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    In presenting the award, TSCL Chairman Larry Hyland stated: "Congressman McIntyre's dedication and commitment to defending the benefits of seniors is greatly appreciated and has not gone unnoticed … By taking a stand, he brings seniors one step closer to the retirement security they deserve." TSCL was pleased to announce Rep. McIntyre as the recipient of the 2012 Seniors Advocate Award this week, and we are grateful for his hard work on behalf of seniors across the country. .TSCL Calls On Congress To Close The Loop Hole .Sources: "Salaries of Members of Congress," Ida A. Brudnick, Congressional Research Service, February 1, 2012. … Continued

  • Ask The Advisor Part D Fails Enrollees Who Take Expensive Drugs

    In addition, one new cosponsor – Rep. William Keating (MA-9) – signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3118). The cosponsor total is now up to sixty-three. If signed into law, H.R. 3118 would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would base COLAs upon the CPI-E, resulting in more accurate annual increases; and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. The bill would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. .Now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has told hospitals they can't hide their prices from web searches. .Millicent Graves of Williamsburg, Virginia recently was shocked to discover an astounding price range in the same generic drug after her doctor prescribed a different form of Clobetasol propionate, commonly used to treat psoriasis. When she filled her previous prescription in December of 2014 for the Clobetasol solution, she paid — the full retail cost. But when filling the first prescription for Clobetasol foam in 2015, Graves discovered the retail cost was 5.8And five weeks later when she refilled her prescription for the foam, the cost had jumped dramatically— to 7, making the total difference in price between the solution and foam 1,691%. "When I looked at the receipt I almost passed out," she says. "Everything is the same as the first bottle! It's price gouging," she says. … Continued

What can you do? .Each month, due to the Social Security Act Amendments that were signed into law in 1977, more than 3.7 million Notch babies receive Social Security checks that are lower than the benefits they originally anticipated. Last year, Representative Mike McIntyre (NC-7) introduced the Notch Fairness Act, a bill that would provide modest compensation to those who were born in the Social Security Notch, or those years between 1917 and 192Even though TSCL lobbies aggressively in favor of the Notch Fairness Act, many Members of Congress believe that the bill's passage is unlikely this year because it would add approximately .9 billion to a growing deficit. To offset the cost of the Notch Fairness Act, we've come up with three fair and responsible options that we hope Congress will consider. First, Congress could increase efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse. .In addition, when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill on Monday to begin the lame-duck session, TSCL will keep a close eye on the evolving budget negotiations. Lawmakers have until December 9th to negotiate legislation to keep the federal government operating. Should they fail to miss the looming deadline, the federal government will shut down like it did back in 2013, and Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries could see negative impacts. For progress updates from Capitol Hill, visit the Legislative News section of our website, or follow TSCL on Twitter. .It will also amend existing law to allow the Secretary of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Social Security (SSA) to administer Combined Application Projects (CAP) in at least 10 additional states, which will streamline application procedures for SSI and SNAP. Seventeen states currently participate in this program. .Yes, of course, Americans' health is priceless, and reining in a deadly virus that has trashed the economy would be invaluable. .Action on Capitol Hill was slow this week as lawmakers remained in their home states and districts for the holiday recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill to begin the second session of the 114th Congress on Tuesday, January 5th. Check back then for legislative news, or visit our new page on Twitter for more frequent updates. .Congressional support for a bi-partisan deficit reduction solution before the November 21st deadline is dwindling as each day passes. Republican co-chairman of the joint committee, Rep. Jen Hensarling (TX-5), expressed discontent with Democratic colleagues this week for rejecting the latest GOP offer. "I will give my Democratic colleagues credit for at least putting some reforms on the table, but frankly they do not solve the problem," Hensarling said. .Need more help? Free one-on-one counseling is available through State Health Insurance Programs (SHIP). To get contact info for your area visit http://shiptacenter.org. .To address this issue, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (AZ), suggested that the Committee focus on waste, fraud, and abuse, since it's a topic that generally has bipartisan support. He stated, "Some people fear the solution has to be a cut in benefits. There may be very substantial savings that can be achieved through efficiencies." Most at the hearing seemed to agree with him.