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    Congress did not receive any automatic pay adjustment this year. With so many Americans (including seniors) suffering from long-term financial set backs, and so many workers out of jobs, lawmakers wisely opted to forego a raise. They last received a pay raise in January 200At the time their salary was increased 2.8% to 4,000 from 9,300. While the recession was taking a bite out of Americans' income, the pay of Members of Congress grew by ,800 from the time the recession began at the end of December 2007 through 2009, according to the Congressional Research Service. Over the decade 2000 through 2009, Congress gave themselves a total of 9 pay hikes, raising their salaries a total of ,300 from 6,700 in 1999 to the 4,000 that they receive in 201Legislation passed in 1989 established the current formula used to automatically adjust the Congressional pay increase that they refer to as a "cost-of-living adjustment" (COLA). .(Washington, DC) – Although there won't be any Social Security cost – of - living adjustment (COLA) next year, many of the nation's biggest drug and health plans are sharply increasing costs, warns The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). "Outrage is growing among older voters who question how COLAs can be zero, when their healthcare costs are taking the biggest jump in seven years," says TSCL Chairman, Ed Cates. ."If the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and Congress take no action to lower the Part B premium, most of those who were protected by "hold harmless" will need a hefty COLA in order to raise their benefit just to cover the cost of Medicare Part B premiums in 2018," Johnson says. … Continued

  • How Much Income Do Retirees Actually Have Is It Enough

    Local Lion's Club. Local chapters may have programs to assist people with severe vision impairment, and some clubs run the Affordable Hearing Aid Project, which distributes three types of affordable hearing aids. To find contact details for your local chapter, visit: Lions Club Directory. .This year, The Senior Citizens League has heard from supporters like never before about some extreme costs of prescription drugs. One supporter told us she pays ,800 for a three-month supply of insulin as a type 2 diabetic. She said: "I do not have that kind of money! My doctor has been giving me samples to keep me afloat but I cannot expect him to do that forever … I will have to sell my house to pay for insulin." .Nonetheless, several Senators at Tuesday's hearing urged CMS to consider withdrawing the proposed payment changes. Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (UT) expressed concerns about the rule's potential unintended consequences. He said: "I believe this experiment is ill-conceived and likely to harm beneficiaries. It is an overreach on the part of CMS that, in my opinion, goes beyond the agency's statutory authority, extends nationwide, and requires all Medicare Part B providers to participate." … Continued

TSCL's Board of Trustees Visits Capitol Hill .It came in the mid-1950s, before health insurance for outpatient care was common, before new drugs were protected by multiple patents, and before medical research was regarded as a way to become rich. It was not patented because it was not considered patentable under the standards at the time. .Noting the vast and unprecedented danger that the coronavirus presents to the elderly and people with disabilities, patient advocates described the lack of inspections as a shocking oversight. .On Friday, Members of Congress remained in their home states and districts for a week-long holiday recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill on Monday, June 3rd. In the final days of the Memorial Day recess, many Members of Congress will be hosting town hall meetings and attending events in their home states and districts. .House Republicans Revive AHCA .And third, one new cosponsor – Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) – signed on to the Social Security 2100 Act (S. 2671), bringing the cosponsor total to two. If adopted, S. 2671 would comprehensively strengthen and reform the Social Security program by basing COLAs on the CPI-E, increasing monthly benefits by 2%, creating a new Special Minimum Benefit equal to 125% of the poverty line, providing a tax cut to Social Security beneficiaries, applying the payroll tax to annual income over 0,000, and gradually increasing the payroll tax rate by 0.25%. .A surviving beneficiary spouse is one who collects Social Security benefits not from their own account, but from the account of his or her deceased spouse. To find out more about Notch Reform benefits for surviving beneficiaries, click here: What Happens to Benefit Payments When Your Spouse is Deceased? .Last month, I reintroduced our resolution with modifications to address the changes in these scams. Congress should not only pass legislation to prevent the scams from happening, but also to improve protections for seniors from these incidents in light of the new challenges in this pandemic. .TSCL believes that the Supplemental Poverty Measure is a more fair and appropriate measure of poverty today. We encourage you to ask Congressional candidates where they stand on programs to reduce poverty affecting older Americans.