skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

AARP: Senate-Health Care ‘Fix’ Doesn't Work for Older Texans

play audio
Play

Friday, July 14, 2017   

AUSTIN, Texas – Advocates for Texas seniors warn that if the U.S. Senate passes the new health-care plan revealed on Thursday, it could be both a financial and health disaster for older Texans.

AARP predicts the bill, which could be voted on as early as next week, would raise annual health premiums for 50- to 64-year-olds as much as $20,000, five times the regular rate.

It also cuts Medicaid, on which more than half of Texas nursing home residents depend.

AARP Texas State Director Bob Jackson says Senate Republicans are asking the wrong questions in their attempt to "fix health care."

"The first thing you've got to do is get a strong sense of, 'Did the current law cause those costs to go up or, frankly, did the cost of health care cause them to go up?'” he states. “Because there's a big difference there. Did the law create the problem, or is the health-care system just getting more and more expensive?"

Republican leaders updated the plan to address some senators' concerns, but not all of them. The biggest change would allow insurers to sell so-called 'bare bones' policies that don't meet the basic coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act.

The Congressional Budget Office is set to release its report on the proposal on Monday.

Jackson says AARP and other groups are appealing directly to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, urging him to make sure the health care plan helps Texans – or to vote "no" if it doesn't.

"If you only make decisions around health care about how somebody's going to make a profit, then you've already started in the wrong place,” Jackson stresses. “You need to start in the place that says, 'How do we most efficiently get the best care we can to everybody?'"

He adds other concerns about the health proposal include reviving the ban on covering pre-existing conditions, and a return to lifetime caps on insurance coverage.

GOP leaders need 50 votes to pass a plan, but as of Thursday, at least half-dozen senators still voiced objections to parts of it.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …


So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

AI queries require about 10 times the electricity of traditional internet searches and the generation of original music, photos and videos requires much more, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

Environment

play sound

Rising demands for clean energy efficiency are producing a wealth of work opportunities in Illinois. These in-demand jobs are also promoting a …

Social Issues

play sound

Like polling from other battleground states, the race for the White House remains close in Wisconsin. But fresh numbers out this week show some …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021