Valley Breeze: Officials talk bridge to secure future for seniors

Congressman Gabe Amo said the issues Santos spoke of are the ones everyone interacts with every day. Without health care, financial security, and a stable and secure roof over one’s head, he said, “we’re barely able to survive, let alone thrive.” Older residents, who are valued members of the community, deserve to live with dignity, joy and comfort, he told the crowd.

Amo spoke of how his mom was a nurse in nursing homes, and how he grew up understanding the importance of that care. All Americans should expect to receive Social Security and Medicare, he said, and elected representatives must seize the moment and act to those most impacted by them can receive their benefits. He and others are working to keep the strong foundation of these “bedrock programs” started with the genius of the New Deal, he added.

Amo shared about the Social Security 2100 Act sponsored by Connecticut Congressman John Larson, a landmark bill to shore up Social Security finances that proposes the first base benefit expansion in 52 years, with increased cost of living allowances to keep up with inflation.

The “basket of goods” seniors are spending their money on is different than that of everyone else, said Amo, and it “should have math that reflects it.”

The bill would also end a five-month waiting period for disability credits, as well as provide caregiver credits for a job that so often falls on women.

Amo said officials need to build on the success of the Inflation Reduction Act, which he said was “life-saving for so many,” capping out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 and capping life-saving insulin at $35 per month. He thanked Senators Reed and Whitehouse for their work getting it done.

The cornerstone of the bill is for Medicare to negotiate directly on pharmaceutical drugs, said Amo, which is “taking on big pharma and winning.” They need to make sure big pharma doesn’t win.

Amo mentioned a proposal by Vice President Kamala Harris to broaden Medicare coverage for in-home care, inspired by her own experience taking care of her mother.

He later emphasized how the housing piece is is the “bow that ties everything together,” saying supply hasn’t kept up with demand. He pledged that a big bill is coming next year to address funding to housing, saying it’s time for a real federal commitment on this issue.

On the topic of housing, policy adviser Maureen Maigret presented an award to R.I. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi for his outstanding contributions to promote development of more affordable housing. A number of bills have passed under his leadership, she said, including one to streamline development of accessory dwelling units. She urged everyone to vote yes on an upcoming bond issue as well. Also key in this year’s budget were long overdue rate increases for health and human service providers, including home care providers, she said, and the next task is to make sure part of that goes to the direct care workforce that deserves to earn a fair wage.

Rep. Lauren Carson accepted the award on Shekarchi’s behalf, saying he “has a laser on the issue and he’s not finished yet.” Housing is a complicated topic without a quick fix, she said, and it takes a while for the process of new development to come online.

Carson mentioned a law passed requiring cameras in nursing homes, with approval, to prevent abuse, saying it was a very important measure on safety. Rhode Island doesn’t get the credit it deserves for capping insulin prices back in 2021, she said, well before the federal government did so.

Thanks to Shekarchi’s leadership, Carson said, a study commission on aging has been extended another year, with an eye toward addressing issues that impact the future.

U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, sitting on a panel with Attorney Gen. Peter Neronha and Julie Leddy, executive director of the Coventry Housing Authority and co-president of the Public Housing Association of Rhode Island, discussed how Social Security alone isn’t enough for older Americans to get by in retirement. Before Social Security was formed in the 1930s, upwards of 70 percent of older citizens lived in poverty, and now that number is 10-15 percent, in line with the general population. The reality is the model replacing 30-40 percent of income just isn’t enough, he said, not that there isn’t a place for retirement accounts, but there ought to be a conversation about expanding Social Security because it’s a model that works.

The Social Security trust fund isn’t about to run out of money, he added, explaining that if nothing were to happen with the law, benefits would need to be reduced by 30 percent 13 years from now.

There’s a need to modernize how it’s funded, he said. When created, most high earners made their money with high salaries, but now the wealthiest among us make their money from investments, even as Social Security is funded just from salaries. With a cap on how much income is taxed, with a payroll tax only on the first $160,000, Elon Musk puts the same amount in as everyone else, he said, and if that cap was lifted and applied to higher income levels and investment gains above a certain level, say, $10 million or more, the fund would be fine for 100 years and cover cost of living increases with money to spare.

Magaziner focused on what he said have been “huge wins” in the health care space. An allowance to negotiate on drug costs initiated by the Inflation Reduction Act means that with the 10 most common drugs taken, each used by between 2 and 7 million people, prices will be dropping between 30 and 70 percent as of Jan. 1, he said. Out-of-pocket expenses are also capped, he said.

In addition to work on federal housing credits, Magaziner said they’re working on other cost-saving measures, including transparency on “junk fees” for hotel rooms or airline tickets, as well as financial relief for caregivers at home. He said he signed onto a bill for a refundable tax credit to families where someone has to stay home to take care of a family member, as well as another to allow use of health savings accounts to pay for home health care.

Magaziner commended the General Assembly for its work, and said officials need to stay focused on costs. He said he also believes it’s time to bring back a select committee on aging.

Neronha said his job intersects with health care issues often, including with the proposed merger he rejected between Lifespan and Care New England, which would have resulted in higher prices and poorer results, he said.

He called out the private equity he said would likely have bankrupted and closed Roger Williams Hospital and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital with an ownership change. If the state wasn’t holding the hospitals’ money, he said, there’s no doubt in his mind that Leonard Green private equity firm would have driven the hospitals into bankruptcy to maximize profits. He pledged to oppose private equity in health care as long as he’s at the helm.

Neronha spoke at length about how a lack of sufficient revenue is hurting the state’s health system, which can’t attract enough providers and where people often can’t find a primary care doctor. Some doctors, he said, are going where they can make money, including into concierge medicine where older, poorer, and people of color are hurt.

He also called out the Office of Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) responsible for making sure there are enough doctors, saying that when representatives from his office called to check up on the doctors within 30 miles of Providence that Blue Cross was saying are taking new patients, 51 percent of them weren’t taking new patients. He thanked OHIC for forcing them to make their own calls, saying now they know they don’t have to rely on the agency’s data but can do the work themselves.

Neronha said Rhode Island has no one in state government in charge when it comes to health care, saying every patient in neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut brings more money into the system.

He added that the state needs to pay for the health care system it wants, and that means driving up Medicaid rates, which the governor should support. It’s not good enough to wait for a bill to sign, he said, but the governor needs to be a champion for these issues. Every dollar spent on Medicaid means more money coming back to the state, he said, and officials are not leveraging money as they could.

Neronha called for a stop to the “kind of pernicious elder care abuse of not having an adequate health care system.” Rhode Island should have the best health care system in New England, he said, not the worst, but it won’t be fixed on its own.

Leddy spoke on public housing and the waiting lists that are so prevalent. In Coventry, she said, they built 160 new affordable units, and while that might not seem like a whole lot, she was very happy removing that many people from the waiting list.

Leddy said housing authorities have become developers of housing. She said they’ve been grabbing money wherever they can get it, and have been asked to partner with other communities such as Smithfield and Burrillville. She mentioned the success of a 42-unit family affordable housing unit in the Georgiaville section of Smithfield. The goal is to share resources and concentrate on getting work done and people served, she emphasized.