News

  • Legislative Update For The Week Ending July 8 2011 Feed

    (Washington, DC) – Seventy-eight percent of retirees think Congress should cap what Medicare beneficiaries must spend out-of-pocket on prescription drugs, according to new survey by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). Unlike other types of insurance, Medicare Part D has no annual out-of-pocket maximum. This leaves the sickest retirees spending hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in pharmacy costs for prescription medications every year. .Last year the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D- Calif.), passed major drug legislation that would have allowed the government to negotiate directly with the drug companies, thus bringing the prices of drugs down. The major drug companies, and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), opposed the legislation and would not allow the House-passed legislation to even be considered. .The temporary funding measure negotiated this week is expected to buy time for President-elect Donald Trump and members of the 115th Congress to negotiate a broad funding bill that will likely include language to fast-track the Affordable Care Act's repeal. In the months ahead, TSCL's legislative team will be following these discussions closely, and we will continue to advocate for legislation that would reduce any negative effects on beneficiaries of the Medicare program. Visit the Legislative News section of our website for updates. … Continued

  • Senior Citiziens League

    I believe Congress and the President should take plans for deficit reduction elsewhere. Social Security is a self-funded program and has no place in the deficit reduction debate. I will continue to oppose the proposed cuts to the Cost of Living Adjustment for Social Security because it will hurt our most vulnerable seniors. The average senior who retires at 65 will lose about ,000 over 15 years if chained CPI were put into place. For seniors living on a fixed income it could greatly impact their quality of life. .TSCL Gears Up For Busy New Year .This failure of the COLA to keep up with rising Medicare Part B premiums and other retiree costs is creating a dilemma that is growing in magnitude, not only for older Americans, but also for the nation's safety net programs like Medicaid. A majority of Social Security recipients depend on their benefits for more than half of their income, and almost half of all retirees have only limited or no retirement savings at all. The lack of adequate growth in benefits over the past eight years is pushing modest income seniors into poverty, forcing even those who started out as middle-income retiree households to rely on Medicaid for help paying Medicare costs, rental subsidies, fuel assistance, food pantries and senior meals programs. … Continued

On June 3, 2011, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security held a hearing on the Annual Trustees Report. The Subcommittee heard from the two Public Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare Board: Charles Blahous III and Robert Reischauer. .The potential cost in benefits based on illegal work is substantial. Failure to address this inconsistency of law could result in newly legalized immigrants receiving benefits for earnings received while breaking U.S. laws, at the same time U.S. workers and senior citizens who paid into the system legally over their entire careers receive benefit cuts and higher taxes. .By using reconciliation, it would mean there would have to billions of dollars cut from current spending programs, including Medicare. .Have you heard anything about congress fixing a Social Security cut for those of us born in 1960? — K.S. .In February of 2018, Congress took action and included a permanent repeal of the Medicare therapy cap in a two-year budget deal. The Senior Citizens League is proud to have endorsed the repeal of the therapy cap from the time such a repeal was proposed legislation in the Congress. .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. .However, you don't need to read the 265-page report to understand why Medicare is going broke. Last year, Medicare spent 3 billion, but only took in 6 billion—leaving a billion deficit in just one year. With 10,000 new individuals becoming eligible each day, it's only going to get worse. .As TSCL supporters well know, Congress has not been able to accomplish significant legislative reform to the convoluted drug pricing system even though anger about high drug prices has been rising for a long time. .TSCL feels the closing of the World War II Memorial is a prime example of backwards Administration priorities. Access to that memorial should never be barred in the first place. Its construction was funded heavily by donations from the public rather than solely by tax revenues, and many donations came from Notch Babies who formed the bulk of the fighting forces during World War II. In fact, TSCL members and supporters alone donated over ,749 for the World War II Memorial Foundation.