There were certain federal health programs set to expire at the end of May, but the expiration date was extended to Nov. 30 in one of the recently passed bills to deal with the coronavirus situation.."The FDA's action came despite a 10-0 vote in November against approval by its panel of expert advisers, who were dubious that data from two clinical trials showed the drug was effective in early Alzheimer's patients with mild cognitive impairment; three members resigned in protest from the panel last week. The surprising decision leaves doctors turning back to data from those trials, which had conflicting results: One barely met its primary endpoint, and the other did not. As if that is not confusing enough, the mental decline that is considered an early sign of Alzheimer's disease is also present in other age-related disorders, which makes it hard to discern which patients have the disease.".The funding of President Trump's border wall, which is part of the funding for the Department of Homeland Security, had been a major sticking point but that has apparently been resolved.."8 Lawmakers Arrested At Immigration Rally," Seung Min Kim, Politico, October 8, 201"House Republicans Still Drafting Several More Immigration Bills," David Harrison, CQ Roll Call, October 23, 2013..It's always heartbreaking to hear firsthand about how fraudsters and scammers have gone after your hard-earned savings. No senior should ever have to worry that picking up the phone could mean being scammed out of thousands of dollars..Representative John Garamendi introduced H.R. 1553 on March 6, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Ways and Means..According to a new survey by The Senior Citizens League, premiums for Medicare supplemental insurance, known as Medigap, grew more than twice as fast as Social Security cost of living -adjustments in the past year. About 41 percent of survey participants who are covered by a Medigap policy report robust premium increases in the past 12 months of at least 6 percent or more, particularly for individuals who were covered by a policy for more than two years. "The Social Security COLA for 2019 is 2.8 percent, far lower than the rate that Medigap policies appear to be growing," says Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League..In addition, The Senior Citizens League believes that an extension of the tax holiday could make a permanent cut more likely, further jeopardizing the program's ability to fully pay Social Security benefits in the future..Since the Social Security Administration announced the 2013 benefit boost last fall, fuel, food and healthcare costs have steadily climbed. U.S. households that heat with oil are expected to pay nearly 20 percent more this winter compared to last year. Homes that rely on oil heat will pay an average of 7 more this winter according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
