All posts by rebecca

KFF Health News: Kennedy Sharpens Vaccine Attacks, Without Scientific Backing

As the federal government prepares for the next meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has intensified his attacks on aluminum vaccine components used in many shots to boost the body’s immune respon... Read more

KFF Health News: Complaints About Gaps in Medicare Advantage Networks Are Common. Federal Enforcement Is Rare.

Along with the occasional aches and pains, growing older can bring surprise setbacks and serious diseases. Longtime relationships with doctors people trust often make even bad news more tolerable. Losing that support — especially during a health crisis — can be terrifying. Th... Read more

Alliance Applauds Administration’s Decision to Drop Harmful Proposal to Make Social Security Disability Benefits Harder to Claim

Washington, DC – The Alliance for Retired Americans welcomes the Administration’s decision to halt its proposed overhaul of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) eligibility rules after overwhelming negative feedback from the public. The change would have made it signif... Read more

KFF Health News: As Health Companies Get Bigger, So Do the Bills. It’s Unclear if Trump’s Team Will Intervene.

A cancer patient might live in a town with four oncology groups, but only one accepts his insurance — the one owned by his insurer. A young couple could see huge bills after their child is born, because their insurer agreed to the health system’s rates in exchange for a contr... Read more

Health Care Costs Surge As ACA Open Enrollment Begins

Americans shopping for Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace insurance plans during open enrollment – which began this Saturday – are experiencing confusion and dramatically more expensive premiums. This includes five million older Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 who ... Read more

Social Security Callers Waiting Hours, Or Sometimes Days, for Help

Seniors and people with disabilities calling the Social Security Administration (SSA) face endless looping music, long wait times, useless robot messages, and extended periods between a request and an actual callback, according to a new report from the Washington Post. The Adm... Read more

KFF Health News: Trump Team Takes Aim at State Laws Shielding Consumers’ Credit Scores From Medical Debt

The Trump administration took another step Tuesday to weaken protections for Americans with medical debt, issuing new guidance that threatens ongoing state efforts to keep that debt off consumers’ credit reports. More than a dozen states, including Washington, Oregon, Califo... Read more

Statement by Retiree Leader Richard Fiesta on the 2.8% COLA Increase for Social Security Beneficiaries

The following statement was issued by Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, regarding the announcement that there will be a 2.8% cost-of-living (COLA) benefit increase for millions of Social Security beneficiaries, disabled veterans and federal... Read more

Deepfake Scam Ads Promoting Fake Benefit Programs for Seniors Explode on Meta Social Media Platforms

A new report from the Tech Transparency Project identified 63 scam advertisers that spent $49 million on more than 150,000 fraudulent Instagram and Facebook ads promoting fake stimulus checks, government benefits, and healthcare payments in the last year. Many of the ads are t... Read more