Alliance Members Mark Social Security’s Anniversary 

Monday, August 14, is Social Security’s 88th birthday, and Alliance members are highlighting the importance of the earned benefits program with events around the country.

In 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act and urged future generations to keep expanding the program's protections. Social Security is the most popular and successful government program in history, with nearly 67 million Americans receiving benefits each year.  

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse with Alliance members from New England states Thursday

Alliance members celebrated the anniversary with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) at the New England Regional Alliance Meeting and Anniversary Celebration in North Providence, Rhode Island. Sen. Jack Reed (RI) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (RI) joined the meeting virtually.

“Democrats have plans to protect and expand Social Security by requiring millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share. That will increase benefits so seniors and people with disabilities can retire and live in dignity,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. “It is essential that we do not allow politicians who are threatening Social Security — with ideas like raising the retirement age and privatization — to advance their dangerous agenda."

Members of the Cleveland chapter of the Ohio Alliance celebrated on August 4.    

Nebraska Alliance members celebrated at the Central Labor Union Thursday.

Costliest Medicare Drugs More Than Tripled in Price Since Entering Market: Report

A new report released this week found that the 25 drugs that accounted for the highest Medicare Part D spending in 2021 more than tripled in price since they first entered the market.

The report comes just weeks before the Biden administration is to announce the first 10 Medicare Part D drugs that will be considered for price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act, on Sept. 1.

It found that all but one of the top 25 drugs' lifetime price increases exceeded the corresponding annual rate of general inflation. Further, the average lifetime price increase for the five products on the market for 20 years or longer was 592%.The average list price increase for all 25 drugs was 226%. 

“This report reinforces what Alliance members experience every day. The price of prescription drugs is high, and has been allowed to increase unchecked for too long,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “We continue to be grateful to President Biden for getting the Inflation Reduction Act passed so Medicare is finally required to negotiate a better deal for the American people.” 

KFF Health News: As Many American Cities Get Hotter, Health Systems Face Off Against Heatstroke
By Drew Hawkins, Gulf States Newsroom

As the hour crept past three in the afternoon, New Orleans’ French Quarter was devoid of tourists and locals alike. The heat index was over 105 degrees.

New Orleans Emergency Medical Services has been busy this summer, responding to heat-related emergency calls and transporting patients to nearby hospitals.

At the city’s main ambulance depot, the concrete parking lot seemed to magnify the sweltering heat, circulating the air like a convection oven. Capt. Janick Lewis and Lt. Titus Carriere demonstrated there how they can load a stretcher into an ambulance using an automated loading system. Lewis wiped sweat from his brow as the loading arm whirred and hummed, raising the stretcher into the ambulance — “unit,” in official terminology.

But mechanical assistance isn’t the best thing about the upgraded vehicles. “The nicest thing about being assigned a brand-new unit is it has a brand-new air conditioning system,” Lewis said.

The new AC is much more than a luxury for the hard-working crews. They need the extra cooling power to help save lives.

Read more here.

Fiesta Speaks at A. Philip Randolph Institute Convention

Alliance Executive Director Richard Fiesta attended the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) convention in Reno this week and gave a presentation on the Alliance’s work on retiree issues including Medicare and Social Security; how the Inflation Reduction Act is lowering drug prices amid strong drug industry opposition; and combatting restrictive voting laws across the country.

Founded in 1965, APRI works with black trade unionists to build relations between labor and black communities.

“Thirty-three percent of Black Social Security beneficiaries over 65 rely on Social Security for 100% of their income,” noted Fiesta. “It is one more reason why we cannot allow the House Republican Study Committee proposals to raise the retirement age and cut benefits to advance in Congress.”

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