LA Times Today: Social Security is still in good shape but faces challenges — from Trump
L.A. Times columnist Michael Hiltzik joined Lisa McRee with more.
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Bloomberg
a day ago
- Bloomberg
Here's a Better Plan for Retirement Than Social Security
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent raised some eyebrows on Wednesday when he referred to the new kids' retirement accounts in President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act as 'a backdoor for privatizing Social Security.' He later backtracked, writing on X that the accounts 'supplement the sanctity of Social Security's guaranteed payments' and that the administration 'is committed to protecting Social Security and to making sure seniors have more money.' Bessent was more right the first time, only I would suggest tackling Social Security head on. If done right, private retirement accounts for kids could provide a far more dignified retirement than what Social Security can offer. But to get there, Trump's new accounts require some tweaks.
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Congress May Finally Be Addressing The Nation's Doctor Shortage
There may finally be bipartisan momentum to lifting a cap that Congress put on Medicare-funded residency slots nearly three decades ago. The Association of American Medical Colleges for years has been working with members of Congress to find ways to increase federal support for medical education and residency slots, in particular. Medicare health insurance for the elderly is the primary source for graduate medical education (GME) in the U.S., but the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 capped the number of residents and fellows in an effort to reign in federal spending. But legislation signed into law by Republican President Donald Trump in his first term and a second phase under Democratic President Joe Biden added some new slots such as when new teaching hospitals open or rural hospitals add new programs. But the 1,200 or so residency slots funded under those respective year-end spending packages signed under those administrations won't put a dent in a physician shortage projected at up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, the AAMC says. Lately, members of Congress are feeling the heat from their constituents, particularly in rural areas about the shortage of physicians. That shortage could also worsen following the passage of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid and health plans under the Affordable Care Act and is expected to eliminate health insurance coverage for nearly 12 million Americans over the next decade, data from the Congressional Budget Office shows. 'What we are trying to do is increase the cap . . . so we can have more residency programs so we can start to stem the shortfall (of physicians),' U.S. Sen. John Boozman, an Arkansas Republican, said earlier this week during an interview on 'The Julie Mason Show' on SiriusXM's POTUS Politics channel discussing ways to ensure quality healthcare in rural America. Boozman and fellow Senators Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York this summer introduced the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025. This bipartisan legislation would help grow the physician workforce and improve access to care for patients nationwide, the AAMC says. The legislation would gradually increase the number of Medicare-funded residency positions by 14,000 over seven years, 'making key investments in physician training in rural and urban communities across the country,' the AAMC says. 'Patients across the country are already feeling the effects of a strained physician workforce,' said Dr. David J. Skorton, president and chief executive officer of the AAMC, which includes 160 U.S. medical schools and nearly 500 academic health systems and teaching hospitals as its members. 'This crucial bill, along with its House companion, would build upon recent bipartisan success to expand federal support for residency training and improve access to care for patients everywhere," Skorton added. "This legislation represents a strong, bipartisan commitment to expanding the physician workforce and improving health care outcomes.'
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
House GOP broadens Medicare fraud probe at Florida organ transplant center
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are demanding records from a Florida-based organ procurement center after a whistleblower alleged a possible Medicare fraud scheme involving staff members overbilling for work hours and improperly reimbursing for personal costs or other expenses. The House Ways and Means Committee fired off a letter Thursday to the Life Alliance Organ Recovery about the purported scheme, also citing a troubling report involving a patient who had also been kicked off life support but was still 'crying and biting on his breathing tube' as clinicians 'waited for death.' 'One Life Alliance employee interpreted' the response 'as the patient not wanting to die,' stated the letter sent by Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) to Life Alliance Organ Recovery Center executive director Clifton McClenney. 4 House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) is demanding records from a Florida-based organ procurement center after a whistleblower alleged a possible Medicare fraud scheme. Getty Images Smith called the 'potential Medicare reimbursement fraud' — which may have included abuse of the organization's tax-exempt status 'to enrich board members or senior leadership' — as well as current reports on the quality of donor care at the center 'deeply, deeply disturbing.' 'Among the most concerning statements are those regarding the misuse of taxpayer dollars, including that Life Alliance staff members were encouraged to increase their hours and bill Medicare for hours not worked; Life Alliance received reimbursement from Medicare for costs associated with the personal use of a company vehicle; and Life Alliance double dipped on its Medicare Cost Report ('MCR') for certain expenses,' Smith said in the missive. 'The Committee on Ways and Means,' he added, 'is concerned that if these allegations were verified, they would constitute a violation of the False Claims Act.' 4 The committee cited a troubling report involving a patient who had also been kicked off life support but was still 'crying and biting on his breathing tube' as clinicians 'waited for death.' The records request comes after a 2021 resolution of three lawsuits against the University of Miami, of which the center's surgery department is a division, alleging False Claims Act violations. Those had accused the center of 'ordering medically unnecessary laboratory tests and submitting false claims for pre-transplant lab testing,' noted Smith's letter, which was also addressed to University of Miami President Joseph Echevarria. In 2015, Life Alliance had also been found to be a member not in good standing due to other concerns about the level of care and patient safety. 4 In 2015, Life Alliance had also been found to be a member not in good standing due to other concerns about the level of care and patient safety. 'Tax-exempt organ procurement organizations save the lives of countless Americans each year, but the success of our nation's organ transplant network depends on these organizations maintaining the public's trust and operating within their stated tax-exempt purpose,' the chairman said in a statement. 'The Ways and Means Committee will not rest until these organizations are held accountable and public trust is restored.' The Republican-led panel's inquiry follows similar investigations into organ transplant nonprofits in Indiana, Oklahoma and New Jersey, according to a report in the Free Press, which also cited possible overbilling for Medicare costs — including for the potential use of a private jet for personal trips. 4 Life Alliance Organ Recovery Center executive director Clifton McClenney was hit with the records request Thursday. That came on the heels of investigations by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General finding instances of improper Medicare reimbursements. Smith has asked Life Alliance to hand over by Aug. 14 its accounting records on Medicare costs, service contracts, financial interests, business relationships and all documents on its policies, conduct, practices and procedures that may touch on potential federal violations. McClenney, Life Alliance and Echevarria did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
