News

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending December 21 2012

    Common sense suggests that the slowdown in rising Medicare costs is unlikely to last long. Medicare spending results for two main reasons: .(Photo: iStockphoto) .The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) shares Senator Nelson's concerns, and we are hopeful that Congress will take action in the near future to ensure lower out-of-pocket spending for Medicare beneficiaries. In the weeks ahead, we will continue to monitor the confirmation of Congressman Price, and we post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. … Continued

  • Legislative Updates Colas And Medicare Premiums

    At the same time that Social Security and Medicare rolls are increasing, the funding for Social Security and Medicare, which depend on payroll taxes withheld from wages, has fallen. Payroll taxes are not withheld from people who have no earnings. .Individuals at full retirement age (66 in 2017) who retire with an average monthly benefit of ,300 would receive about 0,000 over a 25-year retirement assuming a 2.2% cost-of-living adjustment. Since you were born in 1955, your full retirement age is 66 + 2 months. But even people who retire at full retirement age are leaving money on the table when starting benefits prior to reaching age 70. Waiting until age 70 allows benefits to grow 8% per year. .TSCL's legislative agenda for the next two years includes the following issues, among others: … Continued

The Senate has been back in session for a few weeks and has held votes on some legislation but what we at TSCL are watching is what's been happening in both the Senate and House committees that deal with legislation of major concern to seniors. .If you feel that this site is not following its stated privacy policy, you may contact us by writing to The Senior Citizens League, 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314, through e-mail at comments@ or call us at800-333-TSCL (8725). All received complaints will be investigated and responded to promptly. .The Mayo Clinic has put out the following information as a way of helping you decide what it is that you may be suffering from. You are advised that if your symptoms are the same as in the past you are likely suffering from allergies again. But if there is any variation you should get tested for Covid. And if you have any doubt, getting tested for Covid is probably the right thing to do, especially if you have not been fully vaccinated. .Despite all the tragedy and difficulty coming out of the pandemic emergency there is a little good news, in our opinion. The spread of the coronavirus has reignited the push in Congress to expand domestic manufacturing of drugs, and renewed concerns the U.S. relies too much on foreign medicine makers. As we have been seeing, the need for medications can be urgent during a pandemic and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have raised alarms about possible shortages. .There are reports that the Senate is now targeting roughly Dec. 18 as its adjournment date, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is still looking to confirm judicial nominees this week while other members of the Senate work to find compromises on both the government funding legislation and a new coronavirus economic stimulus bill. .But 2 million retirees receiving Social Security benefits of less than 0 per month in 2018, won't see an increase after the deduction for their Medicare Part B premiums. Part B premiums will increase by more than .50, for this group of retirees because they are paying less than the current Part B premium of 4 today. This is due to the effects of the Social Security "hold harmless" provision. .Look, nobody gets wealthy off of Social Security. It's a subsistence level program. .Third, Senator Casey's BENES Act (S. 1909) gained one new cosponsor in Senator Susan Collins (ME), bringing the cosponsor total to two in the Senate. If signed into law, S.1909 would simplify the Medicare enrollment process and help prepare those approaching Medicare eligibility by educating them about the program's benefits. .First, in the spring, Members of Congress passed legislation to repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate (SGR) – a flawed formula that set payment rates for doctors who treated Medicare patients. Because of the quirks in the law, doctors were faced with double-digit cuts year after year. Some stopped seeing new Medicare patients, and some even stopped participating in Medicare altogether. TSCL advocated for the SGR's repeal for more than a decade, and we were ecstatic to see it replaced once and for all last April. The law took effect immediately and, in the coming years, it will bring increased stability to the Medicare program for both patients and their doctors.