“You only need a lifeline when you are drowning.” — Allen Miller for State Representative

Representative Erin Houchin is pushing telemedicine as the solution to our healthcare problems, problems she has helped make worse. Telemedicine is an important tool, but it cannot set a broken bone, deliver a baby, or replace a local hospital. Her votes have put three hospitals in Indiana's 9th District at risk, making it even harder for families to access the care they need close to home.

Allen's right, and the people of District 9 deserve better. Representative Houchin's argument misses the point. Telehealth can be a useful tool, but it is not a solution to a healthcare system that is failing working families. Too many Hoosiers are drowning under the weight of rising costs, medical debt, hospital closures, and a lack of access to care. Faster internet alone will not fix those problems.

What people need is Medicare for All and access to healthcare centers in their communities. No one should have to choose between seeing a doctor and paying their bills, or rely on a video call because there is no local care available. The answer to the healthcare crisis is expanding access to affordable care, lowering costs, and ensuring every Hoosier can get the treatment they need when they need it, and that will be a top priority when I get to Washington.

For more information visit: bradmeyer.org/health-care-policy/

Received this email from the government today and had to do a double take as I skimmed through. I thought to myself, “ This thing smells to high heaven“, so I thought I’d do a little research and you might be interested in the Wikipedia page for this newly created position by the Trump administration…
You’d have to be really DUM “and not know that dumb has a B on the end of it“ to fall for this one.
The sad part of it is that at least 2/3 of the people that read this mass mailing will believe it to be true.

Making Life More Affordable for America's Seniors

This weekend, America celebrates its 250th birthday. For over 90 of those years, Social Security has provided financial freedom for America's seniors. President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration are not only protecting Social Security, but we are providing meaningful and immediate relief to older Americans who have spent decades contributing to our nation's economy.
Just last year, on July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. This historic legislation included a tax cut that allows Americans 65 and older to keep more of their hard-earned Social Security benefits. Thanks to President Trump, over 35 million American seniors received an average of $7,500 in relief this tax season.
If you did not take advantage of the President's signature tax cut for seniors, I encourage you to review eligibility requirements through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website for next year's tax filing season.
Under the leadership of President Trump, we are protecting and strengthening Social Security while providing world-class customer service:
• In SSA field offices, we've reduced wait times by 30 percent;
• On the phone, we've answered calls 75 percent faster;
• We're meeting the needs of seniors in the digital age with 24/7 access to online my Social Security accounts;
• We've increased the number of personal my Social Security accounts to over 100 million users and have processed over 100 million more transactions this year;
• For disability claimants, we have reduced processing times by 25 percent; and
• Our efforts to prioritize efficiency, streamline our processes, and decrease wait times are saving Americans time while delivering the highest quality service.
Put simply, America's seniors are winning! I'm honored to be in your service.
Happy 250th birthday, America!
Frank J. Bisignano
Commissioner
Social Security Administration

In December 2024, President-elect Donald Trumpnamed Bisignano as his nominee for commissioner of the Social Security Administration. He appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance in March 2025. The committee voted to confirm Bisignano the following month. The Senateconfirmed Bisignano in May. In October, secretary of the treasury and acting commissioner of internal revenue Scott Bessentappointed Bisignano as the chief executive officer of the Internal Revenue Service, a position that had not existed prior.

https://apple.news/AVaXSZa\_BTg-sdhacPMLleg

“WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is proposing a new rule on Thursday to keep hospitals from charging markups on discounted drugs for Medicare patients and says that could save consumers $1.1 billion next year, according to estimates obtained by The Associated Press.
The rule would apply to hospitals that serve low-income patients under what is known as the 340B program, which lets hospitals buy outpatient prescription drugs at discounted prices. But in many cases, hospitals can bill insurers at rates that exceed those costs, allowing hospitals to keep the difference and resulting in higher costs to patients.”

. “Under the proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would change the formula for what hospitals participating in the program can get reimbursed, in an effort to cut costs for patients.
The Republican administration has sought to show during an election year that it is tackling the challenges of affordability for U.S. families at a time when rising healthcare costs are driving financial strains for households and the government alike. While the administration has taken several steps it says will save money on medical treatment, it is unclear how much savings might ultimately materialize based on the complexity of the country's healthcare system.
There is the risk that hospital systems could see their revenues decrease, which could have consequences in the communities they serve in terms of the services they offer and jobs they provide. The 340B program was initially designed as a way for healthcare providers to stretch scarce federal resources to better serve more patients. But it has long been at the center of a lobbying battle between hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, with each side attempting to enlist lawmakers in maintaining or changing the benefit.”

“The agency estimates that the average older adult with Medicare Part B coverage who is administered one of these drugs would save $800 a year in co-payments. That would work out to a total savings of $1.1 billion for everyone with that coverage.
The savings over 10 years could total about $20 billion, according to a White House official who requested anonymity to discuss the rule before the official announcement. The official said the proposed rule was not previewed for hospital groups before the release.
In a policy draft of the rule, the administration gave a specific example of how the current system works for the prostate cancer drug Lupron Depot. Hospitals under the 340B program can acquire a dose for roughly $700, but they can receive about $4,000 in Medicare reimbursement for administering it and an additional $1,000 from the patient co-payment.
The proposed rule would cut by roughly 40% that amount that hospitals in the discounted drug program could be paid through Medicare programs. If approved, the rule would go into effect at the start of next year.
In 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term, his administration tried to enact this same type of rule reduce Medicare payments to hospitals. But the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the government could not provide a separate reimbursement plan for 340B hospitals.

“The president signed an executive order in April 2025 to survey how much hospitals spend to buy drugs. The result of that survey led to the proposed rule, which would cap Medicare reimbursement for participating hospitals at the average sales prices, minus 33.4%. The reason why the average reimbursement rate would be cut is because the hospitals acquired the drugs at discounted prices.”

“Diana Marrero guides people in the Richmond area as they look for health insurance.
She said the expiration of federal assistance that lowered people's healthcare costs from 2021 to the end of 2025 has led to skyrocketing premium payments this year — which have left many with ‘impossible choices.’
‘Families that I work with were forced to choose either between basic necessities such as rent, groceries, utilities, over health insurance, Marrero said in an interview.

The top three causes of personal bankruptcy in the United States are medical expenses, loss of income, and divorce. Medical issues alone account for about 66.5% of all bankruptcies filed.”

A friend said to me recently, “who would not want free medical care for life?”

https://www.whro.org/health/2026-06-29/virginians-are-feeling-the-effects-of-spiking-health-insurance-premiums

Under multi-tiered models proposed by organizations like Oxfam America, a progressive wealth tax that scales up to 3% for fortunes over $100 million would raise an estimated $414 billion in a single year.

3% is chump change if you have a billion dollars. We need to do this.

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/04/21/unitedhealth-group-unh-earnings-q1-2026.html