News

  • Best Ways To Save October 2019

    Catastrophic Coverage Period: When your total out-of-pocket spending reaches ,350, you hit the catastrophic stage of coverage. Your co-insurance drops to 5% coinsurance or co-pays of .60 generic, .95 brand, whichever is higher. You remain in the Catastrophic coverage period until December 31, 2020. .This week, one new cosponsor, Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (PA-8) signed on to the Public Servant Retirement Protection Act (H.R. 2797), bringing the cosponsor total up to eight. If signed into law, H.R. 2797 would repeal the windfall elimination provision (WEP) from the Social Security Act and establish a new formula for equalizing benefits for those with non-covered earnings. TSCL is very supportive of the Public Servant Retirement Protection Act since it would go a long way in granting dedicated public servants the retirement security they deserve. We were pleased to see one new cosponsor sign on this week, and we hope that support continues to grow in the coming months. .On housing, the President instructed key officials to "consider" whether there should be a ban on evictions. He also insists that state governments pick up the tab for some of the unemployment aid. But there are serious questions about whether states have the finances to pay the additional amount. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending September 29 2017

    The CPI-W gives less weight to medical care and housing costs — two categories that have climbed by more than 7 percent and almost 5 percent, respectively, over the past 12 months — and more weight to gasoline, which has deeply plunged over the past year. Older Americans tend to use more medical services and spend more of their budgets on housing than younger workers. Because the CPI-W excludes the spending patterns of people over the age of 62, it does not include things like rising Medicare premiums, which are one of the fastest growing costs in retirement. .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. .According to the group, the plan would reduce the deficit by trillion and it would save enrollees approximately ,500 per year, but it's controversial for two major reasons. First, it would completely eliminate traditional Medicare, whereas many other reform proposals would keep it as an option. Second, those already enrolled in Medicare would be affected by the transition, which would have a 2014 start date. Other reform proposals would delay implementation to protect seniors from any drastic or sudden changes. … Continued

This week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D- Calif.) introduced a more than trillion coronavirus aid package, a sweeping effort with trillion in aid for states and cities. It also includes billion for testing people for the novel coronavirus, direct payments of up to ,000 per U.S. household, billion in emergency grants for small business and billion for the U.S. Postal Service, among other things. .On Wednesday, Congressmen Elijah Cummings (MD-7) and Peter Welch (VT) met with President Donald Trump to discuss the state of the prescription drug industry. At the meeting, they requested President Trump's support for TSCL-backed legislation called the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act (H.R. 242, S. 41), which would require the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices on behalf of Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Currently, Medicare is prohibited from doing so despite the fact that other federal health programs are required to. .I'm a divorced retiree and I file taxes as a single household. Can you tell me why my benefits are taxed and how the income threshold that subjects Social Security benefits to tax is set? People who have adjusted gross incomes of ,000 (individual) can barely cover living expenses, let alone taxes too. Is there anything I can do to reduce this tax? .This week, The Senior Citizens League released its final estimate for the 2019 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), and four key bills gained support in Congress. .Medicare pays the plans a pre-determined monthly amount for each enrollee. Higher rates are paid for sicker patients, and lower amounts for people in good health. The "risk adjustment" policy is intended to avoid the problem of plans cutting corners on healthcare to boost profits. But the audits found pervasive problems with many plans overstating the severity of enrollees' medical conditions, with little documentation of the medical conditions being claimed. .Rather than working on bipartisan legislation to solve the rural healthcare crisis, many of my colleagues have instead chosen the fantasy of "free" healthcare for all. In reality, "Medicare-for-all," as they call it – would put more than 1,000 rural U.S. hospitals in 46 states "at high risk of closure" among other devastating consequences, according to experts. .Beneficiaries are telling other Mexicans about the Social Security benefits. .It's also important to note that airplanes' high-powered filtration systems aren't sufficient on their own to prevent outbreaks. If an airline isn't keeping middle seats open or vigilantly enforcing mask use, flying can actually be rather dangerous. Currently, the domestic airlines keeping middle seats open include Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest and JetBlue. .Congressman Elijah Cummings (MD-7) – Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee – announced his committee's investigation into twelve of the largest pharmaceutical companies in January. He said, "The goals of this investigation are to determine why drug companies are increasing prices so dramatically, how drug companies are using the proceeds, and what steps can be taken to reduce prescription drug prices." The first hearing that his committee held in the 116th Congress examined the causes of rising drug prices.