Latest Trump Budget Proposal Betrays Seniors, Again

During his 2016 campaign, President Trump pledged not to cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. However, his budget for fiscal year 2021, released on Monday, abandons that commitment in dramatic fashion. The proposal presents the President’s desire for $1 trillion in deep cuts from Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Over 10 years this will result in a loss of health coverage for 20 million people.

Social Security is also on the table, with proposed cuts of more than $70 billion. This will slash basic assistance for people who earned their disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income.

“Adding insult to injury, the money saved from all of these cuts will pay to continue the President’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans further into the future,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) questioned Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin about the budget at a hearing on Wednesday. Secretary Mnuchin confirmed that the budget would indeed cut Social Security and Medicare, describing the cuts as "slowing the rate of increase,” code words used by those who want to cut retirees’ earned benefits.

TAKE ACTION: Tell your senators you expect them to vote no on Trump’s dangerous budget and stand up for the retirement and health care benefits you’ve earned by sending a message here!

One in Five Patients Receive Surprise Bills After Surgery

A new study has found that 20 percent of patients are hit with surprise medical bills after surgery. The rate is the same if it’s an elective surgery or an emergency. For many people, these bills - when patients are billed for services their insurance won’t cover - are financially devastating.

“Congress continues to debate different bills to curb surprise medical billing. This study confirms this is a widespread issue that demands action,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. 

The House Education and Labor Committee approved bipartisan legislation on surprise medical billing Tuesday, but on Wednesday another group of bipartisan legislators supported a different bill from the House Ways and Means Committee that is more favorable to doctors and hospitals.

House Passes the USPS Fairness Act

Last week, the House passed the USPS Fairness Act, which repeals onerous pre-funding requirements dragging down the postal system’s finances. The legislation passed the House with overwhelming support, 309-106.

For over a decade, the Postal Service has been burdened with pre-funding its retiree health care benefits 75 years in advance. This has forced it to pay for retirement health care for people who haven’t entered the workforce, or even been born.

Since 2013, this mandate has been responsible for 100 percent of the USPS’s net losses. No other federal agency pre-funds retirement benefits, which costs taxpayers billions more upfront and makes it harder for the postal service to compete with private shipping service corporations. These requirements have created instability and uncertainty for USPS workers, since the Postal Service is slated to run out of money in 2024.

The USPS Fairness Act allows the Postal Service to revert back to the pay-as-you-go system used prior to the prefunding mandate.

“This change will allow the USPS to focus on investing, 

innovating services, and creating stability for current employees,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. “The Senate should take it up immediately.”

Recognizing Black History Month

“This February, as we mark African-American History Month, I would like us to remember how Martin Luther King, Jr. brought us together in the 1960’s,” said President Roach. “His March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom brought diverse groups together for common causes -- a message that takes on renewed significance in the midst of our current turmoil.” 

“Now it is more important than ever for Americans to come together and lift each other up, just as Reverend King lifted us in 1963,” President Roach continued. “As Dr. King noted, ‘We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.’”

“The Civil Rights Act was passed because we united - UAW president Walter Reuther; union members; Rep. John Lewis (GA), who was then chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; people of different faiths, races and ethnicities - blacks, whites, and Latinos,” he added. “The dignity of work was a large part of what brought us together then, and it still can today.”

Join Us at One of the Alliance’s Four Regional Conferences

The Alliance will hold its quadrennial regional conferences in the following cities:

● Midwest Regional Conference - April 27 - 28, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan

● Western Regional Conference - May 12 - 13, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada

● Northeast Regional Conference - May 28 - 29, 2020 in Washington, DC 

● Southern Regional Conference- June 5 - 6, 2020 in Orlando, Florida

At each conference, attendees will elect four regional board members and prepare for the upcoming 2020 elections with workshops on tools to reach voters, effective communication on retiree issues and information about the drug industry and prescription drug prices. Additional information and registration forms are here. Questions? Contact Joni Jones at either [email protected], [email protected] or 888-373-6497.

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