Democrats: Attack on Social Security

WASHINGTON — Democrats and Social Security advocates are accusing House Republicans of launching a sneak attack on disability insurance on the very first day of the new Congress.

The House on Tuesday passed legislation laying out parliamentary rules for the year. The bill included a little-noticed provision blocking Congress from shifting funds to prevent a 2016 shortfall in Social Security's disability insurance program.

A Rare Vote with Heart

There are many votes members of Congress cast that mean absolutely nothing. Procedural motions. Uncontroversial bills and amendments that are forgotten as soon as they are voted on.
Then there are other votes — those constituents may never notice but that are, for some lawmakers, unforgettable.
On Wednesday, the House passed a bill, 404-17, that would establish tax-exempt savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. The bill, which is expected to pass in the Senate, exempts savings, up to certain levels, and distributions from those savings for individuals and families applying for means-tested federal programs.

Democrats Challenging Administration on Medicaid

WASHINGTON — In an unusual break with the White House, the Democratic leaders of Congress told the Supreme Court on Monday that President Obama was pursuing a misguided interpretation of federal Medicaid law that made it more difficult for low-income people to obtain health care.

The Democratic leaders said Medicaid beneficiaries must be allowed to file suit to enforce their right to care — and to challenge Medicaid cuts being made by states around the country.

Humanizing Medicare Cuts

With the debt ceiling deadline date approaching, both sides of the aisle in Congress are scrambling to come up with a spending cut plan that will pass muster when it comes time to vote. No one is quite sure what should stay and what should go -- except for one thing, that is. Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security seem to be universally accepted as ripe for the cutting.

Out national debt is somewhere in the neighborhood of fourteen trillion dollars, and it is only going to get larger as time goes on. It is important to come up with a sensible plan to start chipping away at this debt, but we cannot and must not cut the government provided medical services any more than they already have been. This issue is of personal importance to yours truly, and here's why: I am disabled, and I rely on Medicare and Social Security to keep my feet on the ground -- literally.

Families to White House: Save 'Our Lifeline'

WASHINGTON -- On Saturday, families from West Virginia, Texas, Georgia, and Virginia joined The Arc at a meeting with Phil Schiliro, Assistant to the President and Special Advisor, John Carson, Deputy Assistant to the President, Jeff Crowley, Senior Advisor on Disability Policy, and Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President to discuss the impact on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) if deep Medicaid cuts are included in a budget deal. As President Obama continues to engage in deficit reduction talks, The Arc, the nation’s largest and oldest human rights organization for people with I/DD, and its members are calling on Congress and the White House to keep Medicaid and programs that support those with I/DD intact.

New Study Reignites Vaccine-Autism Link

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Researchers released the most recent news in the autism-vaccine debate at a press conference in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.
A study scheduled for publication in the Pace Environmental Law Review closely examined public information on 1,300 cases in which the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program compensated families. Significant brain injuries were found in compensated patients as a direct result of vaccinations. Eighty-three cases specifically resulted in autism and are being called, "the tip of the iceberg."
Parents of vaccine-injured children were present at the press conference along with representatives from the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy. All participants demanded that Congress acknowledge the findings and explain why the NVICP awarded damages for these cases while the government continues to promote the safety of childhood vaccinations.

Standing up against bullies

Speaking with a little sass and a lot of passion, “Glee” actress Lauren Potter stole the show when she joined forces with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to say “enough is enough” to bullying special-needs children.
"I was a victim of bullying,” said Miss Potter, who has Down syndrome and portrays cheerleader Becky Jackson on the hit Fox television series. Forcing back tears, Miss Potter said ...that the other students “thought it was OK, just because I looked different than they did.”
“They didnt think they would get in trouble because I was just a Down’s girl,” she said. “But this Down’s girl spoke up, and told those boys that called me names to grow up. Everyone seemed shocked.”