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  • How Long After Passage Will It Take To Award Notch Benefits Feed

    The Senior Citizens League thanks Senator Sanders and Representative Larson for their leadership on this important issue, and we look forward to working with their offices in the months ahead to help build support for their bill. For more information about the Social Security Administration Fairness Act, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. For progress updates, follow TSCL on Twitter. .The Senate-passed bill includes a repeal of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, which experts predict will result in a loss of health insurance coverage for 4 million individuals, many of whom are older Americans who are not yet eligible for Medicare. Those who remain insured through the individual market are expected to see premium increases of 10 percent or more – a hike that would make health insurance unaffordable for many. Most House Republicans have said they support a repeal of the mandate, and it is expected to be included in the final version of the bill. .I applied for Social Security benefits in March 2007 when I was 62 years old. After a month I found a job. On September of 2007, I called Social Security to stop payment of my benefits because I was earning over the limits. I was told that the following year it would be automatically processed. From then on every year I got a few months payment. Now Social Security has informed me that I received too much and my overpayment is ,704. … Continued

  • Legislative Update Week Ending April 20 2018

    TSCL has received a growing volume of email from seniors who say their new Part D or Medicare Advantage plan isn't all it's cracked up to be. Many of you complain of higher-than-expected costs, and quite a few asked how you could drop your plan. Selecting the right Medicare supplement or Medicare Advantage plan is highly complicated. The system has stymied almost everyone who works with it, Medicare advocates, pharmacists, insurers, and — especially — government employees. How can the average senior be expected to figure it out? .Economic Conditions Compounded Problem .Many states that were hit hard by the virus say they chose to provide protective gear to front-line health workers rather than inspectors, delaying in-person checks for weeks if not months. Some states chose to assess facilities remotely, conducting interviews over the phone and analyzing documentation, a process many experts consider inadequate. … Continued

Regarding Social Security, TSCL was pleased to see that the President's proposal did not include the "chained" CPI, as it did last year. Many in Congress were also relieved by its absence. Shortly after the blueprint was released, Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) – founder of the Defending Social Security Caucus – said, "I am especially proud that the President did not renew his proposal to cut Social Security benefits. With … more people living in poverty than ever before, we cannot afford to make life even more difficult for seniors." .The issue is of huge importance. Feds Shut Down .2 Billion Medicare Scheme — Finally , editor .Key Bills Gain Support in the House and Senate .TSCL is particularly concerned about adding significant new long-term permanent costs to Social Security and Medicare by providing temporary work authorization to millions of people who worked illegally prior to gaining authorization. The high degree of uncertainty about the potential future costs was made evident months before Obama ever announced the executive action in November of last year. .Terry: Anchors are used in many settings — for example, by sellers of goods and services (e.g. home renovation estimates). They are also used in public policy discussions. When someone at the local, state, or federal level suggests a policy or piece of legislation, that opening proposal becomes the anchor around which people negotiate. Other options get far less attention - or may not even enter our minds. Be wary when making a decision in which someone else has created a choice that seems in his or her favor but may not necessarily be in yours. Never make a decision without considering other options. .One of the concerns last fall and winter was knowing whether someone might have the seasonal flu, a cold, or the coronavirus. As it turned out, seasonal flu was almost non-existent, and colds were also way down. .The Senior Citizens League is proud to have endorsed the BENES Act, and we hope the Senate Aging Committee will work to enact this legislation by the end of this year. To stay updated on the progress of the BENES Act, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. .The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently issued a cost estimate citing the Joint Committee on Taxation's estimates of the cost for Social Security of about 6 billion in reduced SS revenues between 2020 -2021, increased revenues from repayments of 9 billion between 2022-2023, and about billion in higher outlays which would be due to administrative and debt costs. The CBO assumes that some companies will go out of business and would be unable to repay deferred taxes — about billion in Social Security revenues. The CBO warned that uncertainties its estimate of the CARES Act are high, and that actual outcomes could vary significantly. .President Obama Releases 2015 Budget