Senate Republicans Look to Slash Medicare As Budget Bill Talks Continue

During a closed-door meeting at the White House on Thursday, Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee floated the idea of cutting Medicare to offset the enormous tax breaks in the GOP budget bill and got President Trump’s approval to proceed.

During the meeting, attendees reportedly pitched several ideas for cutting Medicare and generating savings, including tackling Medicare Advantage “upcoding” practices.

Cuts to Medicare would be in addition to the $490 billion across-the-board cuts triggered by the legislation passed in the House of Representatives last month. The House version also increases the national debt by $2.4 trillion, cuts food assistance, and slashes federal spending for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, resulting in more than 10 million Americans losing health coverage by 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis.

The bill will ultimately fund $3.7 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. A new report finds these additional tax breaks would further increase the net worth of the country’s wealthiest. Collectively, billionaires’ wealth has increased by $7 trillion – 141 percent – over the last seven years.

“Senate Republicans plan to get this dangerous bill passed by the July 4 weekend,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance. “It’s outrageous that they want to pay for more tax cuts for the wealthy by cutting essential health care and food assistance for vulnerable Americans. Please take some time to urge your senators to vote no on this cruel legislation.”

ACTION NEEDED: Click here to send a message to your senators demanding they vote NO on the budget bill.

Social Security Administration Continues to Reel from DOGE Cuts as Musk Departs

As Elon Musk steps away from his lead role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Social Security Administration (SSA) is still recovering from cuts and systematic attempts to dismantle the agency that occurred during his tenure.

New phone service restrictions have placed unreasonable burdens on beneficiaries and cut off their access to customer service, forcing them to travel

long distances for in-person office visits. DOGE’s decision to slash 12 percent of the workforce and close field offices have made things even harder for the agency and beneficiaries.

Elon Musk and DOGE have also created problems for SSA by spreading blatant lies. After incorrectly claiming that 40 percent of all Social Security calls are fraudulent, they implemented an anti-fraud tool that slowed retirement claim processing times by 25 percent and degraded service. After Musk falsely asserted that people 120 years and older were collecting benefits, he and DOGE operatives boasted about marking millions of individuals aged 120+ years old as deceased, without ever actually admitting that the original claim was a lie.

DOGE’s constant undermining of the SSA has taken a toll on public confidence, causing a marked surge in Social Security claims from older Americans who want to lock in their benefits amid increasing uncertainty.

“DOGE has caused immense damage to Social Security and the millions of Americans who depend on it. Older Americans should be able to have complete confidence in the agency that delivers the benefits they have earned over a lifetime of hard work,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. “Regardless of who is leading DOGE, we are going to keep fighting any harmful changes to the SSA and its workforce. ”

SSA Staff Have Processed A Majority of Social Security Fairness Act Cases

Earlier this week, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that 91 percent, or 2.5 million, of the benefit adjustments related to the Social Security Fairness Act have been made.

The law increased benefits and lump sum payments for individuals who previously had reduced Social Security benefits due to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision.

Signed into law in January, the Social Security Fairness Act eliminated the two provisions, which had reduced benefits for some public sector retirees who received public pensions, including teachers, police officers, and firefighters. The law has restored full benefits for almost 3 million people, with increases ranging from $360 to $1,190 per month.

Originally, the SSA estimated that beneficiaries would have to wait over a year to see the changes reflected in their payments. Around 200,000 cases have been deemed too complex to be processed automatically and will be manually updated. The agency plans to finish processing all of these cases by November.

“The GPO and WEP provisions unfairly slashed benefits for retirees in the public sector, and we are grateful that the Social Security Fairness Act finally corrected this injustice,” said Joseph Peters Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “These beneficiaries have waited long enough to get all of the benefits they earned.”

Alliance Field Staff Discuss Threats to Retirement Security and How to Take Action With Union Retirees

This week, Alliance Field Mobilization Director Maureen Dunn and Field Manager Tommy McLaughlin spoke with union retirees about threats to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and how Alliance members are fighting back.

Dunn traveled to New Orleans to meet with Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 3 retirees on Monday. McLaughlin addressed retirees from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 4 in New York on Thursday.

Left: CWA District 3 retirees in New Orleans, Right: IUPAT DC 4 retirees in New York

KFF Health News: Role Reversal – Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.

By Leah Fabel

ST. PAUL, Minn. — High school senior Joshua Yang understands sacrifice. When he was midway through 10th grade, his mom survived a terrible car crash. But her body developed tremors, and she lost mobility. After countless appointments, doctors diagnosed her with Parkinson’s disease, saying it was likely triggered by brain injuries sustained in the wreck.

At 15, Yang, an aspiring baseball player and member of his school’s debate team, took on a new role: his mother’s caregiver.

Researchers estimate that Yang, now 18, counted among at least 5.4 million U.S. children who provide care to an adult in their home. As state officials eye federal Medicaid funding cuts that could drastically reduce home care services for those who are disabled or have chronic health conditions, many predict that number will rise.

That’s bad news for kids: Studies show that when young people take on care for adults with medical conditions, their health and academic outcomes decline. At the same time, their loved ones receive untrained care.