News

  • New Bills Regarding Medicare Social Security Benefits Introduced In Congress

    One paid family leave proposal discussed at Wednesday's hearing would negatively impact the future of the Social Security program if adopted. It would allow parents to claim up to 12 weeks of early Social Security benefits as a form of paid family leave following the birth or adoption of a child. To offset the cost, individuals would be required to delay the collection of their Social Security benefits in retirement. Those who take twelve weeks of paid family leave would see their full eligibility ages in retirement increase by as much as twenty-five weeks. .Leading GOP plans impose broad spending reductions, would overhaul Medicare and cut Medicaid, while President Obama and Democrats are insisting tax increases are required, particularly on people with higher incomes over 0,000. Respondents to TSCL's Seniors Survey also tended to be more divided when asked whether they "strongly agreed" that the budget deficit should be reduced by cutting discretionary spending, or by closing tax loop holes and small revenue increases. However, when those in the middle, who "agree somewhat," are counted, a majority, 74%, agree that the budget deficit should be reduced by a fair balance of both discretionary spending cuts and modest revenue increases. .TSCL has been concerned that the coronavirus pandemic could accelerate the impending insolvency of the Medicare Trust Fund. With record numbers of Americans out of work, fewer payroll taxes are coming in to fund Medicare spending. At the same time, the number of beneficiaries is rising and, earlier this year, Congress accessed Medicare's reserves to fund COVID-19 relief efforts. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending August 24 2012

    To learn more about your Medicare benefits download a copy of the "2011 Medicare & You" handbook by visiting www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE ( 7). .Compare your drug and health plan options NOW during the Medicare Open Enrollment period before it ends on December 7th. Does your current drug plan even cover your expensive new prescription? If not, you need to check your other options. Chances are another plan will. Use the Drug and Health Plan Finder at www.Medicare.gov. Make sure you carefully enter every prescription drug you take in order to get a custom comparison of your best drug plan choices. Costs can vary by hundreds, even thousands, of dollars, and you may be very surprised by the savings from switching to a better plan. .TSCL is urging older Americans to speak out to Members of Congress about earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare. What do you think? Visit to participate in TSCL's annual Senior Survey. … Continued

The study examined the increase in costs of 32 key items between 2000 and January 201The items were chosen because they are typical of the costs seniors must bear. Of the 32 costs analyzed, 20 exceeded the total percentage of increase in the COLA over the same period. .Likewise, AstraZeneca, a top competitor, has received a BARDA promise of up to .2 billion for commercializing a product derived from research at the University of Oxford. .On Tuesday, with a vote of 31-8, the House Ways and Means Committee voted to advance the Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act (H.R. 1190) – a bill that TSCL supports enthusiastically. H.R. 1190, if signed into law, would repeal the controversial Medicare cost-cutting board that was created by the ACA back in 2010. .At The Senior Citizens League, we understand the scope of the nation's deficit and we know that some small changes to Medicare may be necessary. However, we firmly believe that any adjustments should be phased in gradually, and that current enrollees and those nearing retirement should be protected from sudden changes. Congress is not likely to vote on any Medicare reform plans before the November election, but TSCL will continue to monitor the evolving negotiations. To learn more, visit our website at . . My husband who is diabetic and has high blood pressure, underwent surgery for colon cancer in March of 2020. He recovered and returned to work last summer. Shortly thereafter he had a stroke. He's been unable to work and received short term disability benefits through his employer until coverage ended on December 31, 2020. Will he qualify for Social Security disability now? He will turn 63 in April 202 .Support Grows for Social Security Fairness Act .The debts in question involved cases decades old, and debts many taxpayers never even knew about — for benefits that were paid to their parents or guardians when they were children. If an overpayment is made on behalf of a child (such as survivors benefits) the child could be held liable years later as an adult. .CBO Releases New Budget Report .The federal government shutdown that occurred from midnight December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019, was the longest in U.S. history. It was so disruptive that an analysis from Standard and Poor's (S & P) estimated that the shut down cost the U.S. economy .6 billion. While the government shutdown was terrible for all affected, failing to raise the U.S. debt limit, also called the debt ceiling, could make the recent shut down look like a tea party.