News

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending May 31 2019

    But among other things, if consumers can't find the cost of health care, the idea of the free market is impossible. .TSCL believes all three of these bills go a long way in ensuring the retirement security seniors have earned and deserve. In addition to strengthening benefits, each one would include measures to increase the solvency of the Social Security program responsibly, for 40 years or more into the future. We look forward to working with Rep. DeFazio, Rep. Larson, and Sen. Sanders in the months ahead to help build support for their important legislation. .On Monday, Members of the House and Senate returned to Capitol Hill from the month-long August recess and quickly began working on a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government past September 30th. Originally, leaders in both chambers agreed to keep the CR as "clean" as possible in order to avoid a government shutdown like last year's and to allow lawmakers to quickly resume campaign work for the looming November 4th elections. … Continued

  • Privacy Policy Feed

    The COLA will be announced on October 19th, and Medicare premiums and deductibles also will be announced in the fall. Seniors who are already retired and those nearing retirement have few options if the benefits they rely on today were to be cut. TSCL is fighting such proposals affecting the benefits of current retirees, believing that seniors need a COLA that more adequately protects the buying power of Social Security, and TSCL supports H.R. 776, the Guaranteed 3% COLA Act, introduced by Representative Eliot Engel (NY-17). .The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide a case in June that could have far -reaching implications for Social Security and Medicare. The Obama Administration has asked the Supreme Court to reinstate its executive action plan on immigration. The plan would give temporary relief from deportation and work permits to almost 5 million unauthorized immigrants. Should the Supreme Court find in favor of President Obama, his Administration would have 7 months to implement the program before his term ends. .But TSCL's polls, surveys, and stories on the COLA in the media have played a key role in helping to change that debate from one in which benefit cuts are inevitable, to one which explains why benefits should be made more adequate and payroll taxes should be increased. We could not have accomplished this without the hundreds of you who take time to send in your comments and stories, and who take our annual Senior Surveys. … Continued

Sources: The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019, Description of the Chairman's Mark, Senate Committee on Finance, July 25, 201"GOP Senators Distance Themselves From Grassley and Trump's Efforts to Cut Drug Prices," Emmarie Huetteman, Kaiser Health News, July 25, 2019. .TSCL (TREA Senior Citizens League) consists of vocally active senior citizens concerned about the protection of their Social Security, Medicare, and veteran or military retiree benefits. TSCL was first established as a special project of The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA). On January 1, 1995, TSCL became an independent 501[c][4] citizens' action organization. .Legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs remains one of TSCL's top priorities. Although the House of Representatives has passed a bill to accomplish that priority, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) continues to refuse to bring the bill up for consideration. .Medicare health plans also have new rules about co-pays and co-insurance. Copayments can vary drastically between MA plans, but through 2018, individual plans were required to offer all enrollees in the plan's service area access to the same benefits at the same level of cost - sharing. In 2019, MA plans have the option of imposing tiers for the cost - sharing of contracted providers, as an incentive to encourage enrollees to seek care from specific providers. Plans that utilize tiered cost-sharing must disclose tiered co-pays and co-insurance amounts to enrollees and providers, ensure that services at each tier of cost-sharing are available to all enrollees, and ensure that all enrollees are charged the same amount for the same service from the same provider. .In April, TSCL's staff trekked up to Capitol Hill to hand-deliver hundreds of thousands of petitions to each Congressional office. The petitions were delivered along with a cover letter from Larry Hyland, Chairman of TSCL's Board of Trustees, who encouraged Members to support key bills. He wrote: "Your constituents listed in the following pages are active and informed, and these represent some of the issues that matter the most to them. Each of these bills would go a long way in protecting and defending the earned benefits of senior citizens." .Participants in The Senior Citizens League's surveys indicate that household medical expenses consume a significant portion of their monthly income. More than 39 percent of respondents to a recent survey say that they spend more than 0 per month on Medicare and other healthcare costs. In 2020, the average Social Security benefit is ,460, but the 1.6 percent COLA raised the average Social Security benefit by only .40 per month this year. The following chart illustrates ten of the fastest growing retiree costs since 2000. .The Senior Citizens League has prepared a new fact sheet to help the public better understand how immigration changes by executive action may affect Social Security and Medicare. Get it here. .Congress should prohibit "surprise medical bills. Congress should require healthcare providers and insurers to accept fees no greater than 20 percent more than the Medicare approved fees as settlement. — 82 percent support, 15 percent not sure, and only 4 percent opposed. (Legislation passed in December would provide relief from surprise medical bills but stopped short of tying payments to prices paid by Medicare and Medicaid which are often lower than other rates negotiated by other insurers.) .On Wednesday, lawmakers on the House Budget Committee held a hearing titled: "Keeping Our Promise to America's Seniors: Retirement Security in the 21st Century." Committee members heard from several expert Social Security witnesses, including Congressman John Larson (CT-1) – Chairman of the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee.