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Senator Chuck Schumer is backing a push led by Senator Bernie Sanders to boost Medicare coverage, plus Biden proposes the world’s highest capital gains tax, Senate set for voting rights fight and more top stories in Democratic politics.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is backing a push led by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to add dental, vision, and hearing coverage to Medicare.
“There is a gaping hole in Medicare that leaves out dental, vision, and hearing coverage,” Schumer wrote on Twitter. “This is a serious problem. I’m working with @SenSanders to push to include dental, vision, and hearing Medicare coverage in the American Jobs and Families Plans.”
“If you talk to family medicine or primary care doctors, they will tell you with certainty that ignoring medical issues related to dental, vision, and hearing often devolves into far more serious medical problems for people — especially seniors — that cost more to treat and are harder to remedy,” Schumer said, the New York Daily News reported. “With the current Medicare platform, those three things are just left out, like it’s no big deal. But it is a big deal and we should fix it.”
The months-long fight in the Senate over voting rights is expected to come to a vote on Tuesday on a sweeping bill that seeks to overhaul federal elections, called the “For the People Act.” The bill will require 60 votes to advance beyond the GOP filibuster.
With Republicans reportedly dug in against the Bill, the vote is likely to fail, The Hill reported. However, Democrats are hoping to unite its 50 members in the Senate in order to cast a political spotlight on Republican opposition. Reportedly, the lone holdout is Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV).
“As we speak, we are working to come up with an agreement to compromise with Joe Manchin,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters.
During a pride event at Orlando veteran center in Florida, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough announced that gender confirmation surgery will be available to transgender veterans through Veterans Affairs health care coverage, the Independent reported.
President Joe Biden has proposed a rate of 39.6% on long-term capital gains and qualified dividends. Considering average state taxes, and a 3.8% federal surtax, the wealthiest Americans would pay a total of almost 49%.
Only one developed nation has a higher tax rate, Ireland at 51 percent, CNBC reported.
