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Friday Alerts

Jul 18, 2008 Friday Alert President Vetoes Medicare Bill; Congress Quickly Overrides Tuesday, President Bush vetoed H.R. 6331, the �Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008�. Congress quickly acted to override the veto; the House voted 383-41 (Roll Call No. 491) for the override, while the Senate... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jul 11, 2008 Friday Alert Senate Vote Strengthens Medicare On July 9, the U.S. Senate voted to rescind cuts in Medicare reimbursements to physicians, scale back subsidies to private Medicare Advantage providers, and expand health care coverage for low-income seniors. Defying a White House veto threat, the Senate... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jul 3, 2008 Friday Alert Senate to Vote Again on H.R. 6331, Medicare Bill That Fell Short by One Vote After opponents of H.R. 6331, the "Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008," were able to prevent the measure from coming up for a vote last week, the Bush administration moved on Monday to... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jun 27, 2008 Friday Alert Medicare Bill to Help Seniors Falls One Vote Short in Senate In the Senate on Thursday night, supporters of H.R. 6331, the �Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008,� fell one vote short of the 60 needed to close debate and bring the measure up for a vote. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jun 20, 2008 Friday Alert Seniors� Votes May Be the Key to Victory in 2008 According to CNN political analyst Bill Schneider, �We're going to see an age division in this election bigger than we have usually seen." Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jun 13, 2008 Friday Alert Medicare Bill that Would Have Helped Seniors Fails to Gain Enough Support On Thursday, the U.S. Senate did not reach the 60 votes needed for cloture on S. 3101, the �Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.� Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jun 6, 2008 Friday Alert Competing Medicare Bills Proposed in Senate Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee have released competing Medicare proposals to prevent the 10.6 percent cut to physician payments that is scheduled to take effect July 1. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
May 30, 2008 Friday Alert Administration Threatens to Veto Medicare Bill That Does Not Protect Insurers According to the Associated Press, the Bush administration is threatening to veto any legislation that protects doctors' Medicare payments at the expense of private insurers. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
May 23, 2008 Friday Alert Medicare Changes May Address Doctor Payments, Nursing Home Deficiencies On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee met to discuss upcoming Medicare legislation, including tighter rules for Medicare Advantage plans. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
May 16, 2008 Friday Alert Advertising, Better Treatments Lead to Greatest Use of Prescription Drugs Ever For the first time, it appears that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems, a new study shows. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
May 9, 2008 Friday Alert State Regulators Seek Greater Authority to Oversee Medicare Advantage Plans The New York Times reported on Monday that state officials will soon ask Congress for more power to regulate the marketing of private Medicare insurance plans to seniors. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
May 2, 2008 Friday Alert Release of New Voting Record Commemorates Start of Older Americans Month Marking the beginning of Older Americans Month, the new 2007 congressional voting record released on May 1 by the Alliance details the voting record of every U.S. Senator and Representative on key issues affecting... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Apr 25, 2008 Friday Alert Call to Action for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries is Coming Soon The Senate is moving quickly to craft a bill that will address a scheduled cut in Medicare payments to physicians, and the bill is also likely to include other Medicare changes. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Apr 21, 2008 Friday Alert Northeastern Regional Meeting Coincides with Pennsylvania�s Primary On Thursday and Friday of last week, the Alliance held its Northeastern Regional Meeting - the second of four regional meetings - in Philadelphia, PA. Gerald McEntee, President of the American Federation of State, County,... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Apr 11, 2008 Friday Alert Tax Filing Deadline Has Added Significance for Retirees This Year Tuesday, April 15th is the regular deadline for filing taxes, and the date holds special implications for seniors in 2008. Up to 20 million Americans who rely primarily on Social Security income qualify for an economic... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Apr 4, 2008 Friday Alert Prescription Drug Prices Becoming More Unbearable as Economy Slides People with health insurance are having more trouble paying for prescription drugs as higher out-of-pocket costs for medications and a slowing economy strain family budgets, according to surveys and health care analysts. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Mar 28, 2008 Friday Alert Western Regional Meeting is Pronounced a Success! Monday through Wednesday of this week, the Alliance held its Western Regional Meeting - the first of four regional meetings in 2008 - in Las Vegas, Nevada. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Mar 20, 2008 Friday Alert Retirement Security of Bear Stearns Employees Up in the Air Sunday’s sale of Bear Stearns, the nation’s fifth largest investment bank, to J.P. Morgan Chase for $2 per share has not only shaken financial markets, but also left the retirement of many of the company’s 14,000 employees up... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Mar 14, 2008 Friday Alert New Hampshire Alliance Members Greet Sen. McCain with Protests… On the eve of Senator John McCain's Tuesday visit to Exeter, New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Alliance for Retired Americans united outside the Concord Legislative Office Building to protest his plan for Social Security... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Mar 7, 2008 Friday Alert John McCain Restates Support for Social Security Privatization In an interview appearing in the March 3 edition of The Wall Street Journal , John McCain restated his support for the privatization of Social Security, saying, “As part of Social Security reform, I believe that private savings... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Feb 29, 2008 Friday Alert Medicare Advantage Plans Costing Many Seniors More A report issued yesterday by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative bureau, revealed that out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are often much higher than for recipients of traditional Medicare,... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Feb 22, 2008 Friday Alert Seniors Must File Federal Tax Returns in Order to Receive Stimulus Checks In 2008, up to 20 million Americans who rely primarily on Social Security income will qualify for an economic stimulus check from the federal government. Generally, people need more than $3,000 in 2007 income to... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Feb 15, 2008 Friday Alert 2/15/08 Two D.C. Events Spotlight Bush Budget Cuts for Seniors The Alliance joined the American Federation of Government Employees and Americans United for Change on Monday in calling on lawmakers to fully fund the Social Security Administration (SSA) and pass legislation giving Congress more control... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Feb 8, 2008 Friday Alert 2/8/08 Super Tuesday Leaves Clinton, Obama, and McCain with the Most Delegates More than 14.6 million Democrats and 9 million Republicans went to the polls on Tuesday to pick their parties’ nominees for President. As of Thursday, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) held an 85-delegate lead over Sen.... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Feb 1, 2008 Friday Alert 2/1/08 State of the Union and FY ’09 Budget Offers Seniors Little Only 159 words were devoted to health care in President Bush’s State of the Union address Monday night, in which he asked Congress for new suggestions on Social Security and Medicare. With health care and prescription drug costs... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jan 25, 2008 Friday Alert 1/25/08 State of the Union Address Likely to Reveal Bush’s Vision for Seniors in ’08 President Bush will give his 2008 State of the Union address Monday night at 9:00 PM EST. He is expected to discuss ongoing efforts to stimulate the economy, and will likely reveal his proposal for changing the... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jan 18, 2008 Friday Alert 1/18/08 February 5th Shaping Up To Be Historic Day in Race for U.S. President Democrats will hold contests in 22 states and one territory on February 5, known as Super Tuesday, while Republicans have scheduled contests in 21 states for that day. According to The Washington Post , 52% of all pledged... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jan 11, 2008 Friday Alert 1/11/08 Senators Hillary Clinton, John McCain Win New Hampshire Primaries Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain won the Democratic and Republican New Hampshire presidential primaries on Tuesday night. Older voters overwhelmingly outnumbered younger voters, a proportion that benefited Sen.... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jan 4, 2008 Friday Alert 1/4/08 Sen. Obama, Former Gov. Huckabee Win Iowa Caucuses Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) won the Iowa caucuses last night, gaining victories in the first contests for the Democratic and Republican nominations for U.S. President in 2008. "The high turnout shows how... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Dec 21, 2007 December 21, 2007 Budget and Medicare Bills Passed: Implications for Seniors Before leaving Washington, for a holiday recess, Congress increased funding for Social Security and protected physicians from receiving cuts in their Medicare payments, but did not stop the overpayments made to Medicare Advantage plans. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Dec 14, 2007 December 14, 2007 More Than 3 Million Seniors Will Fall into Donut Hole Next Year More seniors than ever are expected to fall into the Medicare Part D “donut hole” next year, the coverage gap in which beneficiaries must pay the full cost of their prescription drugs. More than 3 million out of 24 million... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Dec 7, 2007 December 7, 2007 Alliance Members Protest Medicare Advantage Private Insurer Subsidies On Tuesday, the White House delivered a “stern” letter to senators writing a year-end Medicare bill, threatening a veto if lawmakers do not comply with their demands to continue subsidizing private insurance companies... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Nov 30, 2007 November 30, 2007 Latest Information on Premiums Can Help Seniors Choose Their Drug Plan A new report has just been released by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) on the rising cost of prescription drug plans under Medicare Part D. CEPR’s report includes a state-by-state breakdown on the... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Nov 16, 2007 November 16, 2007 Bush Still Giving Congress Fits With Vetoes That Deny Health Care As the week ended, Congress was still trying to deal with vetoes by President Bush on two major health care bills. According to The New York Times, congressional efforts to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Nov 9, 2007 November 9, 2007 Beneficiaries Can Change Medicare Part D Plans Beginning Next Week According to the Associated Press, approximately 2 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries who do not pay monthly premiums will have their prescription drug plans automatically switched next year, while others will have to... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Nov 2, 2007 November 2, 2007 As SCHIP Funding Deadline Nears, Obstructionists Still Standing Together The Senate on Thursday held its latest vote on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and the outcome was similar to past roll calls. The Senate voted to pass H.R. 3963, 64-30, and President Bush... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Oct 26, 2007 October 26, 2007 SCHIP Passes the House Again On Thursday, the House voted 265-142 to pass H.R. 3963, a revised version of H.R. 976, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization. Like the original version, vetoed by the President on October 3rd, H.R. 3963 continues to provide... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Oct 19, 2007 October 19, 2007 SCHIP Veto Override Attempt Falls Short By a vote of 273-156, an attempt to override President Bush’s veto of expanded funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) failed on Thursday. The tally left Democrats 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority of 286 needed to... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Oct 12, 2007 October 12, 2007 U.S. House to Attempt Override of SCHIP Veto on Thursday President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization bill last Wednesday set off a massive political fight that is expected to continue dominating Congress next week. In advance of the House... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Oct 5, 2007 October 5, 2007 President Bush Vetoes Health Insurance for Children On Wednesday morning, President Bush vetoed a bill to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), H.R. 976, which would have added $35 billion to the program over five years and covered an additional four million children.... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Sep 28, 2007 September 28, 2007 General Motors Strike Ends The United Auto Workers (UAW), which had gone on strike at all of General Motors' (GM’s) U.S. plants on Monday, began returning to work on Wednesday. A proposed new contract allows GM to shift $51 billion in liabilities for UAW retiree health care to an independent... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Sep 21, 2007 September 21, 2007 Alliance Members Tell Congress to Stop Medicare Advantage Overpayments Alliance members have already sent 3,700 e-mails to their members of Congress since being asked Tuesday to help stop overpayments to Medicare Advantage (MA) insurance companies. “Thank you to everyone who contacted their... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Sep 14, 2007 September 14, 2007 GAO Audit Shows Insurers Benefiting Excessively from Medicare Advantage Private insurance companies participating in Medicare have been allowed to keep tens of millions of dollars that should have gone to consumers, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report and Monday’s... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Sep 10, 2007 September 10, 2007 More Than 600 Retirees Lobby Congress on Medicare and Social Security With a theme of “Building for America’s Future,” more than 600 Alliance members descended on Washington D.C. last week to map out an ambitious grassroots campaign for mobilizing seniors around threats to Medicare and... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Aug 31, 2007 August 31, 2007 Census Announces New Figures Regarding the Uninsured… The number of those without health insurance is rising, according to the Census Bureau's annual snapshot of American living standards. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that nine million people have been added to the ranks... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Aug 24, 2007 August 24, 2007 Report Card Shows Seniors Pay More Under Part D Than Under Other Drug Plans Older Americans in Medicare's Part D prescription drug program are more likely to pay at least $300 a month for medicines than those on other plans, a study published Tuesday by the journal Health Affairs has found.... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Aug 17, 2007 August 17, 2007 U.S. is only 42nd in Life Expectancy Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in 41 other countries, the Associated Press reported on Sunday. For decades, the United States has been slipping in international rankings of life expectancy, as other countries improve... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Aug 10, 2007 August 10, 2007 Alliance Member Speaks for Millions of Americans on Health Care On August 7, Steve Skvara, a disabled, retired steelworker from Indiana, personalized the problem with health care in America. Representing the millions of American workers who have lost their pensions and health care in... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Aug 3, 2007 August 3, 2007 House Medicare Advantage Vote a Victory for Seniors On Wednesday night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3162, “The Children’s Health and Medicare Act of 2007,” by a 225-204 vote. The legislation expands the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a federal... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jul 27, 2007 July 27, 2007 Alliance Members Mobilize As Medicare Advantage Legislation Moves Alliance members sent more than 800 e-mails to their Members of Congress in just the first 24 hours of being asked last week to help stop overpayments to Medicare Advantage (MA) insurance companies. Alliance retirees also came... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jul 20, 2007 July 20, 2007 Monday is National Call-in Day for Stopping Medicare Advantage Overpayments Your U.S. Representative needs to hear from informed seniors! Please join other Alliance members across the country by calling your Representative on Monday and urging support for legislation that would create a... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jul 13, 2007 July 13, 2007 Medicare Advantage Takes Center Stage Save the date! Monday, July 23 will be a national call-in day to Capitol Hill, as Alliance members are urged to demand an end to federal subsidies for insurance companies offering “Medicare Advantage” plans. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jul 6, 2007 July 6, 2007 Medicare Advantage, Re-importation Votes Coming Soon Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate could vote this month to cut overpayments to Medicare Advantage private insurance plans, in order to make improvements to the Part D drug plan and expand children’s health... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jun 29, 2007 June 29, 2007 Road to Privatizing Medicare Hits a Pothole On Wednesday, the Alliance came out in support of H.R. 2945, the “Medicare Advantage Truth in Advertising Act,” which was introduced by Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health. In a... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jun 22, 2007 June 22, 2007 Senate Set to Vote on Employee Free Choice Act Alliance members participated in a 4,500-person rally at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, supporting passage in the U.S. Senate of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Such passage would allow workers to join a union by signing a card, thereby... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jun 15, 2007 June 15, 2007 109th Congress Disappointed Seniors in 2006, Alliance Voting Record Reveals Many of the lawmakers who did the most damage to the health and economic well-being of America’s seniors during the second session of the 109th Congress no longer hold office, according to the results of the Alliance... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jun 8, 2007 June 8, 2007 Campaign is Launched to Stop the Privatization of Medicare On Thursday, leading Medicare experts and advocates launched a campaign at the U.S. Capitol to stop the privatization of Medicare. The reason behind the campaign is a secret effort to privatize Medicare by the Bush Administration,... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Jun 1, 2007 June 1, 2007 Long Term Care Under Congressional Scrutiny According to The New York Times, a Congressional committee last week began looking into business practices in the long-term care insurance industry. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has asked Conseco and the Penn Treaty American... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
May 25, 2007 May 25, 2007 Rep. Stark Takes on Insurance Industry The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a hearing on Tuesday on private Medicare Advantage fee-for-service plans, leading Congress one step closer to cracking down on private insurance companies. Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark, (D-CA) chairman of... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
May 18, 2007 May 18, 2007 Chrysler Deal Brings Retiree Health Care Issue to the Front and Center DaimlerChrysler announced on Monday that Cerberus Capital Management would pay $7.45 billion for an 80 percent stake in Chrysler, Detroit’s third-biggest automaker. Cerberus has specialized in buying distressed businesses... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
May 11, 2007 May 11, 2007 Senate’s FDA Bill Will Not Allow Consumers to Re-import Prescription Drugs By a vote of 93 to 1, the Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new power to police drug safety, regulate advertising and restrict the use and distribution of... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
May 4, 2007 May 4, 2007 U.S. Senate Clears Way for Prescription Drug Reimportation Votes The Senate broke a filibuster Thursday by a 63-28 vote on Sen. Byron Dorgan's (D-ND) amendment to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization bill that would permit the legal reimportation of prescription drugs.... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Apr 27, 2007 April 27, 2007 Administration Uses Trustees Reports to Scare Seniors The trust funds for Social Security and Medicare will last a year longer than previously estimated, trustees said Monday. The trustees report that Social Security is solvent through the year 2041, and Medicare is solvent through 2019. Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Apr 20, 2007 April 20, 2007 Senate Blocks Effort to Lower Medicare Costs On April 18, the U.S. Senate blocked consideration of a bill, S. 3, to remove the prohibition on Medicare negotiating price discounts with the pharmaceutical companies. It would also have forced drug plan providers to reveal currently secret... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Apr 16, 2007 Medicare Showdown in U.S. Senate: Take Action Now On April 12, the Senate Finance Committee voted 13-8 in favor of a bill, S. 3, removing the prohibition on Medicare negotiating price discounts with the pharmaceutical companies. It would also force drug plan providers to reveal currently secret pricing data to government... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Apr 5, 2007 April 5, 2007 Bush Makes Pro-Privatization Recess Appointment at SSA On Wednesday, President Bush announced his intention to appoint Andrew Biggs to be Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) while Congress is in recess. Biggs, who wrote extensively while at the CATO... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Mar 30, 2007 March 30, 2007 Insurance Companies Caught Denying Care to the Most Vulnerable Seniors Interviews by The New York Times and confidential depositions indicate that some long-term-care insurers have developed procedures that make it nearly impossible for policyholders to be paid. A review of more than 400... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Mar 23, 2007 March 23, 2007 U.S. Senate Rejects Medicare Cuts The Senate on Thursday easily defeated a bid by conservative Republicans to curb the growth of the Medicare program as debate on a $2.9 trillion budget outline for 2008 entered its third day. The 74-27 vote on Medicare dismissed a bid by Sen. John Cornyn... Alliance for Retired Americans more...
Mar 16, 2007 March 16, 2007 CDC Report Examines Overall Health of Older Americans; Bush Administration Disagrees with Health Care Report Recommendations; 2008 Senate Races: Never Too Early for Election News; Employee Free Choice Act Update; Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren Face Variety of Challenges more...
Mar 9, 2007 March 9, 2007 Most Willing to Pay More in Exchange for Universal Health Care; CMS Official Against Releasing Medicare Data; Alternative to Nursing Homes Can Be Risky; Bad Week for Drug and Insurance Companies’ Public Relations; Did You Know… more...
Mar 2, 2007 March 2, 2007 Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) Passes in the House; Study Examines Reasons Behind High U.S. Health Care Costs; Older Retirees Head North; Ohio Senior Voice Conference Ties 2006 Election Results to Legislative Advances; Alliance Poll Results: Medicare Will Not Negotiate Drug Prices Anytime Soon;... more...
Feb 23, 2007 February 23, 2007 Health Care Spending May Rise to One-Fifth of All U.S. Expenditures; Access to Generic Drugs May Be Expedited; National Spending on Rx Drugs Slows by 0.4%; Disagreement over Whether Most Are Saving Enough for Retirement; Grandparents Denied Military Death Benefit more...
Feb 16, 2007 February 16, 2007 President Bush: Caught Telling the Truth?; Rep. Waxman Launches Broad Probe of Drug Price Fraud; Senate Finance Panel Will Not Consider Bush’s Social Security Nominee; West Virginia Retirees Fight for Their Financial Interests; New Industry Formed to Handle Arguments with Insurance Companies more...
Feb 9, 2007 February 9, 2007 Bush Budget Takes a Bite out of Medicare, Medicaid; Paper Ballot Requirements Make Progress; Bush vs. His Own Treasury Secretaries on Social Security Changes; Is Big Brother in Your Medicine Cabinet?; Labor Loses Great Leader; Did You Know… more...
Feb 2, 2007 February 2, 2007 Is Your Representative or Senator a Committee Chair?; Colorado Measure to Save at Least $1.6 Million Yearly on Medicaid Drug Purchases; Health Plan Deduction Would Lower Social Security Benefits; Budget Proposals Would Cut Medicare and Medicaid more...
Jan 26, 2007 January 26, 2007 Many Not Impressed by President’s State of the Union Address; Alliance Activists’ Petition Delivery Coincides with State of the Union; CMS to Correct Erroneous Withholding of Medicare Part D Premiums; Senators Unveil Bipartisan Plan to Overhaul Medicare and Social Security; Alliance People in... more...
Jan 19, 2007 January 19, 2007 Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke Weighs in on Social Security and Medicare; President’s State of the Union Address Likely to Include Social Security; Senate May End Deals Between Drug Companies That Delay Generic Alternatives; Republicans Face Dissension in the Ranks; Some Baby Boomers... more...
Jan 12, 2007 January 12, 2007 Medicare Price Negotiation Vote Passes in House By Wide Margin; Major Social Security Changes Unlikely in the Immediate Future; Bipartisan Re-importation Legislation Introduced in the Senate and House; New Congress Showing Fiscal Restraint; Alliance People in the News; Did You Know… more...
Jan 5, 2007 January 5, 2007 New Congress Begins to Carry Out Its Agenda; Drug Plan Changes for 2007: Shock and Awe; Happy New Year from Humana; Steelworkers Strike Ends at Goodyear; Drug Industry on the Defense more...
Dec 21, 2006 December 21, 2006 One of Speaker Hastert’s Final Acts Benefits Insurers; President Bush to Reach Across the Aisle on Social Security?; Most Will Keep the Same Medicare Part D Plan in 2007; Faulty Assumptions that Affect Retirement Security; Seniors Living in Better Health than Ever Before; Did You Know… more...
Dec 15, 2006 December 15, 2006 Senate Republican Leader Announces Plans to Oppose Negotiating Drug Prices; Employers – Including Goodyear - Take Aim at Retiree Health Care Benefits; Electronic Voting Process Will Include More Paper Trails in ’08; Mandatory Retirement Age Policies Get a Closer Look; Field Activity; Did You... more...
Dec 12, 2006 December 12, 2006 SPECIAL EDITION - RETIREE HEALTH CARE AT STAKE more...
Dec 8, 2006 December 8, 2006 New Congress Makes Plans for First 100 Hours in 2007…; …But Current Congress is Leaving Behind Some Unfinished Business; Alliance to Release White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) Report; Private Medicare More Expensive than Traditional Medicare; Trouble Again This January for Medicare Part... more...
Dec 1, 2006 December 1, 2006 Higher Percentage of Seniors Voted for Democrats in ’06 Than in ’04; CMS Ad Deceives Readers; Drug Industry Braces for Change; Bush’s Scaled-Down Plans for Social Security – Another Scheme Underway?; Health Insurance Premiums Rise with Executives’ Pay; Alliance Loses Strong Supporter more...
Nov 30, 2006 November 17, 2006 Bush Administration Vows to Block Negotiation of Drug Prices; Part D Shopping Season; PBGC Narrows Pension Deficit by $4.7 Billion; Democrats Choose House Leadership for 110th Congress; Alliance Activities and Leadership Travel more...
Nov 30, 2006 November 9, 2006 U.S. House and Senate Under New Management!; Alliance Members Come Through; Public Warned About Social Security Scam; Alliance Members Prove to be Good Political Analysts more...
Nov 30, 2006 November 3, 2006 As Election Day Arrives, Republicans Try Not to Talk About Scandals, Part D; Specific Voting Rights Questions Answered; Medicare Handbook Said to Mislead; New Rules on Patient Safety; Alliance Activities and Leadership Travel more...
Nov 30, 2006 October 27, 2006 Bush’s Social Security Privatization Remarks Dismay Some in Own Party; Part D Auto-Enrollment for 632,000 Medicare Beneficiaries Ends; Specific Voting Rights Questions Answered; Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Steps up Contributions; Alliance Activities and... more...
Nov 30, 2006 October 20, 2006 Part D Failures Examined in New Report by Pennsylvania Alliance; Social Security COLA Increases by 3.3%; Wal-Mart Expands Drug Program; Know Your Voting Rights; Alliance Activities and Leadership Travel; Did You Know… more...
Oct 13, 2006 October 13, 2006 As New Report Shows Senior Vote Will Be Crucial in November…; …GOP Braces for Losses; Know Your Voting Rights; Settlement Forces Major Restructuring of Rx Drug-Pricing System; Alliance Activities Across the Country; Did You Know more...
Oct 6, 2006 October 6, 2006 Key House Race Update; Know Your Voting Rights; U.S. Customs to Stop Seizing Canadian Medicines; Medicare Part D From Entirely Different Points of View; Alliance Activities Across the Country; Alliance Thanks Ally for Lifelong Dedication more...
Oct 5, 2006 Voter Protection A list of downloadable documents containing voter protection information more...
Sep 29, 2006 September 29, 2006 Another Suspicious Privatization Attempt; U.S. Senate Up for Grabs?; Judge Orders Medicare Not to Collect Incorrect Payments Sent to Beneficiaries; New Voting Technology Brings Complications; Alliance Activities Across the Country more...
Sep 22, 2006 September 22, 2006 Donut Hole Week a Bevy of Alliance Activity; Wal-Mart Sets $4 Price for Many Generic Drugs; WHCoA Report Is Like the Conference: A Whitewash; Medicare Rate Hike Not Being Taken Lying Down; New Voter ID Requirements Could Throw More Wrenches into Voting Process; Travel; Labor Loses a Friend more...
Sep 15, 2006 September 15, 2006 Medicare Changes: Increased Fees for Everyone – Not Just the Wealthy; Bush Promise to Privatize Social Security Not Forgotten; GOP Plans More Negative Ads Than Ever; Donut Hole Day Quickly Approaching; Alliance to Enhance Community-Based Activities; Did You Know… more...
Sep 11, 2006 September 11, 2006 Retirees Gathered in Washington Vow Aggressive Campaign to Mobilize Seniors; George Kourpias, Ruben Burks Re-Elected to Lead Alliance; Activists Deliver Donuts to Capitol Hill Offices; Social Security Rally Draws Large Crowd; Conventioneers Inspired by Several Notable Speakers; Calling All... more...
Sep 1, 2006 September 1, 2006 Trial Lawyers Get the Word Out on High Prescription Drug Costs…; …while Drug Industry Quietly Pays for Ads Thanking Congressional Benefactors; Two New Issue Briefs Available; Schering-Plough Admits Wrongdoing, Shells out $435 Million to Settle Charges; Who’s Watching the Children?; Rep.... more...
Aug 25, 2006 August 25, 2006 Not Too Late to Join the Alliance Convention!; Medicare Makes $50 Million Mistake; Even the Wealthy are Having Trouble Affording Health Care; Take Action Against Wal-Mart; Tell Us Your Donut Hole Story; Clarification; Did You Know… more...
Aug 18, 2006 August 18, 2006 White House Pushes to Cut Medicaid, Despite Lack of Support; GlaxoSmithKline to Reimburse $70 Million in Landmark Settlement; Drug Industry’s Excessive Profits Could Fill Doughnut Hole; Alliance News; Pelosi, Reid, Begala, Shields to Headline Alliance National Convention; Did You Know… more...
Aug 11, 2006 August 11, 2006 Incumbents Face Uphill Battle; Americans United Announces New Social Security Ad Campaign; More Pension Plan Shortfalls; Costly, Private Medicare Plans See Jump in Enrollment; Pelosi, Reid, Shields to Headline Alliance National Convention; Did You Know… more...
Aug 4, 2006 August 4, 2006 Senate Blocks Estate Tax Cut/Minimum Wage Increase, Passes Pension Bill; Officials Continue to Support Social Security Privatization Even With GAO Report; Heat Waves and Hurricanes Hit Seniors Hardest; Leadership Travel; Pelosi, Reid, Shields to Headline Alliance National Convention more...
Jul 28, 2006 July 28, 2006 Rep. Stark Introduces National Health Plan; Medication Errors Harm Hundreds of Thousands Annually; The United States: Big Spenders, but Only for a Few; Health Insurance…and Unexpected Membership in the Wrong Organization; Find Lower-Cost Medicine with Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs; National... more...
Jul 21, 2006 July 21, 2006 Americans United Shines Light on Doughnut Hole Problem; Insurers Unsure of Their Own Drug Plans; Drug Industry Benefiting on Backs of the Poor; Alliance People; National Convention Coming in September; Did You Know... more...
Jul 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 Social Security Under Attack; Senate Approves Drug Importation; Americans Not Retiring When They Plan To; CEOs Doing OK Despite Underlings’ Frozen Pensions; Alliance National Convention Coming in September; Did You Know… more...
Jul 7, 2006 July 7, 2006 CMS Exempts 8 Million From New Medicaid Law; The Five Stage Retirement; Tax Cuts Add to Debt Burden; Homes May Provide Retirement Relief; Did You Know… more...
Jun 30, 2006 June 30, 2006 House Democrats Unveil a Fix for Part D; House Renews Older Americans Act; Health Care Costs Weigh on Retirees; Medicare to Encourage Preventive Care; Drug Companies Use Doctors’ Charities Illicitly to Curry Favor; Did You Know… more...
Jun 23, 2006 June 23, 2006 White House Sets its Sights on Social Security Again; Drug Prices Rising Despite Part D Competition; Senate Denies Lowest-Wage Workers a Raise; House Votes for Partial Repeal of the Estate Tax; Minnesota Adds its Clout; World Loses Two Legends more...
Jun 16, 2006 June 16, 2006 Congress May Consider Changes to New Medicare Law; Alliance WHCoA Delegates Win on Conference Report; Budget Cuts Would Worsen Enforcement Crisis at EEOC – Alliance Speaks Out; E-Mailing Congress Just got Harder; Bert and Annabel Seidman Prize Awarded to Sheet Metal Worker; Did You Know… more...
Jun 9, 2006 June 9, 2006 Key House Republican Renews Social Security Privatization Talk; Elimination of Part D Enrollment Penalty Not a Done Deal; Attempt to Repeal Estate Tax Blocked; Protectors or Predators?; Citizens’ Health Care Working Group Releases Interim Recommendations; Did You Know… more...
Jun 2, 2006 June 2, 2006 November Forecast: Stormy Skies for Incumbents; New Video: Walter Cronkite on How to Fix Medicare Part D; Health Care Crisis Delays Steelworkers’ Retirement; State Chapter News; Alliance National Convention; 2073 Retiree?; Did You Know… more...
May 26, 2006 May 26, 2006 Jury Finds Enron Executives Guilty; Wall Street Journal Pans Part D; Wal-Mart Likes It; Hello, Texas!; Justice Department: Abbott Laboratories' Fraud Cost Government Millions; Alliance National Convention; Did You Know... more...
May 19, 2006 May 19, 2006 Proposed Part D Penalty Waiver: a Band-Aid on a Major Wound; Pension Bill Stalled with Bad Provision; House Budget Resolution Highlights Misplaced Priorities; Alliance Board Meeting A Success; Working in Your Golden Years May Not be an Option; Alliance National Convention; Did You Know… more...
May 12, 2006 May 12, 2006 With Part D Deadline on Monday, Still Work to be Done; Deficits Up, Poll Numbers Down; Employee Free Choice Act; State Chapter News; More Details on Alliance National Meeting; Did You Know… more...
May 5, 2006 May 5, 2006 Administration Attempts to Create a Social Security and Medicare Crisis; Final Push Next Week to Extend the Part D Enrollment Deadline; Report Tells of Appalling Nursing Home Neglect; Budget News; Open Enrollment for Insurance to Supplement Medicare; Did You Know… more...
Apr 28, 2006 April 28, 2006 Medicare Part D Problems Become More Evident; Part D Enrollment Numbers Are Underwhelming; Formulary Rule Change Better Late than Never; Eighteen Well-Heeled Families Fund Estate Tax Repeal Effort; Did You Know... more...
Apr 21, 2006 April 21, 2006 Nevada on Course to Allow Reimportation of Prescription Drugs from Canada; Senators Call for Vote to Extend Part D Enrollment; Drug Industry Works to Impede Marketing of Generic Drugs; State Chapter Events; Another Chance to Voice Your Opinion on Health Care; Did You Know… more...
Apr 13, 2006 April 13, 2006 Alliance 2005 Voting Record: Congress Gets a Failing Grade; Part D Costs Rise in 2007; CMS Officials Exit Through Swinging Doors to Join Insurers’ Trade Group more...
Apr 7, 2006 April 7, 2006 Gov. Rendell Requests Release of WHCoA Materials; Rep. DeLay Resigns; Congress Tries to Agree on a Budget; State Chapter News; Wal-Mart Uses Its Might to Block Port Security; 2005 Alliance Voting Record to be Released; Did You Know more...
Mar 31, 2006 March 31, 2006 More Part D Problems; Even HHS Secretary Leavitt’s Parents Experience Medicare Confusion; Congressional Election Watch; State Chapter News; Did You Know… more...
Mar 24, 2006 March 24, 2006 Senate Votes “No” on Social Security Privatization; Early-Retirement Packages at GM; Lawsuit Over Spending Cuts; Retirement Watch in Congress; Alliance Events Around the Country; Did You Know… more...
Mar 17, 2006 March 17, 2006 Part D: In the Midst of Conflicting Republican Messages; Senate Defiance of the Drug Companies; Raise the Debt Ceiling, Then Lower Revenue - Was This Enron’s Idea?; CHCWG – An Opportunity to Improve the Nation’s Health Care System; Drug Plan Threatens Small Pharmacies; Did You Know more...
Mar 10, 2006 March 10, 2006 Senior Housing Crisis; 2005 WHCoA Report to Governors Falls Short; When $8.2 Trillion Isn’t Enough; AARP: The Profit Maker; Big Changes Coming to the House?; Did You Know… more...
Mar 3, 2006 March 3, 2006 Bush Losing GOP Support; GOP Hopes Simplification Will Ease the Chaos; More Problems With Drug ‘Benefit’; If It Looks Like Privatization, Walks Like Privatization, Then It’s Privatization; Lemonade Out of A Lemon by November; Did You Know… more...
Feb 24, 2006 February 24, 2006 Medicare Part D’s Price at the Polls; Even Fellow Republicans Don’t Like Bush’s Ideas; Lagging Drug Plan Enrollment; Administration Cooks the Books on the Budget; Did You Know… more...
Feb 21, 2006 February 17, 2006