Latest News
The Risks of Privatizing Social Security
After three years of researching Social Security, I have finally reached the conclusion that privatizing any or all parts of Social Security will not improve the financial prospects of the system as promised by its many proponents. Privatization has fallen…
Immigrant who wrongly voted wins right to stay
A Filipino immigrant who faced deportation for nearly a decade after she registered to vote while getting a driver’s license — and then went ahead and cast a ballot — has been cleared of wrongdoing by a federal appellate court.…
Disability doesn’t mean inability
Not long ago, I was at a state conference with a group preparing for a week of meetings. I walked into the room where a handful of volunteers was busy collating stacks of handouts. I asked if I could help.…
County advocacy group offers workshop to help support residents with disabilities
WASHTENAW COUNTY – The county chapter of a group of residents with developmental or other disabilities and their allies is inviting the public to participate in its local advocacy group. There is a free training workshop scheduled for anyone interested…
Congress Wants to Double Down on VA Failures
Bipartisanship has broken out in Washington. This isn’t usually a good sign. Faced with the ongoing scandal in the VA health-care system, Democrats and Republicans have joined together to rush through legislation in near-record time. The Senate passed legislation, sponsored…
VIDEO: Schatz, Hanabusa Spar Over Social Security
Video shows a portion of the July 2, 2014 U.S. Senate candidate forum held at Sangha Hall in Hilo, Hawaii. Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa is challenging incumbent Senator Brian Schatz for the position. The topic of social security came up early during…
Tracking Medicare money to Idaho providers
Do you ever wonder how much your doctors get paid by Medicare? And what they’re doing for that money? Curious how many seniors in Idaho have gotten cataract surgery and what that cost Medicare? The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services…
Obamacare Awash in Millions of Data ‘Inconsistencies,’ Report Finds
Little more than eight months ago, the bungled rollout of the government’s Obamacare website, HealthCare.gov, touched off an avalanche of bad news for President Obama and his health care team. Now comes a new federal report that gives more details…
Using Immediate Annuities to Guarantee Retirement Income
With thousands of baby boomers hitting retirement age each day, you might think that investments that offered guaranteed income payments would be among the most popular. Yet immediate annuities—which, in return for a lump sum, do precisely that—are still something…
Medicare Costs for Breast Cancer Screenings Skyrocket, But Do Patients Benefit?
Breast cancer screening costs for Medicare patients skyrocketed between 2001 and 2009, while the number of screening mammograms performed remained stable. What makes this even worse is that the increased cost did not lead to earlier detection of new breast…