News

  • Five Healthcare Reform Changes That Affect Your 2011 Medicare Coverage

    When a zero COLA was announced for 2016, the Medicare Trustees projected that the Part B premium and deductible amounts would increase by an unprecedented 52 percent between 2015 and 2016 — from 4.90 to 9.30 per month.[7] Passage of The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, however resulted in reducing the increase in Part B premiums from 9.30 per month to 1.80 per month, which was still an extremely high 16.1 percent increase. The premium included a repayment amount that was added to monthly premiums of all beneficiaries in future years to recover over time the cost of the reduced premium rate in 2016.[8] .And the American government has no effective way to fight back. .For progress updates or for more information about these and other bills that would strengthen Social Security and Medicare programs, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website or follow TSCL on Twitter. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending July 12 2013

    This week TSCL Board member and Legislative Liaison, Doug Osborne, was in Washington. D.C. Mr. Osborne began his visit by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for Veteran's Day with TSCL's parent organization, TREThe Enlisted Association. Together with TSCL Executive Director Shannon Benton and TSCL Legislative Consultant Larry Madison he spent the next two days on the "Hill" speaking with Congressional staff members about legislation TSCL is lobbying to pass in Congress. The focus of our efforts was on Social Security issues, specifically the "Notch" issue and the "Windfall Elimination Provision," (WEP) both of which affect many TSCL supporters. .We gave you the bad news about eating fried foods, which really is nothing very new. But there was some hopeful news last week that we want to pass along. .So How Safe Is Air Travel? … Continued

The Medicare Hotline number is The number to report Medicare fraud is You may also wish to look at their web site. www.hcfa.gov .This week, a House committee held a high-profile hearing on recent developments in the prescription drug market, and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) saw support grow for one key bill. .However, he must first apply for Medicare Part B and pay the initial Part B premium to get the process started, and he only may do so during the Medicare General Enrollment Period. This period is going on right now, starting January 1 through March 31, each year. The application can be safely done online at the Social Security Administration's website. The coverage will not actually start until July 1, 202In the meantime, we recommend that you contact his local Medicaid or Senior Services department to learn if his income qualifies him for short-term Medicaid coverage. .This is a new issue that has popped up on our radar and TSCL will be studying it in greater depth as we learn what might be done to insure lower prices and greater security for the prescription drugs that are so important for so many of us, especially the nations senior citizen population. .The U.S. depends on China for thousands of chemicals needed to make prescription drugs. That's because it turns out that pharmaceutical companies have outsourced our generic medicine manufacturing to China. .If adopted, his bill would: provide beneficiaries with a 2 percent boost in benefits, improve the adequacy of the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) by basing it on the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E), create a new minimum benefit set at 125 percent of the poverty line, and cut taxes for millions of seniors who pay taxes on a portion of their Social Security benefits. The bill would also extend the solvency of the Trust Funds by applying the payroll tax to income over 0,000 and gradually increase the payroll tax rate from 6.2 percent to 7.4 percent. .Prevention of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse – Eliminating inefficiencies within Social Security and Medicare. .The plan contained a list of 50 military treatment facilities that would see changes in some way over the next several years in the services they offer. Of those, 37 would stop seeing military family members and retirees altogether. At least 12 states would have more than one treatment facility changed with regard to its mission. .In addition to congressional committee work in the 116th Congress, several new bills have been introduced that would reduce prescription drug costs. Several of them – including the following three – have already won bipartisan support in the new Congress.