News

  • Frequently Asked Questions About Tscl And The Social Security Notch Issue

    Rep. Allyson Schwartz's (PA-13) Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574) also gained support this week. One new cosponsor – Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-1) – signed on, bringing the total up to thirty-four. If signed into law, Rep. Schwartz's bill would repeal and replace the SGR, bringing increased stability to the Medicare program for both physicians and beneficiaries. .Sixty-five percent of people surveyed by The Senior Citizens League support lifting the thresholds that subject Social Security benefits to taxation. The Senior Citizens League is seeking input from the public on this issue. To participate in a survey about Social Security and Medicare, visit . .Medicare first started covering rehabilitation services in 197Just seven years later in 1979, Congress enacted a cap of 0 on outpatient therapy due to concerns that rehabilitation outpatient services would take over the Medicare budget. The cap – which was indexed to medical inflation – remained in place until the passage of the "Balanced Budget Act of 1997," when a ,500 cap was passed into law and set to take effect in 199However, President Clinton halted the implementation of the ,500 cap, leaving services open to reimbursements by Medicare. Since 1999, several bills introduced in Congress sought to either repeal or keep the spending cap on rehabilitation services, with the cap drawing bipartisan criticism as being unfair to Medicare beneficiaries. … Continued

  • Category Issues Medicare Part D Articles Page 8

    Just as today, in 1977 the federal budget was in deficit, and Social Security was facing a funding crisis. The new benefit formula changes first affected seniors who turned 62 in 1979 just two years later. Seniors born from 1917 through 1926 wound up receiving lower benefits than other retirees with almost identical work and earnings records. Although reductions of about 10 percent for average earners were expected at the time of the changes, Notch babies were often affected by disparities of 20 percent or more, because a phase-in benefit formula failed. .Sources: "The Long-Term Budget Outlook," CBO, June 20"CBO: Deficit Would Soar In Coming Decades Despite Obama's Health Overhaul," Lori Montgomery, The Washington Post, June 30, 2010. .In a January 2017 survey of The Senior Citizens League's members and supporters, 34 percent said they itemize deductions for out-of-pocket healthcare costs most years. One member of The Senior Citizens League – William P. from California – recently contacted us to share his concerns about the elimination of the medical expense deduction. William is home-bound due to several medical conditions, and he relies on home health aides to provide him with lifesaving care on a daily basis. At the age of 61, William is not yet eligible for Medicare and he expects the out-of-pocket cost of his care to total ,000 by the end of this year. The elimination of the medical expense deduction would be a major financial loss for him. … Continued

Social Security's Disability Insurance program is littered with waste. Last year, for example, .8 billion in overpayments were made to those collecting disability benefits. In addition, the administration has allowed an enormous backlog to accumulate for Continuing Disability Reviews, which are conducted to determine whether a beneficiary has recovered enough to return to work. Currently, every dollar spent reviewing cases yields more than ten dollars in savings; if the backlog were eliminated, more than billion in savings would be returned to the Trust Fund. The potential savings from eliminating waste within Social Security are enormous and could cover the cost of the Notch Fairness Act. Second, Congress could increase the amount of income subject to the Social Security payroll tax – an option that sixty-seven percent of TSCL members strongly supported in this year's Senior Survey. Currently, yearly income earned above 0,100 is not subject to the payroll tax. .The deal will likely move to the House and Senate for a vote before the Presidents Day recess begins. .Seniors have lost almost one-third of their buying power since 2000, according to the 2013 Annual Survey of Senior Costs, conducted by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). TSCL's latest report adds fuel to the heated debate over controversial budget proposals to cut Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). .In addition to delivering petitions to Congressional offices, TSCL's Board of Trustees and legislative team – which is led by former Congressman David Funderburk and Mrs. Betty Funderburk – have met personally with more than fifty lawmakers and their top aides. Some highlights include meeting with the following Members of Congress: Rep. Eliot Engel (NY-16), sponsor of the Guaranteed 3% COLA Act (H.R. 1585); Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-4), sponsor of the CPI-E Act (H.R. 1030); Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), Co-Chair of the Seniors Task Force; Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC-7), sponsor of the Notch Fairness Act (H.R. 155); and Sen. Marco Rubio (FL), member of the Senate's "Gang of Eight" and sponsor of comprehensive immigration reform legislation. .TSCL opposes the payment of Social Security and Medicare benefits that are based on illegal work, and supports legislation that would ban Social Security work credits based on unauthorized earnings from being used to determine entitlement. .Support Grows for Notch Fairness Act .Earlier this year, I introduced the Today's American Dream Act (H.R. 1084) to ensure that mature workers can get those new skills and get back to work. This bill contains two key provisions. The first creates and expands computer skill and resume writing job-training programs, exclusively for workers over the age of 5The second adds greater flexibility to existing programs so they can better target and serve mature workers who have unique skill gaps and needs, often because of family commitments. .This week, the CBO released its report on the long term budget outlook, which found that the federal debt is projected to increase from today's rate of 74 percent of GDP to 106 percent of GDP in twenty-five years if no major changes are made. The nonpartisan agency said the trend cannot be sustained indefinitely, and already, the total amount of debt held by the public is "higher than at any point in U.S. history except a brief period around World War II." .The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) the agency within the Department of Labor that gathers information about prices that consumers pay in order to determine the inflation rate, and therefore the COLA for next year, has let it be known that because of the virus they are going to have to estimate some of the costs of goods and services instead of finding out what they actually are.