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  • Category Tscl In The News Page 10

    In addition, your Social Security benefit is likely to be small anyway. When Social Security calculates the initial benefit, the amount of total earnings would be averaged over a 35-year (420 month) period to determine your average monthly earnings. While you become eligible with a little as ten years of earnings total, the SSA will still average your earnings over the 420-month period. This would produce a low average initial benefit amount. Then the WEP adjustment would reduce your initial benefit formula by scaling back the amount of average monthly earnings that would be credited toward your benefit. .We reported last week that President Trump has dropped his demand for a payroll tax cut in any new pandemic-related stimulus bill, which TSCL successfully lobbied against, along with many other groups. However, other issues have caused great difficulty in negotiations for a new bill, one of which has not received much attention in the main press. .In the past, supplemental benefits offered by MA plans were only required to be primarily health related and typically included dental, hearing or vision benefits. Starting in 2019, new supplemental benefits must be medically appropriate and recommended by a licensed provider as part of a care plan, and not offered simply to induce enrollment. Examples of the new supplemental benefits include adult day care services, in-home support services, home and bathroom safety devices, transportation, and home-based palliative care. However, to qualify for these benefits, you must be diagnosed with a condition for which these benefits are necessary, and the benefits must be listed by your physician as part of your plan of care. … Continued

  • Benefit Bulletin August 2015

    Congress should allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices by tying U.S. prices to prices paid in other industrialized countries like Canada, Great Britain and Japan where prices are lower. — 85 percent support, 13 percent not sure, and only 2 percent opposed. .Recently one of our readers asked "Is there a percentage as to how much less NOTCH BABIES receive monthly?" .In April, more than 150 House lawmakers proposed a budget blueprint that would have reformed the Medicare program and cut Social Security benefits by adopting the "chained" CPI, eliminating the COLA for some seniors, and raising the eligibility age. Did you support this budget blueprint, and if so, why? … Continued

Progress Report: Getting Congress On Board For Key Senior Issues .There are 1,313,935 active members/supporters. ."Sorting this out isn't easy for most seniors or family members who try to help them," Johnson admits. "Medicare Part D can befuddle all of us," Johnson says. "But comparing plans saves so much -- where else are you going to get this sort of return for your time?" Johnson wryly notes. "Just do it. If you don't have computer access, or just are not sure how to start, get the help of a Medicare benefits counselor from your State Health Insurance Program (SHIP), " Johnson urges. Many of the programs operate through local Area Agencies on Aging or you can call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, or call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE ( 7). .Each state operates their own LIHEAP program and has different rules about when to apply, how to apply, and the criteria to be met in order to get help. Although income requirements vary by location household incomes must be less than: .TSCL recently released an analysis of the proposal that estimates the chained CPI would cut the growth in average benefits of ,100 today by ,634 over the course of a 25-year retirement, and that assumes that the economy becomes more stable soon. The reductions in COLA growth compound over time, and are the deepest when seniors are the oldest and sickest. By the time seniors are in their late 80s or 90s, when they are most likely to have chronic health problems, monthly benefits would be about 5 lower using the chained CPI. .This week, lawmakers in the House and Senate remained in their home states and districts for a week-long holiday recess. They are expected to return to Washington on Monday, June 3rd. .This week, Members of Congress remained in their home states and districts to prepare for the upcoming election, and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) saw support grow for one key bill. .Can We Trust Congress After Surprise Social Security Cuts? .TSCL's research has consistently found that Medicare Part B premiums rank as one of the fastest growing senior costs. Yet Medicare premium costs are not included in the measure currently used to determine the annual COLA — one major reason why COLAs do such a poor job of keeping up with rising healthcare costs. TSCL continues to lobby for a more fair and accurate COLA and supports legislation that would use a seniors' index — like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) — to determine the annual boost.