News

  • Category Issues Medicare Part D Faqs Page 3

    This is a much longer legislative update than usual but there is a lot of information about the pricing of prescription drugs that we believe is important for you to know and that you might be interested in. .Meanwhile, Republicans argued that Medicare should not be expanded when its hospital fund is already slated to be insolvent in 2026. .Essential Drugs Need to be made in the U.S. … Continued

  • Legislative Update August 2020

    If signed into law, this bill would repeal the windfall elimination provision (WEP) and establish a new formula to calculate benefits for those with non-covered earnings. The WEP currently affects more than one million seniors who collect Social Security benefits and have earned pensions from non-Social Security-covered employment. .If you have been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms. .Surprisingly, there was no discussion of slowing the growth of cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) by switching to the more slowly-growing "chained" CPI. The proposal is getting increasing attention (mostly favorable) in media editorials. Switching to the more slowly-growing chained CPI would reduce cost-of-living-adjustments, and many policy experts view the option as a front-runner for reducing the deficit. … Continued

To learn more about issues facing Social Security and Medicare, visit our weekly legislative updates, which provide information on upcoming town hall meetings. .TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 2745 and H.R. 2305, and we were pleased to see support grow for both of them this week. .In addition, TSCL encourages its members and supporters to vote on election day, which is next week, on November 8th. To best be prepared, check out our list of election day resources right HERE. To see if your Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings in the days ahead, call their local offices. You can find contact information HERE. For more sample town hall questions, click HERE. .Survivor claims are increasing due to recent violence in Mexico. .I spent the better part of last year trying to determine the cause of, and best treatment for, a mysterious chronic cough. A non-smoker, I'm usually obnoxiously healthy. Last year, though, I went through a battery of four specialists, a long menu of tests, underwent surgery and spent a night in the hospital. Yet by January of this year the cough was worse than ever. .TSCL supports these bills enthusiastically, and we were pleased to see support grow for them this week. For more information, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. .I'm still working and will turn 65 in July of this year. I currently get my health insurance through my employer. We have more than 20 employees and I've been told I can keep my employer's health insurance instead of starting Medicare in July. The health insurance that I have now is pretty expensive and the deductibles are high. How can I compare the costs between the two types of insurance? .Many seniors are struggling with their vastly diminished retirement accounts following the stock market crash. Additionally, the inventory of unsold houses has now reached record highs and the forecasts for retirees who need to get their cash out of real estate are gloomy indeed. .Healthcare would be more efficient and convenient for patients. Value-based payment systems provide incentives for health providers to make it easy for patients to get all the services related to managing their condition in one "medical home." Payments to providers are "bundled," covering the patients' full care cycle, or for chronic conditions covering longer periods of time like a year or more.