Blog

• KHN: For Older Adults, Smelling the Roses May Be More Difficult

  December 02, 2021: (FLASHPOP/GETTY IMAGES) The reports from covid-19 patients are disconcerting. Only a few hours before, they were enjoying a cup of pungent coffee or the fragrance of flowers in a garden. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, those smells disappea...Read more >

• Psychologists: Use These Techniques to Boost Your Mental Health

  November 30, 2021: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, many older people suffer from mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Research has identified the highest-risk individuals as those who are dealing with a significant physical or ...Read more >

• New Report Shows Drug Price Hikes for 7 Medicines Were “Unjustified” and Cost Billions

  November 30, 2021: According to a new report from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, prescription drug increases for seven out of 10 medications cost $1.7 billion last year. Researchers also determined that these seven price hikes were “unsupported,” m...Read more >

• Biden to Replace Ron Bloom, USPS Board Chair and DeJoy Ally, on Postal Board of Governors

  November 30, 2021: President Biden announced that he plans to replace Ron Bloom, the chairman of the US Postal Service's governing board and a key ally to current Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy. The bipartisan, nine-member board is tasked with overseeing Postal Servic...Read more >

• KHN: As Big Pharma and Hospitals Battle Over Drug Discounts, Patients Miss Out on Millions in Benefits

  November 22, 2021: In early July, as the covid-19 pandemic slammed rural America, the president of a small Kansas hospital sat down on a Friday afternoon and wrote the president of the United States to plead for help. “I do not intend to add to your burden...Read more >

• Medicare Premiums to Take a Big Bite out of Social Security’s 5.9% COLA in 2022

  November 22, 2021: The standard monthly Medicare Part B premium in 2022 will rise to $170.10 from $148.50 in 2021 – a 14.55% jump and more than double what had been expected. A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) official told CNN that $10 of the $21....Read more >

• UAW Members End John Deere Strike with Higher Wages and Stronger Retirement Benefits

  November 22, 2021: Over 10,000 striking John Deere workers returned to work Thursday after ratifying a new contract. The agreement includes wage increases and was ratified after union members rejected a previous contract. The workers, members of the UAW, ratifie...Read more >

• House Passes Historic Build Back Act that Lowers Drug Prices, Funds Home Care and Hearing Aids

  November 22, 2021: The House voted 220-213 to pass the Build Back Better Act, H.R. 5376, Friday morning, sending President Biden’s sweeping plan to invest in middle class families and expand long-awaited social programs to the U.S. Senate. The bill contains numerous ...Read more >

• Public Opinion Is Unified on Lowering Drug Prices. Why Are Leaders Settling for Less?

  November 18, 2021: Democrats and Republicans are crystal clear in polls that they want government to be allowed to negotiate down high drug prices. Americans pay nearly three times as much for drugs as patients in dozens of other countries. In the past two years, num...Read more >

• Legislation is Introduced in House to Reduce Barriers for Older Workers

  November 15, 2021: U.S. Representatives Marie Newman (IL), Don Beyer (VA), Suzanne Bonamici (OR) and Sylvia Garcia (TX) recently introduced the Supporting Older Workers Act, H.R. 5531, a bill designed to improve and advance the employment, economic success and well-bei...Read more >