State Legislatures Magazine Staff Snapshots Ali Sagraves Magazine2021Senate leaders were already having a hard time pushing through their priorities, including drug pricing legislation. In fact, Sen. Roy Blunt, head of the Republican Policy Committee, said some bills -- including drug pricing legislation -- are far from ready to move to the floor, which is what we have been reporting to you for the last few weeks..The Social Security Trust Fund is the single biggest government account to which the U.S. Treasury owes money, with obligations currently totaling about .8 trillion dollars. From the mid 1980s until 2010, the Social Security Trust Funds received more revenues than required to pay benefits. Under current law, when surplus revenues are received, the Treasury issues special bonds or I.O.Us to the Trust Funds and excess revenues are used for other government spending. The government is required by law to pay interest on those I.O.U bonds..Here are the seven policy priorities for the disability program that we shared, based on overwhelming support in our recent polls and surveys of our members and supporters. Many of them appeared in the budget deal that was reached in October. … Continued
Poll Finding Kff Covid 19 Vaccine Monitor July 2021Unfortunately, it is not as cut-and-dried as "everyone will now pay per month for their insulin." It is much more complicated than that..In addition, three new cosponsors Reps. Beto O'Rourke, Ralph Hall, and Brad Sherman signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act this week, bringing the total up to ninety-eight. If signed into law, the bill would repeal the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision two provisions that unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of state and local government employees each year..According to the Congressional Budget Office, a growing share of the government's spending for Social Security is going to pay for disability benefits.[iii] Between 1990 and 2012, the ratio of disabled recipients to retirees changed dramatically, increasing 112.5%, from 3.2 to 6.7 beneficiaries per 100 covered workers.[iv] In testimony to the House Subcommittee on Social Security, the Congressional Budget Office said that legislation enacted in 1984 expanded the ways in which people could qualify for the DI program, which included allowing symptoms of mental illness and pain to be considered even in the absence of clear - cut medical diagnosis. In addition, disabled beneficiaries also receive coverage under Medicare, regardless of age, after a 24 - month waiting period. … Continued