News

  • Q July 2018

    (Washington, DC) – A new survey seeking to learn the financial impact of the coronavirus on older Americans indicates that almost half of retirees say they have gone without essential items. According to the survey by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), 48 percent of survey respondents report they have gone without food, prescription drugs, face masks, and disinfecting cleaning products during the coronavirus pandemic. "Our survey suggests that almost half of the nation's retirees may not have the resources needed to cope with COVID-19," says Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League. .Obama's new policy for illegal immigrants was recently announced and implemented without Congressional approval. Now questions are growing about the potential for widespread fraud — and with good reason, it seems. Less than two months after the government announced some 800,000 illegal immigrants would qualify for work authorization under the program, immigration policy analysts now say that more than twice that number, nearly 1.8 million, will qualify. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security appears to be accepting a surprisingly wide variety of evidence and supporting documents from applicants, hoping to prove that they qualify to stay in the U.S. and for temporary work authorization. .In your book The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security you say that today's retirees need to "rethink retirement." In what ways do our ideas about retirement need changing? … Continued

  • Ask Advisor June 2017

    Social Security is the largest single source of income for older Americans, providing the majority of income for half of retirees, and at least 90% of income for 18% of retirees, according to another think tank, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. .Each month, due to the Social Security Act Amendments that were signed into law in 1977, more than 3.7 million Notch babies receive Social Security checks that are lower than the benefits they originally anticipated. Last year, Representative Mike McIntyre (NC-7) introduced the Notch Fairness Act, a bill that would provide modest compensation to those who were born in the Social Security Notch, or those years between 1917 and 192Even though TSCL lobbies aggressively in favor of the Notch Fairness Act, many Members of Congress believe that the bill's passage is unlikely this year because it would add approximately .9 billion to a growing deficit. To offset the cost of the Notch Fairness Act, we've come up with three fair and responsible options that we hope Congress will consider. First, Congress could increase efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse. .TSCL Endorses New COLA Bill … Continued

What is the full retirement age for Social Security? .A few weeks after a 90-year old woman was moved into an assisted living facility, her daughter was surprised to be told that her mother was a good candidate for hospice. The move to assisted living was only intended for help with her mother's daily care, and her. Another Banner Year For Medicare Fraud? , editor .This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for six key bills that would strengthen the Social Security and Medicare programs. .In addition, the AHCA would repeal a tax created by the ACA that serves as a critical funding stream for Medicare's Hospital Insurance Trust Fund. Cutting the tax would accelerate the insolvency of the Medicare Part A Trust Fund, and in a matter of a few years, it would become exhausted. In a Washington Post opinion piece, former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Andy Slavitt wrote, "That's clearly no accident: The program would wind up right where ‘entitlement hawks' such as House Speaker Paul D Ryan (R-Wis.) want it – in crisis. If this bill became law, the speaker would finally be positioned to change Medicare to a voucher program." .Republicans Sweep Tuesday's Elections .Your cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) "overpays" you. Yes, that is an outrageous statement — especially since you haven't gotten a COLA boost for two years. Nevertheless, calling it "The Moment of Truth Project," that's what the President's Fiscal Commission is saying in making the case for the government to switch to a more slowly- growing "chained" Consumer Price Index (CPI). .Five years after IPAB's creation, it still has no appointed members and, due to record-low growth in healthcare costs, it hasn't been triggered to make recommendations to Congress yet. Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, says she doesn't expect it to be triggered until 201But hundreds of lawmakers have serious concerns about the prospect of the board since it would be comprised of unelected and unaccountable appointees. They are hoping to pass legislation that would do away with it by the end of this year. .If you receive a call from a person claiming to be from SSA, and that person asks you to provide your Social Security number or other information don't give it out over the phone. Contact your local SSA and report the call – it's likely to be a scam. .You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.