News

  • H R 3513 Prescription Drug Affordability Act

    Social Security is by far and away the nation's most successful and popular insurance program. .According to the Social Security Handbook, when Social Security decides an overpayment has been made, a written notice will be sent to the overpaid individual or the legal representative (such as guardians or estates), if any. People other than the beneficiary can be liable for overpayments if they are entitled to benefits on the same earnings record, like widows, divorced widows, spouses, divorced spouses, and children. .Alexandria, VSpiking drug prices are taking large numbers of Medicare beneficiaries by surprise according to a new survey by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). Sixty-one percent of people with Medicare drug coverage report higher co-pays and co-insurance costs than expected in 2014 according to more than 1,000 survey participants. The reason for the cost spikes may be tough for many beneficiaries to figure out, according to the survey. Sky-high drug prices are commonly associated with brand and newer specialty drugs, but cost spikes are now affecting generics as well. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending April 5 2013

    There was also a bipartisan proposal from Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that gained support in the Senate but it did not include price negotiation, and again, McConnell refused to bring the bill to the floor in an election year. .This week, Congressman Walter Jones (NC-3) introduced the Honesty in Consumer Price Index (CPI) Reporting Act (H.R. 3500), a bill that aims to make Social Security COLAs more fair and accurate for beneficiaries. It would accomplish this by requiring the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to report the CPI using the methodology that was employed back in 1980, around the time when COLAs first became automatic. .For details, or to see if your Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings during the summer recess, call their local offices. You can find contact information HERE. … Continued

Is Social Security A Ponzi Scheme? How Much In Social Security Income Can I Expect To Get? .Get an annual check up. Case in point: I recently helped a senior who hadn't seen a doctor in years, despite being a smoker. It took some urging, but she finally got a physical. She was shocked to learn that her blood pressure was high — dangerously so — and wound up driving straight to the pharmacy with a prescription for blood pressure medication. Visits to the doctor are far less expensive when you get there under your own steam rather than via an ambulance gurney. Starting this year, Medicare covers a yearly annual "wellness" exam and you pay nothing, if your doctor "accepts assignment" or the amount Medicare pays for the service. Do this before I have to nag you, too. .What you can do. If you come across an op-ed calling seniors "Greedy Geezers" in your paper or hear it elsewhere let's set the record straight. Send a letter to the editor of the publication where you see it and please send TSCL a copy! Send mail to: The Senior Citizens League, 1001 N. Fairfax St. 101, Alexandria, VA 22314. ."UnitedHealth Culls Doctors from Medicare Advantage Plans," Melinda Beck, Wall Street Journal, November 16, 2013. .But a COVID-19 vaccine will have an actual price tag. And given the prevailing business-centric model of American drug pricing, it could well be budget breaking, perhaps making it unavailable to many. .Fiscal Cliff Negotiations Continue .New Medicare Enrollees in 201Because these people are new to Medicare they have not had an increase in the Part B premium. Thus, they must pay the full amount in 2017 when they sign up. .Second, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-8) also signed on to the CPI for Seniors Act (H.R. 2016), bringing the total up to six cosponsors. If adopted, this bill would require the Bureau of Labor Statistics to create and publish a new inflation index specifically for seniors so that lawmakers can better understand the price increases older Americans are experiencing. .The Social Security Trustees estimated last year that SS payroll taxes in 2020 would be about 3.8 billion under average economic conditions. Thus the 6 billion cost of the payroll tax provision in the CARES Act appears to be as much as 42% of all anticipated Social Security revenues for 2020.