News

  • Americans Financial Worries Grow

    The first session of the 113th Congress has just reached the half-way mark, and already, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) has much to show for it. Dozens of key bills have been re-introduced, hundreds of thousands of petitions have been hand-delivered to Congress, TSCL's legislative team and Board of Trustees have met with numerous Members of Congress, and in May, we hosted a successful "Welcome Reception" for new and veteran lawmakers and their top aides. .What To Do When You Can't Afford Your Drug Costs .Yet since 2010, when the Social Security Trust Fund first started running a cash deficit, budget negotiators have repeatedly attempted to enact Social Security reforms that would decrease benefits. One of the most widely - discussed proposals would switch to a more slowly - growing inflation measure — the chained consumer price index (CPI) — to calculate the annual cost – of – living adjustment as a means of slowing the growth of Social Security benefits and other inflation - adjusted federal programs. Although the proposal was not adopted in the past, primarily due to fear of public backlash, "It remains a key feature in many plans for reducing the deficit," Johnson says. … Continued

  • Category Tscl In The News Page 8

    This week, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) hand-delivered petitions to leaders in the Senate requesting their support for legislation that would strengthen and expand the Social Security program. In addition, lawmakers advanced a short-term deal to keep the federal government operating, and two key bills gained support in Congress. .To address this issue, my office put together a two-pronged approach both locally and nationally. First, we held a resources fair in South Los Angeles, focusing on identifying and combatting senior scams with service providers that offered direct assistance for attendees. Second, I introduced a bipartisan resolution to call attention to the barrage of fraud attempts that seniors face nationwide. .Sources: "Advocates Head To Court To Overturn Medicare Rules For Observation Care," Susan Jaffee, Kaiser Health News and USA Today, May 3, 2013. … Continued

Very modestly boosting the payroll tax paid by workers and matched by employers to employers. .This issue has just popped up and TSCL will be in contact with members of Congress to do all we can to prevent these looming cuts and we will keep you advised as to how things are going. .Recently we heard from Susan Gross, a 66-year old retired office assistant living in Central Virginia, who spends most of her day caregiving. Her 46-year-old son. who is disabled from cerebral palsy, lives with her, as does her mother, who is now 9All three receive their healthcare coverage through Medicare. .While most people have rebounded, too many mature workers are still struggling to find work, much less a good-paying job. According to a survey by AARP, half of mature workers who experienced unemployment between 2010-2014 were still looking for work five years later. .UnitedHealth, the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, announced in mid-November that they would be dropping thousands of doctors from their networks in at least ten states. By the end of 2014, the company expects its network of doctors to be 85 percent to 90 percent of its pre-Obamacare size. .This week, House and Senate lawmakers remained in their home states and districts for a week-long spring break. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill on Monday, March 25th. Until then, many Members of Congress will be hosting town hall meetings and attending events in their home states and districts. .To learn more about how the SSA calculates the COLA you can find that info here. .This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill following a week-long holiday recess, and four Members of Congress signed on as cosponsors to key legislation that would make the Social Security program more equitable for public employees. .At a recent hearing from the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, experts in the MA field warned that their plans will not be able to absorb the looming cuts, and they will likely have to trim benefits or increase out-of-pocket costs as they are phased in over the next decade. One witness, Chris Wing – the CEO of SCAN Health Plans – said his MA plan that covers nearly 200,000 seniors in California and Arizona will have to begin limiting provider networks or withdraw from a few markets altogether.