Pandemic Highlights Need for Federal Long-Term Care Insurance

COVID-19 has shined a harsh light on America’s long-term care challenges. Fifty-four thousand nursing home residents and staff have perished during the pandemic, and the numbers continue to climb. Unpreparedness, understaffing, and a lack of accountability at skilled nursing facilities have aggravated this crisis — along with an ineffective response from the Trump administration. The[…]

Independence for Seniors Requires Better Dental Coverage

With Independence Day close at hand, we’re reminded that good health is key to seniors remaining independent as they age. We have known for some time that good dental health, in particular, is fundamental to older Americans’ overall well-being. But a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control suggests that many seniors fall short[…]

Trump Administration No Friend to Seniors

With about five months until the 2020 elections, President Trump is underwater with senior voters – a demographic that he won in 2016. Since these polling numbers came out, the President has been making gestures toward older voters – one might say to curry favor – without advocating major policy changes that would significantly improve[…]

Trump’s $35 Insulin Plan: A Nickel Solution to a Billion-Dollar Problem

On first blush, President Donald Trump’s $35 insulin discount policy may seem like a serious attack on high prescription drug prices. No doubt, it could help some patients. But the new policy is a limited gesture that is no substitute for comprehensive drug pricing reform. The timing suggests Trump’s insulin plan may be a political[…]

Senior Voters Are Turning Away From Trump

Older Americans helped propel President Trump to victory in 2016, but recent polling indicates that he is now underwater with senior voters. The president’s approach to the COVID crisis seems to be driving this change. In a recent Morning Consult poll, seniors’ approval of the President’s handling of the pandemic dropped 20 points since March,[…]

Nursing Home Residents Need Federal Protection from Coronavirus

In the torrent of news coverage about COVID-19, the plight of seniors does not always receive the priority it deserves. Older people are suffering disproportionately – not only because they are more vulnerable to the virus – but because of the federal government’s apparent inability to provide the testing and data necessary to slow the[…]

The Trojan Horse of Payroll Tax Cuts is Back

President Trump is at it again — pushing a payroll tax cut that would damage Social Security and Medicare. During a press briefing Tuesday, the president revived the idea of cutting payroll taxes, ostensibly for economic stimulus. But this time, he said that he would like to make a payroll tax cut permanent. “I would[…]

Veterans Rely on Social Security and Medicare, Too

National Committee president Max Richtman joined a true champion for seniors in Congress, Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), for a town hall with local veterans in Vacaville, California on Monday. Though veterans do receive various benefits from the military and the V.A., most still are dependent on Medicare and Social Security for a healthy and secure[…]

Trump’s Policies, Seniors, and a Town Hall with Rep. Jared Huffman

National Committee president Max Richtman brought a message of optimism and vigilance to a gathering of seniors in the San Francisco Bay area yesterday. He joined Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA) for a packed town hall with seniors and community leaders in Mill Valley, California. Richtman warned attendees that their earned benefits could be threatened in[…]

The President’s FY 2021 Budget

On February 10, 2020 President Trump submitted his Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget recommendations to Congress. This budget would drastically cut programs that benefit America’s oldest — including many vulnerable — citizens. The president’s spending plan calls for deep reductions to Social Security Disability Insurance, breaking his promise not to touch Social Security. It also[…]