Washington, DC – Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) wrote to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell regarding HHS’ unilateral action to clear the backlog of Medicare appeals through a “settlement” process.  In the letter, Brady asked HHS to clearly articulate its statutory authority for this settlement process.  In… Read more

Over Half of Americans Can't Afford Their House. In order to cover their rent or mortgage over the last three years, 52 percent of Americans have had to make at least one major sacrifice, such as getting a second job, deferring saving for retirement, cutting back on health care, or running up credit card debt. Source:… Read more

Today, the Census Bureau released information on poverty in 2013, which showed how the overall poverty rate fell from 15 percent in 2012 to 14.5 percent in 2013, as the number of poor individuals fell from 46.5 million in 2012 to 45.3 million in 2013.  But buried within this short-run good news were several troubling long-run trends, including the fact that the poverty rate for… Read more

​Disability Beneficiaries Outnumber Jobs in Manufacturing.  Due to the poor economy and other factors, there are now more Americans collecting disability benefits than there are workers doing production work in manufacturing. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Social Security Administration,… Read more

Record Numbers on Disability Benefits. The number of individuals receiving disability benefits has continued to climb to record levels, due to the poor economy and other factors. Source: Social Security Administration, Recipients of Social Security, SSI, or Both. _______________ As introduced on June 17, 2014, Ways and… Read more

Washington, DC – Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) called on the Acting Commissioner of Social Security to adopt the recommendations of the special report released today by the Social Security Administration Office Inspector General (SSA OIG) on Social Security’s failure to prevent recent disability fraud scandals. “The Inspector General’s… Read more

​Record Numbers on Food Stamps. Never in the history of the program have so many individuals been forced to rely on food stamps due to the poor economy. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance National Level Annual Summary. ________________ As introduced on June 17, 2014, Ways and Means… Read more

Millions of College Grads Are Working Jobs That Don’t Require Their Degree.  Nearly half of all college graduates are underemployed – that is, working in a job that does not require their college degree. Source: Center for College Affordability and Productivity, Why are recent College Graduates… Read more

The Affordable Care Act has changed how Americans receive their health care.  There has been ample debate over the last four years about the ACA and what impact it will have.   Today, we have the chance to look in the review mirror and judge the results rather than the promises.  And we have the opportunity to look forward to next year, to see what other changes and… Read more

Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement on the Administration’s comments on inversions and tax reform: “Everyone agrees that tax reform is the only solution that will both keep companies from moving their headquarters out of the United States, and encourage more businesses to grow, hire and increase wages for… Read more