Seniors connect with Sewell, state agency leaders at Linden meeting
Published 10:15 am Thursday, June 27, 2024
A large crowd attended the Congress in Your Communities hosted by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell in Linden. | Brent Maze, The Demopolis Times
A representative from the Rural Health Medical Program speaks during the Congress in Your Communities event hosted by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell. | Brent Maze, The Demopolis Times
Kyle McKinney from the Social Security Administration speaks during the Congress in Your Communities event hosted by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell. | Brent Maze, The Demopolis Times
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell talks about a pamphlet she made available to the Linden residents at the Congress in Your Communities event. | Brent Maze, The Demopolis Times
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Linden senior citizens got a chance to talk with state and federal representatives during a meet-and-greet with U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Selma, at the Linden Seniors Center Tuesday morning.
Seniors were able to connect with representatives from the Social Security Administration, the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission and the Rural Health Medical Program in addition to having a chance to ask questions of Sewell.
Topics covered during the discussion ranged from talking about legislation that was passed to help seniors and answering questions about obtaining affordable insurance. Two things Sewell highlighted was the two cost of living adjustments in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to capping insulin costs for seniors at $35 per month.
“I was the only member of Alabama’s delegation to vote in favor of (the Inflation Reduction Act),” Sewell said. “Not only did it cap insulin, but in 2025, it would cap annual out-of-pocket expenditures for our seniors to $2,000. So they can’t be charged more than $2,000 out of pocket in any one given year, starting in 2025.”
By keeping the cost of prescription drugs low, it will help seniors be able to pay the bills while still receiving the care they need.
“The concentration on lowering prescription drugs is an acknowledgement that we don’t want our seniors to have to choose between putting food on the table and having medicine. Rationing diabetes medicine has become a thing that seniors think about,” Sewell said. “We really wanted to make sure that our seniors could live in dignity and have the healthcare that they need. And social security is not an entitlement, it’s an earned benefit.”
Sewell said the meetings in the communities of her district are being tailored to the needs of that community. Some are her more traditional town hall meetings while others are like Linden, where she brought in leaders from other agencies to meet with residents.
“I’ve always said that the more you know, the better you are. The fact that our taxpayer money has gone to these kinds of resources,” Sewell said. “I just want to make sure that my constituents know how to access them. So today, we not only had federal agencies, but we had a state agency, the Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission to talk about state resources for our aging population.”
Sewell also said that her office is willing to assist constituents of her district getting access to any resources they are eligible to receive.
“So I’m really looking forward to continuing to tour the wonderful Alabama Seventh Congressional District, do our Congress in Your Communities and to have an opportunity to have an exchange between me and my constituents where I can learn what issues matter most of them and we can also deliver resources,” Sewell said.
