News

  • Risk Of Deeper Benefit Cuts When Congress Waits

    Throughout his testimony, Elmendorf stressed the fact that programs like Social Security and Medicare will continue to grow despite the slow pace of the economic recovery. Over the next ten years, he noted that the number of Americans over the age of sixty-five will increase by one-third. .Many expected the Obama administration to seek an emergency review of the decision by the Supreme Court, but on Wednesday, the Justice Department announced that it would not. Instead, the administration said it will focus on another 5th Circuit hearing that's scheduled for the week of July 6th. .Managing the cost of pet care grows more emotionally and financially challenging as we and our pets age. The cost of care often sets up ethical dilemmas, especially for older adults facing unfunded gaps in retirement income. … Continued

  • Legislative Update May 2015

    Medicaid is a federal and state healthcare program for low - income people. By law, the federal government pays no less than 50% of the costs, and states pay the balance. For the poorest states, the federal portion can be as high as 73%. .Last week the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report that revealed Medicare outpatient plans are three times more expensive for the same drugs as those covered by Medicaid. .Cruise passengers who are not fully vaccinated are more likely to get COVID-19, which spreads person-to-person, and outbreaks of COVID-19 have been reported on cruise ships. … Continued

If signed into law, the Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the windfall elimination provision (WEP) and the government pension offset (GPO), which have long prevented certain civil servants from receiving the full Social Security benefits they have earned. TSCL believes these two provisions should be repealed, and we were pleased to see support grow for the Social Security Fairness Act this week. .Two Bills Gain New Cosponsors .TSCL is working for legislation that would provide greater retirement security for older Americans as well as strengthening financing for Social Security. To learn more, visit . .Second, one new cosponsor – Representative Bradley Byrne (AL-1) – signed on to the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 1205), bringing the total up to 195 cosponsors. If adopted, this critical bill would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – two provisions that unfairly reduce the Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, police officers, and other state and local government employees each year. Its passage would ensure that retired public servants receive the Social Security benefits they have earned and deserve. .The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) agrees that lawmakers must pass legislation soon to address the growing costs of prescription drugs for older Americans. Comprehensive legislation like the Prescription Drug Affordability Act (S. 2023, H.R. 3513) would go a long way in making life-saving medications more affordable for Medicare beneficiaries, and we will continue to advocate for it in the months ahead. In the meantime, we are hopeful that officials at CMS will move forward slowly and thoughtfully with the Part B demonstration program to avoid harsh impacts on beneficiaries. For updates on the progress of the demonstration program, follow TSCL on Twitter or visit the Legislative News section of our website. .One of TSCL's goals this year was to end "surprise billing" – the situation that happens when some types of medical providers, including anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists, and labs may not be contracted with your health insurer even though they provide services at a hospital or facility that is in your health plan's provider network. So, in addition to your expected out-of-pocket costs, you also get a bill for the difference between what your insurer has agreed to pay that provider and the amount the provider billed for their services. .The market cap of Moderna, a small Boston-area company that has partnered with the National Institutes of Health in the vaccine race, has since Feb. 20, to billion from billion, turning its chief executive into an overnight billionaire. While Moderna's vaccine is regarded as a strong contender, the company has. .Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) have languished at exceptionally low levels in recent years. Administration officials and economists point to the sluggish economy and recent economic recession as the reason. But government tinkering with the consumer price index (CPI) is playing an enormous role in reducing the measured rate of inflation, in turn cutting the growth in Social Security benefits. .For each visitor to our website, The Senior Citizens League collects only the domain name and aggregate information on what pages are visited. This information is used to help improve the content and ease of use of our website.