| Volume 141 Number 55 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Hang up on spoofed SSA calls. If you get a call that looks like it’s from the Social Security Administration (SSA), think twice. Scammers are spoofing SSA’s 1-800 customer service number to try to get your personal information. Spoofing means that scammers can call from anywhere, but they make your caller ID show a different number – often one that looks legit. Here are few things you should know about these so-called SSA calls. Click here for more.
Trump Administration Plans to Use Medicare to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Consumers have long complained about the cost of prescription drugs, especially when the same drugs are sold for much less in other countries. It's one reason some consumers attempt to illegally purchase these medications from sources in Canada and other countries where they're much cheaper. In an attempt to put downward pressure on drug prices, the Trump administration hopes to use Medicare's buying power. Click here for more.
Your Money
Social Security, one of America's most popular public programs, will deliver a welcome change in 2019 to the nearly 48 million older adults collecting retirement benefits. The average monthly payment will rise by 2.8 percent, which is the biggest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) since 2012. It's not a huge amount—an average hike of $39 a month, with the average check rising to $1,461, vs. $1,422 in 2018. But even a few dollars more can make a big difference for many older Americans. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Plaintiff must arbitrate FDCPA claims against loan servicer. The US District Court for the Western District of Washington held that arbitration provisions in promissory notes signed by the plaintiff were broad enough to encompass her FCRA claim against the servicer of her student loans. The court found that the arbitration clause at issue – which provided for arbitration as to any claim that “ar[ose] from or relate[d] in any way to the Note” – was broad enough to encompass the plaintiff’s FCRA claims against Navient because its “reporting or investigatory actions on the loans [we]re inherently related to the underlying promissory Notes.” Howard v. Navient Solutions, LLC, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 180022 (W.D. Wa., Oct. 18, 2018) Click here for more.