News

  • Press Release Medicare Part D Doughnut Hole

    The Center for Disease Control (CDC), one of the major operating components of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has put out new guidance for those Americans who have been fully vaccinated from Covid-19. .The Social Security Administration maintains an "earnings suspense file" which tracks wages sent in by employers, for earnings that cannot be posted to individual workers' records because there is no match for the name and Social Security number. The Congressional Research Service reports that wages represented in the earnings suspense file currently amount to approximately 0 billion. According to Social Security Administration Inspector Patrick P. O'Carroll, "We believe the chief cause of wage items being posted to the earnings suspense file instead of an individual's earning record is unauthorized work by noncitizens." .This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for four key bills that would improve retirement security in America if adopted. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending March 4 2016

    Here are some important tips to get you started: .We encourage you to tell incumbent Members of Congress who are running for re-election what you expect from the lawmakers who represent you. Outline the changes you support for Social Security and ask the candidates if they are willing to end the tax breaks for the wealthy so that all working Americans can enjoy a more secure retirement. .Under the rule he's considering formally proposing, Trump would order reimbursement for certain Part B drugs to be tied to what's known as the International Price Index. That would mean a price cut for many medicines, since the prices drug makers charge outside the U.S. are often set by government-run health-care systems and are generally lower. Medicare doesn't use its position as a big buyer of drugs to bargain for lower prices. … Continued

Now more than ever, we must fight to ensure that when older Americans retire they can look forward to a stable economic future and reliable, high-quality healthcare. During the devastating economic recession, older Americans saw their hard-earned savings dwindle, lost millions in diminished pension funds, and were laid off just a few years before retirement. Now, Congress must work past partisan gridlock to support seniors. During my time in Congress, I've fought for seniors by reaching across the aisle to protect landmark programs like Medicare and Social Security and introduced commonsense legislation that will strengthen the financial security of older Americans. .Since passage of Medicare in 1965 all seniors received the same benefits for the same standard premium. But in 2003, Congress took the unprecedented step of passing legislation that required "upper-income" seniors to pay increased premiums for Medicare Part B. Forcing these seniors to pay more for the same Medicare benefits is known as the "means test." ."The question becomes how we can strengthen the retirement security of today's retirees, while strengthening funding for both Medicare and Social Security at the same time," Johnson says. .This week, one new cosponsor – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) – signed on to the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act (H.R. 2745), bringing the total up to twenty-six. If signed into law, the bill would prevent Social Security credits from being earned by work done illegally. Currently, those who receive "green cards" or work authorization may file a claim for Social Security benefits based on all earnings – even earnings from jobs where they used stolen, invalid, or fraudulent Social Security numbers. We believe that this practice must be put to an end in order to protect the integrity of the Social Security program. .Early Efforts to Hold Congress to Its Promise Leads to a Notch Commission ."We're not doing anything without a payroll tax cut," Trump said in a "virtual town hall" event hosted by Fox News at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington earlier this week. .The Senior Citizens League endorses legislation introduced by Representative Ted Deutch (FL-22) that would exempt Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid from any federal balanced budget requirement. "We believe that a constitutional amendment is not needed to address the problems these programs face," Johnson says. "What we do need is strong program financing to ensure retirement and healthcare benefits for all." What do you think? Take The Senior Citizens League's 2018 Senior Survey at . .If you receive a call from a person claiming to be from SSA, and that person asks you to provide your Social Security number or other information don't give it out over the phone. Contact your local SSA and report the call – it's likely to be a scam. .In a letter of support to Rep. Kevin Brady (TX-8) – the sponsor of H.R. 711 – TSCL's Chairman Ed Cates wrote: "According to a recent study completed by TSCL, Social Security beneficiaries have lost over 20 percent of their purchasing power since 2000. Those who are subject to the WEP have undoubtedly fallen even further behind. It is now more important than ever for Congress to address the inequities that have been created by the WEP, and TSCL believes the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act is a fair and responsible solution."