News

  • An Emergency 2 5 Cola Could Add 5000 To Your Social Security Income Over The First Ten Years

    These overpayments occur because payments to plans are adjusted to pay more for older and sicker enrollees, and less for enrollees who are young and healthy. As well documented by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Medicare Advantage plans use a variety of strategies to "document" enrollee medical conditions, including repeated, calls to homes in attempts to "update" health histories, and to schedule home visits from nurses to conduct health risk assessments even when patients have emphatically declined the visit. .Prescription Drug Costs .To avoid significant cost increases and unexpected benefit cuts next year, TSCL encourages its members and supporters to examine all MA plan offerings closely before making a selection or allowing a plan to automatically renew. The open enrollment period ends on December 7th, and coverage begins on January 1st. In the meantime, TSCL will continue to monitor the status of the MA program and advocate for legislation like the Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act, which would protect MA enrollees from unfair and abrupt changes to physician networks. … Continued

  • Legislative Update Week Ending February 3 2017

    "Official" Poverty Measure Undercounts The Number Of Older Americans Living In Poverty .Congressional Republicans have also indicated opposition to the administration's proposal, saying it breaks from GOP philosophy by linking U.S. prices to those in other countries where there are price controls. While they like it in part, some Democrats have said it does not go far enough in lowering prices. The change would only lower prices for physician-administered drugs for people on Medicare, meaning people with private insurance and people getting drugs at the pharmacy counter would not benefit from lower prices. .Last - don't let all the political spin about Social Security scare you. The program is not going broke. Social Security does face a long-term financial challenge. Even when the Social Security Trust Fund becomes exhausted there would still be sufficient assets from payroll taxes to pay about 75 percent of promised benefits. Although that isn't a fair or acceptable outcome — a far more likely one — Congress will take action to correct the imbalance. … Continued

Key Bill Gains New Cosponsors .The total cost for a single year of treatment with the nation's most expensive specialty drugs can cost more than the entire retirement savings for many retirees. The annual cost of the cancer drug Idhifa, for example, is 0,85According to a new study by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation, the median out-of-pocket cost that Medicare Part D beneficiaries will pay out-of-pocket for specialty drugs in 2019 would be ,55Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis could pay an estimated out-of-pocket of ,409 in 2019 for Glatiramer acetate. Even on the "low side," the annual out-of-pocket for Hepatitis C drug, Zepatier runs ,622. .There are 1,313,935 active members/supporters. .Last year President Trump proposed lowering the prices of certain Medicare drug prices by tying those prices to lower prices paid in other developed countries. Under that proposal, prices would have been lower than they are now, but would still be a certain percentage higher than they are in other countries. The President was not satisfied with that idea, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. On Wednesday Azar said the President wants the proposal changed so that prices in the United States are even lower than they are in other countries. .The following chart illustrates 5 examples: .The Social Security Fairness Act, if signed into law, would amend the Social Security Act by repealing the government pension offset (GPO) and the windfall elimination provision (WEP). These two provisions unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, firefighters, peace officers, and other state or local government employees each year. TSCL believes that Congress should repeal the GPO and the WEP so that dedicated public servants receive the retirement security they deserve. .(Washington, DC) – After no annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) this year, older Americans are likely to get a boost for 201But the increase will be so small that it will be the lowest ever paid, according to a new forecast by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). .Generally, retirement planners say that to maintain their current standard of living, retirees need to replace 70 percent of their pre-retirement earnings. However, with recent hits to personal savings and 401(k) balances, households are struggling with an erosion in the value of their retirement savings. Also, while workers may plan to retire at a certain age, their retirement decisions are often subject to circumstances outside of their control. A study conducted by McKinsey & Company found that roughly half of all workers who retired earlier than they planned cited health reasons or needing to care for a family member; the other half cited job loss. .The fact is there isn't much information yet— even though doctors and their staff are reporting huge amounts of data mandated by the 2010 health law. Based on what I've been able to learn, the Administration is still tinkering with the system.