News

  • Legislative Updates Colas And Medicare Premiums Feed

    Drug companies deserve a reasonable profit for taking on this urgent task of creating a COVID-19 vaccine. But we deserve a return, too. .The Notch Fairness Act, legislation that would pay Notch Babies born from 1917 through 1926 a choice of ,000 in four annual installments of ,250 or an improved monthly benefit, was recently reintroduced in both the House and the Senate. Members of Congress have not forgotten about you and Notch reform may be closer than anybody thinks. .Moving between retirement communities and facilities can be burdensome and costly. Here are four things to avoid when looking into retirement living: … Continued

  • Legislative Update Week Ending November 14 2014

    Finally, one new cosponsor – Senator Richard Blumenthal (CT) – signed on to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act (S. 99), bringing the cosponsor total up to eight. If adopted, this bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices on behalf of Medicare Part D beneficiaries. ."We've always known that vaccines are very important to our overall health," reported Maria Carrillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer's Association. "And maybe they even contribute to protecting our memory, our cognition, our brain." .How frequently is this test recommended for a person of my age and medical history? … Continued

This week, two Members of Congress – Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-21) and Sen. Mark Begich (AK) – re-introduced the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act (H.R. 649 and S. 308), a bill that would base the calculation of Social Security COLAs on the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E), and gradually eliminate the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. .On Wednesday, Members of the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing called "The Coming Crisis: Social Security Disability Trust Fund Insolvency." They heard from a number of expert witnesses, including Carolyn Colvin, the Acting Social Security Commissioner. .The Senior Citizens League sincerely hopes that Members of Congress will responsibly avert the Fiscal Cliff without enacting harsh Social Security and Medicare benefit cuts. As the deadline nears, we will continue to warn lawmakers about the potential threats that benefit cuts would pose. In addition, we encourage you to contact your Members of Congress to request their support for fair cost-of-living adjustments and a temporary "doc fix." To find contact information for your elected officials, click HERE. .As a result of the inadequate funding, both the both the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and the Disability Insurance (DI) programs have been struggling to serve the public. More than one million applicants are currently waiting to hear whether they qualify for DI benefits, and those who have appealed recent rejections must wait 600 days or longer for their cases to be re-heard. In 2017, 10,000 individuals died while waiting on their DI eligibility decisions. While waiting, they had no access to DI benefits or Medicare coverage, which recipients with long-term disabilities can receive after they are enrolled in the program for two years. .The chances for legislation remain strong as more experts say older seniors need a benefit boost to protect them from outliving their retirement resources. Your continued support, letters, and phone calls to Members of Congress make all the difference in building co-sponsorship. TSCL has been instrumental in building support for the Notch Fairness legislation and remains committed to passage. .Key Bills Gain Support in the House and Senate .You can learn more about Social Security disability benefits at https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/. Find information about when to start retirement benefits here: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/learn.html h3. .For progress updates or for more information about these and other bills that would strengthen Social Security and Medicare programs, visit our website at .The judge's order stops the implementation of the rule until the completion of the notice and comment process.