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  • About Us Board And Staff Richard Rick Delaney

    TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 1030, H.R. 3118, and H.R. 1795, and we were pleased to see support grow for them this week. .The Affordable Care Act made changes that slowly close the doughnut hole, but it's a lot like trying to fill a bathtub when the drain is still open. In 2017, those who fall into the coverage gap will have lower coinsurance, paying 40% of brand-name prices and 51% of generic prices. In 2018, those numbers will fall to 35% and 44%, respectively. And in 2020, they will be responsible for the standard 25% of the costs of both brand-name and generic drugs. However, beneficiaries will continue to be saddled with an ever-growing out-of-pocket maximum that must be paid before catastrophic coverage begins. Over the next eight years, that maximum will grow from this year's ,850 to ,300 in 2024. ."We should not allow health insurers to limit how much cost-sharing assistance can help patients at the pharmacy counter," the spokesperson said. … Continued

  • Social Security Medicare Blamed Rising Deficits

    Estimating that this new rule would save approximately million over five years, CMS proposes to require Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans to "involuntarily dis-enroll" people who are in the country illegally, something that may prove difficult for private plans to substantiate. .For information about town hall meetings near you in the days ahead, call the local offices of your elected officials. For contact information, click HERE. .I'm enrolled in a Part D drug plan. I thought I would get my brand name drug Eliquis, for a copay, but I was charged 5.4Why was that? … Continued

This week, two new cosponsors signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (S. 567 and H.R. 3118), bringing the total up to three in the Senate and thirty-nine in the House. The new cosponsors are Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH) and Mark Pocan (WI-2). 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 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. The Strengthening Social Security Act would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. .A new audit performed this year by the SSA's Office of Inspector General found that the same problem persists. The Inspector General identified 26,033 spouses – who were eligible for about 5.3 million in higher retirement benefits (about ,502 a piece on average). .What cost increases should you keep an eye on in 2015? Prescription drugs! To learn more see "Unprecedented Generic Drug Price Spikes Wreaking Havoc." ."The greatest risk in flight would be if you happen to draw the short straw and sit next to or in front, behind or across the aisle from an infector," said Richard Corsi, who studies indoor air pollution and is the dean of engineering at Portland State University. .The group offers a Seniors Program that connects eligible seniors 65 and older with local volunteer ophthalmologists who provide a medical eye exam (often at no out-of-pocket cost), and up to one year of follow-up care for any conditions diagnosed during the initial exam. .The following four bills were the focus of Legislative Liaison Kluck's meetings on Capitol Hill in December… .The Senate was back in Washington this week, holding hearings and confirming judicial and executive branch nominees. And while those are official duties of the Senate, no new legislation was passed. .Changes in your earnings: Did you report increases in salary or commissions? You need to keep Social Security informed of higher earnings in order for your benefits to be accurately withheld. .TSCL is a non-partisan organization which means we work with whomever supports our legislative agenda, regardless of what party they belong to. We look forward to working with the new chairmen and women of the various Senate committees and with the minority members of the committees in achieving our goals.