Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at Wednesday's hearing expressed their strong interest in addressing the growing DI backlog. In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson said: "Today, over one million people are waiting for a hearing with a Social Security Administrative Law Judge, and on average these folks will wait around 600 days to get that hearing. That's nearly two years!" He continued, saying: "While not all of them will qualify for DI benefits, all of these people deserve an answer in a timely fashion. And for those who don't qualify for benefits, these long wait times make getting back to work even harder.".Nonetheless, TSCL will keep a close eye on the bill's movement in the coming weeks, since it could have a significant impact on the Social Security and Medicare programs. For updates, visit the Legislative News section of our website..Members of Congress may lose an election but unlike other Americans, they never lose their retirement and health benefits. A Member of the House or Senate who retires at age 60 after just 12 years in office will receive a Congressional pension of ,000 a year and lifetime benefits that could total more than 0,000.Notch Bulletin: How Long Have Notch Babies Been Underpaid? I was born during the Notch period. I would like to know how long Notch Babies have been underpaid. In addition could you tell me if the underpayment has been corrected and if we are receiving the right amount now? - M.R. Fort Cobb, OK.limited coverage for medically-related home health care, or short-term nursing.Majority Of Retirees Would Raid Savings Or Borrow For Financial Emergencies Says New Poll By The Senior Citizens League.Medicare - age adults 65 and up, and those who are residents of nursing homes are at especially high risk of complications and death from the COVID-19 coronavirus. About 90 percent of the participants of the new survey, which was conducted online during June and July, are Medicare beneficiaries. Survey response indicates support for strengthening program funding versus no change, or prioritizing healthcare delivery through private insurance plans over traditional Medicare. Only 23 percent of survey participants think that priority should be placed on private insurance plans in order to reduce reliance on federal spending and the need to raise taxes, and just 21 percent think the current level of spending is "about right because we could not have anticipated the scope of the coronavirus pandemic.".Forty-one million Americans participate in Part D. Medicare should be able to negotiate drug prices on their behalf just as the VA and private insurers do. Doing so would have the potential to lower drug costs for Part D participants and save Medicare money. For these reasons, I've introduced multiple bills to end Medicare's ban on price negotiation, and have urged President Trump not to renege on his campaign pledges supporting this..THREE PROPOSALS WE OPPOSE:.This week, one new cosponsor Rep. Glenn Thompson signed on to the Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act, bringing the total up to forty-nine. If signed into law, the PRIME Act would take a number of steps to comprehensively prevent fraud, waste, and abuse within the two programs a problem that TSCL believes must be addressed in order to ensure that scarce program dollars are being spent properly.
