News

  • Legislative Update June 2016

    The President Introduces his Plan to Lower Drug Prices .Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment – Ensure a fair, accurate, and guaranteed COLA. . With 1.2 million supporters, The Senior Citizens League is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors' groups. Its mission is to promote and assist members and supporters, to educate and alert senior citizens about their rights and freedoms as U.S. Citizens, and to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and paid for. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of The Retired Enlisted Association. Visit for more information. … Continued

  • Benefit Bulletin Septemberoctober 2017

    If your mom has permanently moved out of the area served by her former private Medicare health, she will qualify for a Special Enrollment Period to switch to another private health plan. These plans are also known as Medicare Advantage plans. The rules covering the period you have to shop for and switch to a new plan depend on your circumstances, particularly, whether you notified her private health plan in advance, or after the move. In addition, how your health plan learns of her move, whether from you, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), or the postal service — also affects the period you have to switch to a new plan. .Rep. Paul Ryan said this week that he would also like to consider reforms to the Medicare program at that time. At an event on Monday, he stated, "There are other issues, like Medicare reform-based issues, that we'd like to enter into this to try and help pay for this … Sometimes you find if you have a problem that's small and intractable, if you make it a little bigger it's actually easier to solve, and that's kind of the way we're looking at the full-time doc fix." .Growing numbers of seniors are working longer, and delaying the start of benefits. According to a TSCL survey conducted early this year, 42 percent of seniors who are still working say they plan to delay the start of benefits until age 66 or thereafter. Those who continue to work, continue to pay Social Security, Medicare and other taxes as well. … Continued

Deductible: During the initial deductible, the beneficiary pays 100% of the cost of the drug—up to 5 depending on the plan. Many plans provide immediate coverage on generics, and even preferred brand drugs "before the deductible." In this type of plan, you only pay the full price up to the deductible on higher tier drugs, and some plans don't charge a deductible at all. .Two Cosponsors Sign on to Key Bill .The total cost for a single year of treatment with the nation's most expensive specialty drugs can cost more than the entire retirement savings for many retirees. The annual cost of the cancer drug Idhifa, for example, is 0,85According to a new study by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation, the median out-of-pocket cost that Medicare Part D beneficiaries will pay out-of-pocket for specialty drugs in 2019 would be ,55Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis could pay an estimated out-of-pocket of ,409 in 2019 for Glatiramer acetate. Even on the "low side," the annual out-of-pocket for Hepatitis C drug, Zepatier runs ,622. .It remains my goal in the 110th Congress to ensure that our Social Security system remains solvent and available to those who have spent a lifetime legally accruing benefits. I will continue to oppose international agreements that risk costing America's seniors their retirement security. In addition, I will continue to advocate an enforcement-first approach to immigration policy. Only when we have the mechanisms in place to effectively stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. can we begin to address the strain they place on our financial resources, including the Social Security system. .SSA Rescinds New Online Security Policy .Sources: "Advocates Head To Court To Overturn Medicare Rules For Observation Care," Susan Jaffee, Kaiser Health News and USA Today, May 3, 2013. .By Rick Delaney, Chairman of the Board .We reported last week that President Trump has dropped his demand for a payroll tax cut in any new pandemic-related stimulus bill, which TSCL successfully lobbied against, along with many other groups. However, other issues have caused great difficulty in negotiations for a new bill, one of which has not received much attention in the main press. .America's immigration policy may make a dramatic shift in the coming months. According to press reports, the new Congressional leadership may push for an immigration plan that grants amnesty to illegal immigrants residing in the U.S., and America's senior citizens are paying close attention.