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    To remedy this problem, TSCL supports Social Security "caregiving credits." These credits would be applied to a worker's Social Security earnings record to make up for years when people took time out of their working careers, and earned little or zero income, because they were caring for children, spouses, or older family members. .Companies requiring mandatory arbitration say it saves money and time for resolving complaints. But older consumers still may wind up with legal fees, and may wind up having to pay a share of the arbitration fees. .Medicare first began offering beneficiaries the chance to enroll in private Medicare HMOs' in the mid 1980's. That program was absorbed and expanded under the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, creating Medicare+Choice. To cut federal spending on Medicare, the Balanced Budget Act set payments to the private plans at 5% below the fee-for-service rates of traditional Medicare. But by 1999, Medicare+Choice plans were not renewing their contracts with Medicare and there was a widespread exodus, leaving more than 2 million seniors scrambling to find other coverage. … Continued

  • Speaker Pelosi Wants Legislation To Cut Drug Prices

    On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee held a hearing on the state of the Social Security program's information technology (IT). Lawmakers on the subcommittee heard from three expert witnesses, including Rajive Mathur, Chief Information Officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA). .Generations have watched big-government, socialist systems fail, one after another, in countries experimenting with soviet-style, centralized planning. Medicare-for-all would be no different, leading to longer wait times and lowered standards of care at an unsustainable cost to the American taxpayer. ."We are here today because of COVID, and its consequences. Consequences that have worsened the inadequacies that have existed for a long time in our Social Security system. … Continued

This week, TSCL's Board of Trustees traveled to Washington, D.C. for its first meeting of 201The Board of Trustees includes the following members: Edward Cates, Chairman; Charlie Flowers, Vice-Chairman; Arthur Cooper, Secretary; Deborah Oelschig, Treasurer; Michael Gales, PAC Treasurer; and Larry Hyland, Liaison and President of TREThe Enlisted Association. .To learn more about your Enrollment Periods check your 2016 Medicare & You handbook, call 1-800—MEDICARE ( 7) or visit www.Medicare.gov. You can get free unbiased one-on-one counseling to help you sign up for Medicare and select the best way to receive coverage through your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Many of the programs operate through local senior centers or area agencies on aging. .On Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to question Congressman Tom Price (GA-6), an orthopedic surgeon from Georgia who was nominated by President Trump to become the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If confirmed, Congressman Price will lead the agency that has jurisdiction over Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and many other critical health programs. .The resolution's authors wrote, "Our plan would strengthen Medicare by offering future seniors guaranteed-coverage options – including traditional Medicare – regardless of pre-existing conditions or health history. All seniors will have the support they need to get the care they deserve." . Find out which drug store has the lowest cost-sharing before you fill. Your cost sharing can be dramatically higher depending on where and how you fill your prescription (retail versus mail order). Make sure you are using a preferred vs. standard network pharmacy and compare the prices of retail pharmacies with getting a 90-day supply from your drug plan's mail order pharmacy. For example, if you are enrolled in the Wellcare Wellness Rx plan and get your Eliquis from a standard in-network pharmacy, your copay for Eliquis after the 5 deductible would be during the initial coverage phase, and 7.38 in the Part D coverage gap. However, if you get your Eliquis from a preferred in-network pharmacy the co-pay is .00 during the initial coverage phase and 3.36 in the coverage gap. Depending on where you live, and your drug plan's mail order pharmacy, sometimes you may save a little more using mail order. .The basic science that has allowed the small company to move so rapidly was developed with a huge prior infusion of federal money to come up with a treatment for diseases like Zika. .More than 55% of participants in TSCL's 2019 Senior Survey support federal programs that help with energy assistance. .Congress should prohibit "surprise medical bills. Congress should require healthcare providers and insurers to accept fees no greater than 20 percent more than the Medicare approved fees as settlement. — 82 percent support, 15 percent not sure, and only 4 percent opposed. (Legislation passed in December would provide relief from surprise medical bills but stopped short of tying payments to prices paid by Medicare and Medicaid which are often lower than other rates negotiated by other insurers.) .In response to the proposed changes, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) said, "With their latest budget proposal, House Republicans have made their values very clear: strengthen the special interests, abandon seniors and hard-working families." TSCL agrees that adopting a premium-support model for the Medicare program would be a step in the wrong direction, and we oppose the Budget Committee's efforts to include it in next year's resolution. In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to advocate against plans to privatize the Medicare program.