Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans

09/06/2026

Another Federal Court Upholds Medicare Drug Price Negotiation

Last week, a federal appeals court rejected the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s (PhRMA) attempt to repeal Medicare drug price negotiation. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued the ruling on August 26, finding that drug price negotiation does not violate the pharmaceutical industry’s rights because participation is voluntary for corporations. The decision affirmed a previous court ruling dismissing PhRMA’s challenge.

The decision is the latest in a series of cases where judges ultimately rejected the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts to overturn drug price negotiation, including challenges brought by Boehringer Ingelheim and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Supreme Court also rejected drug corporations’ attempts to invalidate the law this May.

“Alliance members fought tirelessly for almost 20 years to give Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices for some of the most expensive prescription drugs used by older Americans,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance.

“We’re glad that once again judges have recognized that drug corporations should not get special treatment when they do business with the federal government. Congress must build on the success of Medicare drug price negotiation by expanding the number of prescription drugs that are eligible for the program.”

09/05/2026

We’re changing the way the future of care will be built in our country, and we’re doing it one conversation at a time.

Join us in the 1 Million Care Conversation campaign, a national effort to have more honest conversations about care so we can build a future that represents what we truly need.

Join the conversation and have your say: https://caringacross.formstack.com/forms/1_million_care_conversations_survey?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=toolkit&utm_campaign=care_conversations

09/04/2026

Social Security Administration Workers Call for More Staffing and Funding to Fix Chaos Caused by DOGE Cuts

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is urging Congress to restore $3 billion in funding and provide 20,000 additional workers for the Social Security Administration (SSA) as the agency continues to reel from last year’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts.

DOGE’s mass layoffs caused 7,400 SSA workers to lose their jobs last year, increasing claims processing backlogs and forcing the agency to reassign 1,000 employees from field offices to answering customer service calls. Employees and advocates report that since last year a number of “ghost offices” – field offices that are technically open but have such narrow hours of operation that they are essentially closed to the public – have emerged because of staffing cuts. Americans who have lost a spouse or parent are facing some of the longest delays, often waiting months for their claims to be processed or going hours without a callback.

“We want the American people to understand that it’s not the Social Security worker’s fault that the delays are happening on their benefits and services. We are human beings. We’re doing the best that we can. We’re being treated very poorly. We have been for the last year and a half. We need that to improve. We need more of everything at SSA, not less,” said Jessica LaPointe, president of AFGE Council 220.

In March, a group of twelve U.S. Senators sent a letter to the SSA demanding answers about the agency’s process for hiring, reassignments, and training.

“Americans paid into Social Security with each paycheck and they deserve to be able to have timely and straightforward access to the benefits they’ve earned,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. “Congress must take immediate action to fully staff and fund the Social Security Administration.”

09/04/2026

08/30/2026

Chicago today! SEIU Healthcare Essential Care Fest! Our partners at SEIU invited the Alliance to table and we gladly accepted! Live music, food trucks, wellness area, and dozens of community groups to network with and show appreciation to all of our care workers organized with SEIu Healthcare!

3.5 hours to the south yesterday, 2 hours to the North today! It’s been a weekend from the bottom to the top of the state!

SEIU Healthcare IL & IN

08/23/2026

We are just one month away from our FREE conference for retirees and future retirees (all ages welcome), Lunch is included and we are welcoming the IL Labor History Society, Alliance for Retired Americans, Caring Across Generations, student speaker Andrew Fransen, and more! Registration is open for two more weeks!

08/22/2026

Some of our central Illinois chapter members are enjoying this beautiful day in uptown Normal at the sweetcorn circus! They are at a table in front of the Coffee House and deli. If you’re in Normal Illinois today, come by and say hello.

08/20/2026

IARA president Peter Mendoza speaks on the floor of the AFSCME convention representing his retiree union.

08/17/2026

Who said retirees didn’t know how to cut loose? Its time to raise the roof Chicago!!!

08/17/2026

Some Good News from the Social Security Administration!

14 Medical Conditions Are Now Eligible for Expedited Disability Applications.

This week, the Social Security Administration added 14 conditions eligible for the Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program. The program – which started in 2008 – allows Social Security Administration (SSA) workers to process Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) applications for people with certain health conditions more quickly.

The 14 new conditions are:
Adenylosuccinate Lyase Deficiency – Neonatal Form and Type 1,
Aicardi Syndrome, Baraitser-Winter Syndrome, Beare-Stevenson Cutis Gyrata Syndrome, Bohring-Opitz Syndrome, CASK-Related Gene Disorders, Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma, Lafora Disease, Malignant Migrating Partial Seizures of Infancy (MMPSI), OPHN1 Syndrome, Primary Cardiac Sarcoma, Primary Intracranial Malignant Melanoma, Uveal Melanoma – with Metastases,
and Warburg Micro Syndrome.

There are 300 other conditions that qualify for Compassionate Allowances.

“This is a positive move. People with these conditions should be able to access the benefits they’ve earned in a timely manner,” said Joseph Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance.