Blog

• KFF Health News: Biden Administration to Ban Medical Debt From Americans’ Credit Scores

  September 28, 2023: The Biden administration announced a major initiative to protect Americans from medical debt on Thursday, outlining plans to develop federal rules barring unpaid medical bills from affecting patients’ credit scores. The regulations, if enacted...Read more >

• WSARA 2023 Convention

  September 25, 2023: The WA State Chapter of the Alliance for Retired Americans (WSARA) held its 2023 Annual Convention in person on September 12. Laurie Weidner from the Retired Public Employees Council of WA and Rick Olson from Steelworkers Organization of Active Retir...Read more >

• KFF Health News: Save Billions or Stick With Humira? Drug Brokers Steer Americans to the Costly Choice

  September 21, 2023: Tennessee last year spent $48 million on a single drug, Humira — about $62,000 for each of the 775 patients who were covered by its employee health insurance program and receiving the treatment. So when nine Humira knockoffs, known as biosimilars, ...Read more >

• FDA Expected to Greenlight a New Covid Booster

  September 07, 2023: With the fast approaching fall and winter months — meaning more time spent indoors — the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are prepared to soon approve an updated Covid booster shot. The FDA could gre...Read more >

• Pleasant Surprise: Medicare’s Per Person Spending Has Stopped Skyrocketing

  September 07, 2023: Spending per Medicare beneficiary has nearly leveled off over more than a decade — but for unknown reasons. The lower per-person cost could have to do with the Affordable Care Act, fewer heart attacks, or the recent lack of new blockbuster treatmen...Read more >

• President Biden, AFL-CIO President Shuler Mark Labor Day with Rallies in Philadelphia, Detroit

  September 07, 2023: President Biden celebrated both unions and his job creation record during a Labor Day appearance at a rally at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 in Philadelphia Monday. He noted that there are nearly 13,500,000 new jobs in the country since he was swo...Read more >

• Prescriptions for Fruits and Vegetables Enhances Health and Well-Being

  September 01, 2023: A new study finds that when physicians prescribe healthy fruits and vegetables, in addition to, or instead of drugs, patients’ health improves. The study examined the effects of a six month prescription produce program on a group of individuals ...Read more >

• Labor Day: Treasury Department Study Demonstrates Union Benefits for Workers and Labor Unions Approval Rating Reaches Record Levels

  September 01, 2023: The Treasury Department has released a new report demonstrating that unions are vital for worker security and fighting income inequality. The report shows that union workers earn 20% more on average than non-union workers. In addition to boosting ...Read more >

• GOP Presidential Candidates Continue to Attack Earned Benefits

  September 01, 2023: Several 2024 Republican presidential candidates are publicly embracing policies that would cut or end earned Social Security and Medicare benefits. In 2020, former President Donald Trump told Fox News “we’ll be cutting” Social Security and said...Read more >

• Biden Administration Releases New Minimum Staffing Standards for Nursing Homes

  September 01, 2023: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new rule to increase the number of staff providing care to nursing home residents. Nearly 1.2 million Americans receive care in faci...Read more >