News

  • Legislation For Coverage Of Hearing Aids Under The Medicare Recently Introduced In Congress

    TSCL believes the current COLA is not sustainable for today's retirees and disabled beneficiaries, and is lobbying for legislation that would provide a minimum COLA of 3% in years in which inflation drops lower. What do you think? Visit TSCL's website at and take a poll. .Budget Cuts Taking Toll on Congressional Staffs .Both bills are now awaiting the signature of President Donald Trump. He is expected to sign them into law in the very near future. The Senior Citizens League is pleased that lawmakers successfully advanced legislation that will protect the American public from "gag clauses" that result in higher out-of-pocket costs at pharmacies. … Continued

  • S 1123 Preventing And Reducing Improper Medicare And Medicaid Expenditures Prime Act

    Two Social Security Reforms That Seniors Strongly Support ."Failing to raise the U.S. debt ceiling could be disastrous," warns The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a group made up of leading U.S. economists, retired economic policy experts, and former Members of Congress concerned about reducing federal debt. If Congress fails to lift or suspend the debt limit in time, the inflow of Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes won't be sufficient to cover daily obligations. That could mean the U.S. Treasury could default on Social Security payments as well as payments to Medicare health plans. .Now we are looking for viral deliverance when drug development is one of the world's most lucrative businesses, ownership of drug patents is disputed in endless court battles, and monopoly power often lets manufacturers set any price, no matter how extraordinary. A new cancer treatment can cost a half-million dollars, and old staples like insulin have risen manifold in price to thousands of dollars annually. … Continued

This week, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for two new bills that would prevent a looming Medicare premium hike for around 15 million beneficiaries. In addition, one key bill gained a new cosponsor. .Currently, the IRS allows Americans with high health care costs to deduct certain out-of-pocket expenses from their taxes. This deduction makes a big difference for those battling high medical costs as a result of sickness or age-related complications. .The bad news: there's still plenty of age discrimination in the workplace. When workers over age 50 lose their jobs, it takes them much longer to find new jobs. And the impact of a layoff is bigger for older workers. These folks face the reality that they may not work again full time, which can wreck a retirement plan. Studies show that household wealth typically takes a hit as high as 23 percent for single people and 19 percent for married couples. .The Senior Citizens League enthusiastically supports the six bills listed above, and we were pleased to see support grow for them this week. For more information about these and other TSCL-backed bills, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. .Medicare Part D is a rip off. My wife and I will pay more for our medication now, because we cannot afford to take the risk of not enrolling. We were getting most of our drugs from Canada, but under Part D we not only have to pay a monthly premium, but also have co-pays, plus much higher prices for our medication to meet the deductible or if we hit the doughnut hole. Forcing us to do this is simply not fair. What happened to the legislation to legalize the importation of drugs from Canada? .Some lawmakers are advocating for paid leave legislation that would require new parents to trade their future Social Security retirement benefits for twelve weeks of parental leave. This would undermine the mission of the Social Security program, increase its insolvency, and permanently cut the retirement benefits of those who take paid leave. Do you think this is a responsible proposal? .There seems to be a great disagreement among supporters of Notch reform over who is truly a Notch Victim. What are the facts? .On Monday, President Obama released his .8 trillion budget request for fiscal 2013, calling it "a blueprint for how we can rebuild an economy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded." While the proposal leaves Social Security as is, many Medicare beneficiaries – especially those considered "high earners" – would see major changes. .TSCL was first established as a special project of TREThe Enlisted Association. On January 1, 1995, TSCL became an independent 501[c][4] citizens' action organization and therefore donations are not tax-deductible.