News

  • Health Care Legislation For Seniors Unveiled In The Senate

    Fortunately, there are other bills in Congress that TSCL supports to lower the amount of money seniors must pay for their prescription drugs which we believe have a much better chance of passing and we will keep fighting for them. .In 2015, the last time a zero COLA was announced for the following year, the base Part B premium increase was estimated to be 52 percent.[2] While an increase of that size is not expected for 2021, any double digit increase in Medicare premiums would be unsustainable for many older households whose retirement savings have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus recession. .On Wednesday, the budget conference that was created in last month's deal to raise the debt ceiling and re-open the government met publicly for the first time. Each of the twenty-nine members – including seven House members and all twenty-two members of the Senate Budget Committee – made opening statements to establish their positions. As expected, many of the conferees seemed split along party lines on Wednesday, but each of them stressed a strong desire to reach an agreement. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending May 3 2019

    Major findings: .By Shannon Benton, Executive Director .Legislation to Stop Medicare Cuts Passes in Senate … Continued

TSCL believes COLAs need to be more fairly and accurately calculated, and strongly supports recently introduced legislation that would provide an emergency COLA. To learn more, visit . .Cost-of-living increases are based on the nation's general rate of inflation, and the prices for the goods and services used to calculate inflation have barely budged. .Americans are anxious to get back to normal after over a year of being limited in their activities because of the pandemic. For many seniors, as well as others, that includes vacationing, and vacationing includes trips on cruise ships. .This week, one new cosponsor, Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (PA-8) signed on to the Public Servant Retirement Protection Act (H.R. 2797), bringing the cosponsor total up to eight. If signed into law, H.R. 2797 would repeal the windfall elimination provision (WEP) from the Social Security Act and establish a new formula for equalizing benefits for those with non-covered earnings. TSCL is very supportive of the Public Servant Retirement Protection Act since it would go a long way in granting dedicated public servants the retirement security they deserve. We were pleased to see one new cosponsor sign on this week, and we hope that support continues to grow in the coming months. .Americans 65 and Older See Largest Increase in Poverty .The subcommittee's bill would repeal the formula and replace it with an enhanced fee-for-service system, while also allowing doctors to opt-out and participate in alternative payment models that emphasize quality. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by a voice vote on Tuesday, but much work remains to be done. Lawmakers have not yet determined how they will offset the full cost of the bill, although it does currently include funding for some provisions by authorizing transfers from the Medicare Part B Trust Fund. .In July of 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act regarding risk adjustment. Under this rule, the Federal Government is requiring health insurers to provide confidential and detailed medical information about a person. Aside from the fact that this is an invasion of privacy, we must also remember the Federal Government's lack of accountability with health records when over 5 million TRICARE records were stolen from the car of a government contractor this past fall. .I'm new to Medicare. I didn't realize that Medicare doesn't cover eye or hearing exams like my former insurance at work. My income is pretty low. Where can I go to get these services? .This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for two key bills that would improve the Social Security and Medicare programs if adopted.