News

  • Q A April May 2021

    On Thursday, TSCL announced its support for the Elder Protection and Abuse Prevention Act (S. 1019 and H.R. 3090). Sen. Richard Blumenthal (CT) introduced the bill in the Senate, and Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-17) introduced the companion in the House. If signed into law, the bill would expand the federal definition of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. It would also incorporate elder abuse prevention trainings, screenings, and reporting protocols into all senior service access points that receive federal funding under the bill. .This week, Members of Congress remained in their home states and districts for the month-long August recess. .TSCL's legislative agenda for the next two years includes the following issues, among others: … Continued

  • Category Issues Social Security Faqs Feed

    Mary Katherine was 90 when a stroke left her paralyzed on one side of her body and unable to speak. It was 1996 and at the time Medicare had a cap on physical and speech therapy services, which only allowed for a limited number of therapy sessions to help Mary Katherine regain the ability to walk, feed herself, and speak. The paltry coverage of therapy sessions from Medicare did not provide Mary Katherine with enough time or therapy to make much of an improvement in her physical health. Mary Katherine, who received a Social Security benefit of less than 0, couldn't afford more therapy and never recovered her speech. She remained paralyzed for the rest of her life, which she spent as a Medicaid patient in a nursing home. .What is the status of the Social Security Totalization Agreement With Mexico? .Medicare is currently prohibited from covering most hearing, vision, and dental services, even though millions of seniors are afflicted with age-related hearing loss, low vision, and poor oral health. When left untreated, these conditions often result in serious injuries and complications. What do you feel should be done about this? … Continued

This week, the Obama administration released its much-anticipated 2013 budget proposal, and the House-Senate conference committee compromised on a deal to prevent payment cuts to Medicare physicians and extend the payroll tax holiday. In addition, four new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act. .Because of the coronavirus, however, the BLS has been unable to gather much of the information from those two categories. Therefore, although they do not use the word, they are going to guess at those costs. It may be an educated guess, but it is still a guess, nonetheless. .Congress Fails to Reach Agreement – President Takes Action .Catastrophic Coverage Period: When your total out-of-pocket spending reaches ,350, you hit the catastrophic stage of coverage. Your co-insurance drops to 5% coinsurance or co-pays of .60 generic, .95 brand, whichever is higher. You remain in the Catastrophic coverage period until December 31, 2020. .Commissioner Colvin backed the plan to address the DI program's looming insolvency that was released by President Obama in his recent fiscal 2016 budget blueprint. That proposal would adjust the distribution of payroll tax revenues for a period of five years, so that the DI program would receive 0.9 percent more than it currently is receiving, adding around seventeen years to the trust fund's solvency. .TSCL encourages its members and supporters to attend these events and to ask questions of their elected officials about important Social Security and Medicare issues, like the following four… .Compounding the problem, in 2004 the U.S. and Mexico signed a totalization agreement allowing people who split their careers between two countries to receive a harmonized retirement benefit from the two governments. Since 1978, the U.S. has entered into similar agreements with 21 countries, and, as with previous agreements, the U.S.- Mexico totalization agreement applies only to legal U.S. residents. .In other words, next year's COLA could be calculated based at least in part on guesses. That could be disastrous for seniors. .Are These Home Nurse Visits Legit?