Blog School Bus Safety On And Off The BusPresident Trump recently signed an executive order intended to change Medicare by expanding the role of Medicare Advantage - the private insurance alternative to Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans have been growing in popularity in recent years enrolling about one third of the nation's 61 million Medicare enrollees..The Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset were included in the Social Security Act of 1983 to help shore up the Social Security program. I believe this has done little to secure the program and, instead, unfairly reduces the Social Security benefits of millions of public employees. Earlier this year, I reintroduced legislation, H.R. 973, the Social Security Fairness Act, to repeal these arcane policies..This approach is unacceptable to me and reflects the wrong values and priorities. I'll never forget the elderly woman from Galesburg, Illinois who came up to me on the campaign trail last year to tell me how important Medicare is to her well-being. She pleaded with me to fight to protect Medicare because she couldn't afford even an extra in out-of-pocket costs for her healthcare, let alone the additional ,400 the Ryan Budget could put her back. … Continued
Patient Education Diet And Exercise Food SafetyEating more fruits and vegetables can help you stay healthier longer, reducing the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. But good quality produce can be difficult to afford, especially for people who depend on Social Security for most of their income. How can you get more fresh fruits and vegetables living on a Social Security budget? Here are some tips to get you started:."Anyone would have to acknowledge that a lot of what has gone on with the pharmaceutical industry as it relates to their contacts with doctors is lobbying, pure and simple," McCaskill said in the hearing. "If we are going to limit the lunches that can be bought for members of Congress in the context of lobbying, shouldn't we have the same kind of disclosures with doctors? And if it is in fact about the patients, the industry should have no problem disclosing how much money they are spending on doctors in terms of recreational time. I'm talking about golf, I'm talking about trips, I'm talking about dinners, I'm talking about expensive wine. Why in the world would we allow that to go on without the public and the patients knowing that's going on?".Despite the continued standoff on Capitol Hill, Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries should rest assured that their benefits will not be impacted by the ongoing shutdown. Both Social Security and Medicare are "mandatory" programs, which means that benefits will go out in full and as scheduled regardless of the federal government's operating status. In addition, the administrative offices for both programs are fully funded and are currently operating normally, so those applying for benefits should not see any delays in their requests. … Continued
