The Alliance for Retired Americans Executive Director Richard Fiesta joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed language in the revised U.S. Senate budget reconciliation bill that would allow the government to negotiate the price Medicare pays for prescription drugs.
Fiesta explained that the bill is currently stalled in the U.S. Senate over opposition from U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), who has refused to back other provisions in the bill related to climate change and tax increases on wealthy Americans and corporations. He talked about the likelihood of Medicare price negotiations and subsidies on government sponsored healthcare exchanges ever seeing the light of day.
Fiesta also discussed the New Parents Act,introduced by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) that would force new parents to pay for family leave out of future Social Security benefits. He described the bill as a zombie plan that’s silly and hurtful to the Social Security system.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.