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  • Issues Prescription Drug Policies Feed

    We need to throw out the stereotype we've had that when you're 65 you quit working and head to the golf course. In the wake of the Great Recession, it doesn't really work financially for most folks. Even though my book has the word "retirement" in the title, about one-third of the chapters deal with careers and work at midlife and beyond -- tips for finding jobs, starting an entrepreneurial venture or launching an encore career focused on social contribution. .At Wednesday's hearing, many of the Subcommittee members expressed their support for this model of paid family leave, while others spoke about the detrimental impact it would have on the Social Security program. Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) – Ranking Member of the Subcommittee – said in his opening statement: "Using your retirement security to fund paid time off from work when you have a child is not paid family leave at all – it's robbing from your retirement to be able to care for loved ones now … I want to work together, but a plan that's a first step toward privatizing Social Security – the bedrock of our social safety net – is no place to start." .TSCL is working to convince Congress to enact a bill that provides an emergency COLA. The organization supports the Seniors and Veterans Emergency (SAVE) Benefits Act (S. 2251, H.R. 4144), which would provide Social Security beneficiaries with a one-time emergency COLA of 3.9 percent. For the average retiree, the emergency COLA would amount to around 0 dollars. To learn more, visit . … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending May 9 2014

    Will Our New Congress Pass a Benefit Boost? .Social Security is one of the only types of retirement income that provides a small increase annually to keep up with inflation. But in recent years, inflation as measured by the government's Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) has been almost non-existent, averaging just 1.2 percent per year since 2010, less than half the 3 percent inflation averaged the decade prior to 2010. .When working Social Security recipients who are younger than full retirement age earn more than the annual earnings limit amount, their benefits will be reduced. The Social Security Administration likes to point out that these benefit reductions are "not truly lost because your benefit will be increased at your full retirement age to account for benefits withheld due to earlier earnings." But as you have discovered, you can sometimes wind up owing money to Social Security that was not withheld properly. … Continued

Legislation to Control Drug Prices Possible This Year? .TSCL strongly believes that the current formula breeds uncertainty within the Medicare program. Some doctors have stopped accepting Medicare patients due to the steep pay cuts that the formula regularly calls for, and many more are threatening to do so if a permanent solution is not established soon. Rep. Schwartz's bill would do just that, bringing much-needed stability to the program for both doctors and seniors. TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 574, and we were pleased to see support grow for it this week. .This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill and resumed work on a stopgap funding measure for fiscal year 2015, which begins on October 1st. In addition, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) saw support grow for three key bills. .The following Members of Congress, among others, will hold town halls this week: Sen. Michael Crapo (ID), Sen. Jerry Moran (KS), Sen. Mike Lee (UT), Rep. Frank Lucas (OK-3), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), and Rep. Donna Edwards (MD-4). .However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you do not have symptoms. .In March, the Trump administration paused routine nursing home inspections, which typically occur about once a year. Instead, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asked that state agencies focus on inspecting facilities for their infection control practices, such as whether staff wash their hands or properly wear protective clothing before tending to multiple patients. .The total revenues in the sample could pay the Social Security benefits of 897 retirees, with an average monthly benefit of ,400, for an entire year. Or, that revenue could be used to provide a modest boost to the COLA of 448,560 retirees in the first year, by tying the annual inflation adjustment to the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). .Congress Still Can't Get Its Work Done .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.