WASHINGTON — If you’re on Medicare, don’t run to the mailbox looking for a $200 prescription drug card courtesy of President Donald Trump. Government officials said Friday that key details of Trump's election-year giveaway still have to be fleshed out, including the exact timing and how Medicare's cost would be...
South Valley Man Arrested for Marketing Herbal Mixtures as COVID Treatment
A Porterville man has been arrested on charges that he fraudulently marketed and sold herbal mixtures as FDA approved treatments for COVID-19. Huu Tieu, 58, is charged with mail fraud and introducing a misbranded drug into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud. A grand jury indicted Tieu on July 9...
Trump's $4.8 Trillion Budget Proposal Revisits Rejected Cuts
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump unveiled a $4.8 trillion election year budget plan on Monday that recycles previously rejected cuts to domestic programs like food stamps and Medicaid to promise a balanced budget in 15 years — all while leaving Social Security and Medicare benefits untouched. Trump’s fiscal 2021 plan...
Full Text of President Trump's 2020 State of the Union Address
The full text of President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address, as provided by the White House. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020: Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow citizens: Listen to this article: Three years ago, we launched...
Former Merced Healthcare CEO Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
A former Merced healthcare executive is headed to federal prison for five years for fraud. U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neil handed Sandra Haar, 59, the prison sentence and ordered her to pay $6.1 million in restitution Monday in a Fresno courtroom. Haar was ordered to self-surrender Jan. 15 to begin...
AP FACT CHECK: Dems Flub Details on Guns, Syria in Debate
WASHINGTON — A dozen Democrats seeking the presidency tussled in a debate packed with policy, flubbing some details in the process. Several gave an iffy explanation Tuesday of why they're not swinging behind a bold proposal to make people turn over their assault-style weapons. Sloppiness also crept in during robust exchanges over...
Retiree Checks to Rise Modestly Amid Push to Expand Benefits
WASHINGTON — Millions of retirees will get a modest 1.6% cost-of-living increase from Social Security in 2020, an uptick with potential political consequences in an election year when Democrats are pushing more generous inflation protection. The increase amounts to $24 a month for the average retired worker, according to estimates released Thursday...
Nancy Pelosi Unveils Ambitious Plan to Lower Drug Prices
WASHINGTON — Putting her stamp on the health care issue that worries consumers the most, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to lower drug prices for seniors on Medicare and younger people with private insurance. Pelosi, D-Calif., would empower Medicare to negotiate prices for up to...
Democrats' Internal Battle Over Health Care Goes Back Decades
WASHINGTON — Seventy years ago, before Medicare existed to inspire "Medicare for All," a Democratic president wrestled with a challenge strikingly similar to what the party's White House hopefuls face today on the issue of health care. Harry Truman, then in his fourth year of pressing for a national health...
Compromise Bill Would Reduce Drug Costs for Seniors
WASHINGTON — Two veteran senators — a Republican and a Democrat — unveiled compromise legislation Tuesday to reduce prescription drug costs for millions of Medicare recipients, while saving money for federal and state health care programs serving seniors and low-income people. Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley and Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden...