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  • Legislative Update For The Week Ending September 9 2011 Feed

    Some deficit cutters contend that the out-of-pocket costs that Medicare beneficiaries pay will have to go up and seniors should pay more for their Medicare benefits. "This survey is powerful testimony to those who hold such beliefs," says TSCL Chairman Larry Hyland. "This survey indicates that they don't understand how much seniors already spend for their healthcare, and how many have already cut back," Hyland adds. "With the majority of seniors depending on Social Security for at least half of their income, and healthcare costs increasing several times faster than benefits, few beneficiaries can afford to pay any more than they already do for their healthcare," he notes. .Because the House of Representatives has 435 members its rules are much less complicated than the Senate's, which has 100 members. If the House had the same rules as the Senate, nothing would ever be accomplished. .According to the study, the Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) has increased benefits just 38% since 2000, while typical senior expenses have jumped 81 percent, more than twice as much. Seniors with average Social Security benefits in 2000 received about 6 per month, a figure that rose to ,129.80 by 201However, those seniors would require a Social Security benefit of ,477.00 per month in 2013 just to maintain their 2000 level of buying power. … Continued

  • Soaring Drug Costs Have More Of Us Demanding To Know Why

    The subcommittee's bill would repeal the formula and replace it with an enhanced fee-for-service system, while also allowing doctors to opt-out and participate in alternative payment models that emphasize quality. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by a voice vote on Tuesday, but much work remains to be done. Lawmakers have not yet determined how they will offset the full cost of the bill, although it does currently include funding for some provisions by authorizing transfers from the Medicare Part B Trust Fund. .In making the 1977 changes, Congress, wanting to avoid an abrupt change, allowed persons born from 1917 through 1921 to use a special transitional benefit formula or the new 1977 formula, whichever would yield the higher of the two benefits. The transition benefit formula never delivered the promised benefit protection, however, because it did not yield a higher benefit amount. Instead, the new benefit formula most often yielded the higher amount. .The Senate Finance Committee recently passed The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act out of committee and now it heads to the floor for further action. The bill, which has support of both Democrats and Republicans would, among other things, cap drug prices based on the rate of inflation. … Continued

To qualify for Medicare coverage, beneficiaries must be an inpatient for at least 3 days in a row, not counting the day of discharge. What you can do: If admitted to a hospital, it's highly important that you, or your designated caregiver, find out immediately whether you are being admitted to the hospital as an inpatient or an outpatient. Even if you are admitted as an inpatient, the hospital can sometimes switch you to observation (and outpatient) status, but the hospital is required to notify you while you are still a patient. Should this happen to you, ask your caregiver to take steps to have the decision reversed while you are still a patient. .Immigration reform that provides work authorization, and a pending Social Security Totalization Agreement with Mexico, could mean that a very substantial amount of earnings in the ESF file would be reinstated in the future. Because earnings are used to determine both the number of quarters of coverage worked for insured status, and is used to calculate the initial benefit, this poses a substantial liability to the Social Security Trust Fund worsening its solvency. .This week, two new cosponsors – Reps. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (NY-25) and Joyce Beatty (OH-3) – signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3118), bringing the total up fifty-four. If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E), resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 3118 since it would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. We were pleased to see support grow for it this week. .The only order of business was a resolution which "condemns in the strongest possible terms the horrific attack which occurred." The resolution was passed unanimously. The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) offers its condolences to the victims, friends, and families of those who were murdered or injured and wishes every surviving victim a speedy and successful recovery. .According to a recent survey by The Senior Citizens League, 74 percent of survey participants favor applying the 12.4% Social Security payroll tax to all earnings. To learn more, visit . .The Senior Citizens League strongly believes allowing the HHS Secretary to negotiate with the drug companies is one important way to reduce the costs of drugs for seniors. We will be continuing our efforts to get Congress to pass legislation that would make this possible. .Although immigration law forbids work without authorization, immigrants do find jobs and employers report their earnings to SSA. Currently there are no official published data on the amount of money paid into the Social Security system by aliens whether legal or illegal.(5) Social Security's Chief Actuary, Stephen C. Goss, however, has been quoted in the news media as saying that about three quarters of "other–than–legal" immigrants pay payroll taxes.(6) .COLA Cuts .Create a family documentary. Create a family scrap-book with old photos and memorabilia. If you have access to a computer and scanner or a friend with one, scan old photos for a digital family scrapbook you can share online. If a family member is good with making videos, consider doing a mini-documentary. Think of the questions you have about your ancestors and ask yourself the same. Like how you and your spouse met, how your family coped during a particularly hard time, or document a skill or craft that you love. This is also a good way to teach cooking your favorite family foods! Upload the video to YouTube to share with your family and send a link in a holiday email.