News

  • Social Security Medicare Questions August 2011 Advisor

    Before spending the money, you may be able to accomplish a lot of your own retirement planning by exploring free or low-cost resources in your community. Try starting with educational programs offered by your local senior center, community college or public universities. Ask about classes and workshops specifically designed to help people over 60 learn about and think through major aspects of retirement and aging. Here are some questions to help get you started: .While the Commission's plan received the support of a majority of the 18-member commission, the plan was three votes shy of the 14 votes needed to force Congressional action. Nevertheless, both President Obama and Congressional leaders said they would include many of the recommended proposals in their upcoming budgets for fiscal 2012, which are due soon. .For many, the COLA increase won't be high enough. Those people will once again be held harmless another year. Their Medicare premium increase will be adjusted so that their Social Security benefits won't be reduced, but it may be another year, or even longer, before they see any increase in their net Social Security benefit. … Continued

  • Legislative Update Week Ending September 8 2017

    One widely-discussed proposal would limit the drop in benefits when a spouse dies to 75% of the couple's combined benefit. In the example above that would boost the widow's benefit by 0 per month to ,800. .This week, action on Capitol Hill slowed down as both Houses of Congress adjourned for a district work period. However, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) did see support grow for one key piece of legislation. .The basic science that has allowed the small company to move so rapidly was developed with a huge prior infusion of federal money to come up with a treatment for diseases like Zika. … Continued

Now, the Associated Press has reported that one administration official has said the odds are 75-25 that the program will not happen at all. .The billion could be financed without taking money from the Social Security Trust Fund. One way is through reduction of pork barrel spending and government waste. In the fiscal year 2001 budget alone, pork "watch-dog" Senator John McCain (AZ-R) estimated that the government would spend a record billion in pork-barrel projects. .Until June 1, 2016 he was the Director, RAFB Retiree Activities Office and he stays actively involved in the Warner Robins community including participating in Retiree Appreciation Days, Robins AFB, planning and participating in Memorial Day and Veterans Day activities, TREA's JROTC Awards Program, and the Robins Angel Tree program among others. .New regulatory threats, some at the urging of the pharmaceutical industry, could make it impossible for seniors to purchase certain products like vitamins and minerals without a prescription. It may sound outrageous, but seniors could soon be limited in their access to things as simple as protein shakes, vegetable juice and even herbal hand lotion without a prescription. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently began imposing new regulations on products used in "Complementary and Alternative Medicine" (CAM). TSCL is concerned the expensive federal regulations will restrict seniors' access to commonly available items and drive up costs for those that remain on the market. .TSCL supports legislation that would repeal the WEP such as H.R. 3934, the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2019, bipartisan legislation introduced by Representative Kevin Brady (TX-8). .I Thought My Co-pay Would Be Why Did I Have To Pay 3.45? .Will the Government Shut Down in 10 Days? .We at TSCL believe that if the drug companies do not offer vaccines or treatments either free of charge, at-cost, or with only a small profit, Congress must take action to reduce the cost. It is simply unacceptable for the American taxpayers to have to pay a large amount of money for something that is so desperately needed by everyone and that has disrupted, and most likely permanently changed, our lives. .Trump's administration "has decided to pursue a radical and dangerous policy to set prices based on rates paid in countries that he has labeled as socialist, which will harm patients today and into the future," Stephen Ubl, the head of PhRMA, said in a statement.