This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for two key bills that would strengthen the Social Security and Medicare programs if adopted by Congress.
Two Key Bills Gain Cosponsors
This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for two key Social Security and Medicare bills in the House of Representatives.
First, two new cosponsors – Representative Darren Soto (FL-9), Representative Tom Emmer (MN-6), and Representative John Katko (NY-24) – signed on to the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 141). The cosponsor total is now up to 185.
This critical bill, if adopted, would make the Social Security program more equitable by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). These two provisions of law unfairly cut the Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, police officers, and other state or local government employees, often by 40 percent or more. By repealing both provisions, the Social Security Fairness Act would ensure that public servants receive the Social Security benefits they have earned and deserve in retirement.
Second, two new cosponsors also signed on to the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act (H.R. 275), bringing the total up to thirty-two. The new cosponsors are Representative Alcee Hastings (FL-20) and Representative Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2).
If adopted, this bipartisan bill would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate lower prescription drug prices on behalf of Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Under current law, the government negotiates prescription drug prices for Medicaid and for veterans, but is barred from doing so for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. As a result, senior citizens enrolled in Part D often pay much higher prices for their prescriptions than other Americans. If passed, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act would go a long way in reducing out-of-pocket costs for seniors.
The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for these two bipartisan bills this week, and we thank the new cosponsors for their support. In the months ahead, we will continue to advocate for the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act and the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, and we urge Congress to enact them this year.
For progress updates or for more information about these and other bills that would strengthen the Social Security and Medicare programs, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website or follow TSCL on Twitter.
