Blog
July 08, 2023
Alliance for Retired Americans Media Mentions July 7
Alliance Mentions
Federal judge issues injunction against Florida’s latest election law, cites discrimination
A. G. Gancarski
Florida Politics, July 3, 2023
Following a hearing last week, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction targeting aspects of Florida’s new election law. The Florida Alliance is one of the plaintiffs in the case.
Hand count appeal coming up in Tucson
Shar Porier
Herald/Review (Cochise County, Arizona), July 5, 2023
An Arizona Appeals Court will hear arguments in the lawsuit filed by the Arizona Alliance and Democrat Stephani Stephenson against the Cochise County Board of Supervisors and the county recorder over a move to conduct a hand count of the 2022 election ballots.
Journalist Adolphe Bernotas Retires From Guild After 58 Years
Adolphe Bernotas
NH Center for Public Interest Journalism, July 1, 2023
Adolphe Bernotas, union activist and founding board member of the New Hampshire chapter of the Alliance, reflects on his years of work in the labor movement.
Larry Malone Obituary (1937 – 2023) – Fenton, MO
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 30, 2023
Larry Malone, a community servant and member of the Missouri Alliance, died last month. He is remembered by his friends and family.
Letter to the Editor
Protect workers in heat
Gene Lantz
The Dallas Morning News, July 2, 2023
Gene Lantz, President of the Texas Alliance, urges Texas citizens and leaders to take action to protect workers from intense heat. (subscription required)
Prescription Drugs
Biden admin revises drug negotiation program amid legal onslaught
Joseph Choi
The Hill, June 30, 2023
CMS said it would publicize a “narrative explanation of the negotiation process” within the Inflation Reduction Act, seemingly in response to several lawsuits challenging the program’s constitutionality.
Expected Alzheimer’s drug approval signals new era in treatment
Lauren Clason
Roll Call, July 6, 2023
The FDA’s expected approval of Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, or lecanemab, is set to broaden access and accelerate a new class of treatments for the degenerative disease. But the drug still faces Medicare coverage restrictions and other criticisms.
Why the Next Big Hope for Alzheimer’s Might Not Help Most Black Patients
Arthur Allen
KFF Health News, July 6, 2023
Leqembi shows promise of slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, but questions remain about its lack of testing on black people, its high cost, and mixed reactions from the medical community.
Labor
Staffing standard could boost unionization efforts in nursing homes
Arielle Dreher
Axios, July 5, 2023
A looming national staffing mandate for nursing homes could open the door for more labor organizing in a sector where a low proportion of workers are covered by union contracts.
Social Security
Social Security phone service disruptions led to dropped calls, longer wait times, report finds
Lorie Konish
CNBC, June 28, 2023
A new report from SSA found that the agency’s telephone system experienced many disruptions that created long wait times during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials highlighted the need for better funding and staffing to prevent these issues.
Medicaid
Why Georgia’s Medicaid work requirements are a crucial test case
Nathaniel Weixel
The Hill, July 2, 2023
Georgia is set to become the only state in the country to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, and the success or failure of its plan could be a test case for other states that are planning ahead for a Republican White House.
Health Care
Federal Officials Hatch a Three-Pronged Defense Against Another ‘Tripledemic’
Apoorva Mandavilli
The New York Times, July 5, 2023
Federal health officials are urging Americans to get vaccinated against flu, Covid, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this fall. For older and immunocompromised Americans, all three vaccines will be important in the coming months.
Hospice care has a big problem
Joanne Kenen
POLITICO, July 5, 2023
The rise of for-profit businesses in hospice care and decline in care quality in recent years has led a group of prominent physicians who specialize in end of life care to think about making changes.
Retiree Medical Costs Are Expected to Moderate, but Still High
Ann Carrns
The New York Times, June 30, 2023
An annual analysis by Fidelity Investments projects the average cost of medical expenses for a 20-year retirement at almost double the estimate from 2002. But coming changes to Medicare rules for prescription drugs may help rein in the costs.