2026 Chapter  Meetings/Events  (Spring)

• Tuesday, January 20th: Meeting

• Tuesday, February 17th: Meeting

• Tuesday, March 17th: Luncheon at Happy Days restaurant for Dim Sum lunch at 10:30am.

All members are invited, with an Executive Board meeting on the budget also scheduled. Reservations should be made with Frances.

• Tuesday, April 21st: Meeting

• Tuesday, May 19th: Meeting 

============================================================================================

Chapter 1518 - 50th Anniversary

Save the Date                          Thursday, July 16, 2026                   Save the Date

Luncheon @ Waialae CC -- details to be announced

Chapter 1518 October News Update                                                       October 2025

New No Tax on Social Security Benefits Bill Introduced  [cnbc.com]

Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” provides relief to certain Social Security beneficiaries who pay taxes on their benefits.  But it doesn’t eliminate those taxes entirely.  Sen. Ruben Gallego has introduced a bill titled  You Earn It, You Keep it Act.  The bill would eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits and extend the Social Security trust funds’ ability to pay benefits in full for 24 years, or until 2058.

How Medicare Prior Authorization Rules Are Changing in 2026   [themedicarefamily.com]

If you’re on Medicare, you might be wondering what the Medicare Prior Authorization Changes in 2026 means for you. Traditional Medicare historically required little in the way of pre-authorization. But that is going to change. Starting January 1, 2026, a pilot program in six states [New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, and Arizona] will require pre-approval for 17 outpatient services. While AI will review requests, a licensed clinician will make the final decision. The goal is to reduce costs by cutting down on unnecessary treatments.

Medicare Advantage Plan AI Denials:  Humana used algorithm in ‘fraudulent scheme’ to deny patient care, lawsuit alleges    [statnews.com]

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that Humana illegally used an algorithm to prematurely cut off payment for rehabilitation care after patients suffered serious illnesses and injuries.  It is the second suit filed following a STAT investigation that found Medicare Advantage insurers nationwide are using the algorithm to cut off patients’ rehabilitation care, forcing them to forgo treatment or pay thousands of dollars out of pocket.  An earlier complaint was filed against the algorithm’s maker, NaviHealth, and the company that owns NaviHealth, UnitedHealth Group. 

ACA cliff may mean ‘huge premium shock’ for 22 million people in 2026  [cnbc.com]

Affordable Care Act insurance premiums are set to rise sharply next year if Congress doesn’t intervene. That’s because enhanced subsidies that have reduced costs for millions of enrollees in health plans purchased through the ACA marketplace in recent years are set to expire after 2025. (The ACA is also referred to as Obamacare.)

Shutdown talk heats up as Democrats insist on stopping health care cuts  [apnews.com]

“House Democrats will not support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people. That’s what this shutdown fight is all about, Mr. President,” Jeffries said.  A test vote by the GOP on a short-term spending bill that would keep the federal government fully operational when the new budget year begins Oct. first into mid-November without any ACA relief failed. 

The government could shut down in less than a week. Here's what you need to know    [ABCnews.com]

What happens if there is a government shutdown?  Millions of federal employees will go without a paycheck and many essential workers will be told to come to work without pay.  ICE agents will go without pay. National parks will close.  Federal contractors will not work but will not have guaranteed back pay.  Core programs, like social security, medicare and medicaid, will keep running because their funding is built into law. But a popular Medicare benefit (telehealth) has already ended, and local health centers may be at risk unless Congress acts soon. More than 6.7 million older adults got their healthcare through telehealth last year.  But the Obamacare subsidies that allowed many individuals and families who do not have access to affordable health insurance thru work a way access to  healthcare at an affordable price. Unless Congress takes action to extent the subsidies, out-of-pocket premiums could grow by as much as 114% next year, according to a KFF analysis. Democrats want to work with the GOP to provide some relief for the individuals and families caught in this healthcare dilemma. But so far Trump and the GOP say no. Social Security and federal retiree payments are not affected.

Trump, justifying domestic military action, tells Pentagon leaders to ‘handle’ the ‘enemy from within’

President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave a campaign-style speech to the nation’s top military brass, suggesting that  “dangerous” American cities should be used as Pentagon “training grounds” during a 72-minute speech. “Inner cities are a big part of war,” Trump said.  The unprecedented event, with nearly every general and admiral from the military present, cost the government millions of dollars to fly the officers in from active combat zones and critical jobs.

White House Unveils ‘TrumpRx’ Drug-Buying Site and a Pfizer Pricing Deal  [WSJ]

President Trump on Tuesday unveiled a direct-to-consumer website for Americans to buy drugs, dubbed TrumpRx, and announced that Pfizer plans to offer some of its drugs on the site at a reduced rate.   The latest developments followed on Trump’s call for pharmaceutical companies to participate in a direct-to-consumer drug-buying platform, and to offer the “most favored nation” pricing—commonly understood as prices lower or comparable to those in other developed nations.