News

  • No Cost Of Living Adjustment

    It remains to be seen whether or not lawmakers in the Senate will reach an agreement before the midnight deadline. If not, the federal government will shut down like it did back in 201While not likely, an extended government shutdown could result in negative impacts for Social Security beneficiaries and doctors who treat Medicare patients. .Recently we learned of a woman, now in her 80's, who has moved twice in the past decade to be close to her daughter. Her first move was from the family home in Connecticut to an up-scale retirement community in Virginia, and more recently following her daughter to Arizona after her son-in-law's job changed. Her former Virginia home has been sitting on the market for months. That's posing a drain on her resources, adding unanticipated costs for new housing at a time when her need for caregiving services is growing. Her daughter worried that the former facility wasn't handling things well. .I read your story about a potential Social Security benefit cut affecting people who were born in 1960. Has Congress taken any action yet to correct this? … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending October 4 2013

    According to a recent TSCL poll, seventy-seven percent said they do not agree with the new "deferred action" immigration policy. TSCL supports the "No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act" (H.R. 787) introduced by Representative Dana Rohrabacher (CA-46), which would ban the use of earnings for jobs worked while illegal to determine entitlement. .The Additional Child Tax Credit currently amounts to ,000 per child and a filer can receive a refund even if no income tax was withheld or paid. According to the Treasury Inspector General, the average amount per return in 2010 was ,800, but 9,000 taxpayers claimed a total of ,000 or more by filing for previous year tax periods. The following table illustrates the huge growth in payments to illegals. .The Senior Citizens League is pleased that key Social Security bills like the four mentioned above will be re-introduced early in the 116th Congress, and we look forward to building momentum for them on Capitol Hill in the months ahead. For progress updates or for more information on these important bills, visit our website at . … Continued

Other countries, such as Britain, take a more head-on approach: a national body does a cost-benefit analysis regarding the price at which a new drug is worth being made available to its citizens. Health authorities then use that information to negotiate with a drug maker on price and to develop a national reimbursement plan. .You can depend on TSCL to be in the middle of the fight to secure Social Security and Medicare and make sure we all receive the benefits we depend on and that we have already paid for during our working years. ."Let's have some discussion about what the government would actually be measuring," Johnson says. "It would not be direct measurement of the growth in the costs of specific goods and services as is the case under the conventional CPI," she says. "Yet that's what most people think of when we talk about inflation," she says. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the chained CPI measures the amount of additional resources that an individual would need to maintain the same standard of living this year as last year. "That's not the same thing, especially for people dependent on fixed incomes," Johnson notes. .In his opening statement, Dr. Conway said, "This proposal is part of the Administration's broader strategy to encourage better care, smarter spending, and healthier people by paying for what works, unlocking health care data, and finding new ways to coordinate and integrate care to improve quality." .Sadly, Washington is feeding Americans misinformation about Medicare and how we are trying to save the program. No one in Washington wants to see our seniors suffer. But the truth is undeniable: If we don't address this now, together, Medicare really will end. If anyone else tells you differently they are not facing reality. We must take steps — even small steps — to address this. That's what this Resolution does: it forces us to consider two steps toward common ground. .Potential amendments to the bill were discussed at the hearing, and at this point in the process it seems that measures to strengthen border security and enhance Congressional oversight will be put forth. One committee member, Sen. Al Franken (MN), stated: "I and other Senators will do everything we can to amend this bill." Members of the Gang of Eight, on the other hand, have said they will band together to defeat any amendments that would weaken it. .Budget Chair Revives Fiscal Commission Plan .This week, TSCL delivered letters to several leaders in Congress – including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), House Speaker Paul Ryan (WI-1), and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (NC-11) – urging immediate action on the looming debt ceiling crisis. .Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, stated earlier this week, "What I hope to be able to do is keep the government open, to avoid a government shutdown, to do no harm, and to be as boring as possible." The House planned to vote on a package that would simply extend current funding levels through mid-December on Thursday, and the Senate was set on taking it up next week.