits Record High Ahead Of 2018 Midterms
By Alice Ollstein; Talking Points Memo ~ Mar 01, 2018
Beware, the IRS is looking for these red flags this tax season
By Alessandra Malito; MarketWatch ~ Mar 01, 2018
The Financial Burden of Health Care Spending: Larger for Medicare Households than for Non-Medicare Households
By Juliette Cubanski, Kendal Orgera, Anthony Damico, & Tricia Neuman; Kaiser Family Foundation ~ Mar 01, 2018
Bad Social Security advice cost recipients $131 million, report finds
By Lorie Konish; CNBC ~ Mar 01, 2018