Collin Fall 2025

AMAC provides legislative commendations to safeguard seniors

by | May 21, 2020 | Opinion

WASHINGTON, DC, May 18 – AMAC Action has pro­vided the Congress and the Administration a series of recommendations aimed at safeguarding seniors’ interests within the flurry of legislative proposals designed to cope with COVID-19’s aftermath.

Senior Americans are among those most impacted by the virus, not just from a health susceptibility standpoint, but from an economic impact per­spective. We believe our rec­ommendations will be helpful to the Congress in addressing issues seniors face.

Among the recommenda­tions:

Make the healthcare system more transparent.

• Replace “surprise medical billing” with a fair and equita­ble arbitration process. AMAC supports enactment of legisla­tion such as HR 3502, a strong bipartisan bill that comprehen­sively and properly addresses the surprise bill issue.

• Order compelling price transparency between hospi­tals and insurers. The health care system is in dire need of transparency and the freedom for patients to experience the individualized care they want for themselves and their fami­lies.

• Enact the “Lowering Prescription Drug Prices for America’s Seniors and Fami­lies Act of 2020” (S. 3384) which would require Medi­care Part D plans to include real-time benefit information. Knowing what’s covered and how much they would have to pay out-of-pocket would empower seniors to take more control over their prescription costs.”

Increase long-term health for individuals and society.

• Increase Access to Prima­ry Physician Care for Medic­aid-Eligible Americans. Enact the Physician Pro Bono Care Act (H.R. 856). This biparti­san bill increases access for low-income patients to receive chronic healthcare at physician and clinical offices, rather than expensive hospital ERs. By offering physicians the oppor­tunity to take a charitable tax deduction for seeing Medicaid eligible patients in their offices and clinics, Medicaid and the Children›s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) could see bil­lions of dollars in savings. The cost of this self-executing tax deduction pales in comparison to the level of Medicaid and CHIP reimbursements for the same services, particularly the costs for chronic care in ER visits – a 95% savings.

• Enact the Personalized Care Act of 2019 (S. 3112), which would expand HSAs to pay for direct primary care, health sharing ministries, in­surance premiums and medi­cations.

• Enact the “Protecting Se­niors Through Immunization Act of 2019” (H.R. 5076) which would eliminate out-of-pocket vaccine costs for Medi­care beneficiaries.

Improve Social Security during the coming recovery.

AMAC Actions advocates several Social Security poli­cies to help seniors:

• Guarantee a minimum So­cial Security COLA for 2021 and beyond, based on MAGI to ensure the lower income beneficiaries with greater need are helped, not by a one-size-fits-all CPI formula.

• Enact the bipartisan Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act (H.R. 3971) to eliminate the unjust double-tax on middle-income seniors’ Social Secu­rity benefits.

• Protect Social Security benefits from federal govern­mental garnishment.

Protect small businesses and their employees.

More than 1.5 million of the 6.5 million of the new busi­nesses created each year are started by seniors. Congress should act to:

• Ensure seniors are not locked out of SBA programs providing quick and easy ac­cess to credit, debt forbearance and targeted debt forgiveness.

• Protect at-risk seniors who are still working and who want to return to work by help­ing small businesses to afford personal protective equipment.

• Delay tax filing until mid-October, which would allow small businesses a cash cushion during these fragile months.

For more stories like this, see the May 20 issue or subscribe online.

By Bob Carlstrom, president of AMAC Action, the advocacy affili­ate of the 2.1 million-member Asso­ciation of Mature American Citizens

NTMWD 2025

0 Comments

Subscribe 300x250 - Love

Related News

Jumping to conclusions

Jumping to conclusions

Columnist John Moore finds himself a little lost with new technology. Sometimes lost a lot. Courtesy John Moore Folks aren’t counting on each other like we were 50 years ago. And technology is the wedge that’s come between us. Our parents didn’t worry about us much...

read more
Gardens and Grandma

Gardens and Grandma

Columnist John Moore didn’t like gardens as a kid. That’s changed thanks to his grandmothers. Courtesy John Moore As a kid, I hated the vegetable garden. If you stood on our back porch, it was to your left. It took up the entire corner of our large yard. To me,...

read more
He’s still got it

He’s still got it

Columnist John Moore is the keeper of his family’s history. Including his parents’ vintage grandfather clock. Courtesy John Moore The difference in a collector and a pack rat is whether you’re rich or poor. Those with money are considered refined and people of taste....

read more
A numbers game

A numbers game

You don't see phone books much anymore. But even when they were around, columnist John Moore was nowhere to be found in one.Courtesy John Moore For those of us who once made our living working on the radio, one of the main competitors we had for advertising dollars...

read more
What a trip

What a trip

Traveling isn't columnist John Moore's favorite activity. He's pictured here with his father on a camping trip circa 1966. Courtesy John Moore Bruce Willis ad libbed a line in Die Hard that struck a chord with me. No, not the “Yipee Ki-Yay,” line. I think...

read more
Kitsch me if you can

Kitsch me if you can

Columnist John Moore grew up with yard art, and still proudly displays a concrete gargoyle out on the front porch. Photo: John Moore Pink flamingos. Chalk and concrete figures. Cast iron pots with flowers. Old school bells. Cars on blocks. The yard art of yesterday....

read more
Put a pencil to it

Put a pencil to it

Columnist John Moore loves pencils. Even pencils that cost $30. Courtesy John Moore They call it, “click bait.” It’s when you come across something online that sounds amazing, so you click on it to learn more. Click bait is something that turns out to be nothing as...

read more
Subscribe 300x250 - Love