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  • Tscl Continues Working For Notch Reform

    Pressure is on Congress and President Obama to reach a deficit reduction agreement to address rising federal debt. Many analysts expect that cutting annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) will be a central part to any agreement. That would not only cut the benefits of more than 53 million Social Security recipients, but those of Railroad Retirement recipients, military and federal worker retirees as well. .Why ban the use of earnings from unauthorized work to determine Social Security benefits? Under current law Social Security uses all earnings to calculate Social Security benefits. That means earnings of unauthorized immigrants from jobs worked under invalid and fraudulent Social Security numbers (SSN) can be used both to qualify for benefits and for the calculation of the initial retirement benefit. There is no official published data on the amount of wages on file attributable to aliens working without authorization, but the Social Security Administration maintains an earnings suspense file that represents an estimated 3.5 billion in wages from 2000 through 2010[2], most of it believed to be attributable to illegal workers. Under immigration reform, that could mean a huge new liability for Social Security in the future, triggering more rounds of cuts and higher taxes. .As debate intensifies over the cost of medicines, a new analysis found that prescription drug prices were on average 2.5 times more expensive in the U.S. than in 32 other countries. And that gap widened to 3.4 times costlier when looking specifically at brand-name medications. … Continued

  • Two Ways New President Can Improve Social Security Benefits Women

    Sources: "Medicare Beneficiaries Sue US Over Hospital Stays," David Morgan, Reuters, November 3, 2011. .The TREA Senior Citizens League News Room is the online resource for reporters to learn more about our work on behalf of seniors. With 1.2 million members, TREA Senior Citizens League is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups. If you require additional assistance or would like to request an interview, please contact us. .Ticket to ride. If you still drive, consider issuing "Tickets to Ride" to friends or family members who don't drive any more. Type or hand letter tickets on colorful construction paper. Offer rides to doctor visits, stores, or even to visit out-of-town friends and relatives. If you are handy with the computer and want fancier artwork, do an online search for "free ticket artwork." You can find a number of free images that you can copy for your own use. … Continued

There is no simple, direct mechanism for regulators or legislators to control pricing. Our laws, in fact, favor business: Medicare is not allowed to engage in price negotiations for medicines covered by its Part D drug plan. The Food and Drug Administration, which will have to approve the manufacturer's vaccine for use as "safe and effective," is not allowed to consider proposed cost. The panels that recommend approval of new drugs generally have no idea how they will be priced. .Senate Committees Question OMB Nominee .Fortunately, H.R. 3 is not the only legislation in either house of Congress that could lower drug prices and accomplish the other things necessary to fix Medicare and Social Security. .There's an old saying: "Laws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made." .The Senior Medicare Patrol informs and empowers beneficiaries so that they may better detect, report, and protect against Medicare fraud. Volunteers focus on identity protection, and they also teach seniors to identify potential scams and to properly read their Medicare Summary Notices. There were more than fifty active Senior Medicare Patrol projects as of last year, with at least one in each state. To learn more about the Senior Medicare Patrol or to find a program near you, click HERE. .Doc Fix for Medicare Providers – Establish a permanent solution in order to bring greater stability to doctor reimbursements, ensuring continued access. .Such logic would be disastrous if it were applied to a successful COVID vaccine. COVID-19 has shut down countless businesses, creating record-high unemployment. And the medical consequences of severe COVID-19 mean weeks of highly expensive intensive care. .There's hardly anyone who isn't feeling the effects of our "Great Recession." We've learned of seniors sharing depression-era survival techniques with younger family members. Meanwhile their Baby Boomer children nearing retirement wonder if they'll ever have enough money to retire. .Obviously we will continue to push for passage of those bills and keep you updated about their progress as things develop.