All posts by rebecca

News: Lobbyists Fight Democratic Proposals on Drug Pricing, Vaccine Access

Pharmaceutical corporations are preparing for battle as President Biden considers whether to waive patent protections on vaccines to help other nations fight the coronavirus and House Democrats write legislation to require Medicare to negotiate the price of drugs. Pharmaceutic... Read more

‘I Can Breathe Again’: Older Adults Begin to Test Freedom After Covid Vaccinations

With a mix of relief and caution, older adults fully vaccinated against covid-19 are moving out into the world and resuming activities put on hold during the pandemic. Many are making plans to see adult children and hug grandchildren they haven’t visited for months — o... Read more

KHN: Under New Cost-Cutting Medicare Rule, Same Surgery, Same Place, Different Bill

A cost-saving change in Medicare launched in the final days of the Trump administration will cut payments to hospitals for some surgical procedures while potentially raising costs and confusion for patients. For years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services class... Read more

News: President Biden Signs Law Saving Multiemployer Pension Plans from Insolvency

One of the most important parts of the American Rescue Plan for union members and numerous other workers and retirees is its provision saving multiemployer pension plans from insolvency. More than ten million Americans, including many SOAR members, will have greatly increased pen... Read more

KHN: Covid Cases Plummet 83% Among Nursing Home Staffers Despite Vaccine Hesitancy

  Joan Phillips, a certified nursing assistant in a Florida nursing home,  loved her job but dreaded the danger of going to work in the pandemic. When vaccines became available in December, she jumped at the chance to get one. Months later, it appears that danger ... Read more

Tell Your Senators to Pass the PRO Act

All working Americans deserve the right to join in union. But many corporations have attacked unions and workers' rights for decades. Please send a message to your Senators urging them to pass the PRO Act and empower workers.  ... Read more

KHN: Reopening of Long-Term Care Facilities Is ‘an Absolute Necessity for Our Well-Being’

  For nearly a year, nursing homes and assisted living centers have been mostly closed to visitors. Now, it’s time for them to open back up and relieve residents of crushing isolation, according to a growing chorus of long-term care experts, caregivers, consumer gro... Read more

Sign Our Petition to Urge Congress to Add Postal Banking as a USPS Service

Adding postal banking as a USPS service would generate revenue and help millions of Americans, especially seniors and those living in rural areas, who rely on the Post Office for delivery of important goods and services. Sign our petition to urge Congress to help save the agen... Read more

KHN: Why AstraZeneca and J&J’s Vaccines, In Use Elsewhere, Are Still on Hold in America

By Sarah Jane Tribble The World Health Organization greenlighted emergency use of AstraZeneca and Oxford’s covid-19 vaccine this month, following in the steps of the United Kingdom, the European Union and others, who are already injecting it as quickly as possible into ... Read more