News

  • Congressional Corner Washington Talking Protecting Expanding Social Security Not Cutting

    Lawmakers Advance Short-Term Funding Measure .Two Cosponsors Sign on to Key Bill .TSCL recently delivered letters to every Member of Congress asking for their vote in favor of legislation. To learn more, visit . … Continued

  • Nearly Half Of Retirees Say Their Savings Did Not Recover By End Of 2020

    This week, lawmakers in the House adjourned for a week-long recess, while those in the Senate heard from Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who was recently nominated by President Obama to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Meanwhile, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) saw . .Nationwide, the picture is equally bleak, with more than 60 million Americans at risk of losing access to the rural hospitals that serve their families. What's worse – in order to prevent rural hospitals from closing under a Medicare-for-all regime, Medicare would have to increase hospital payments up to 60% higher than current Medicare rates. .The Part D doughnut hole will be "closed" in 2020, but that doesn't mean that your out-of-pocket spending will stop. To the contrary, an unprecedented spike in Medicare's required out-of-pocket costs means you may pay more than you did in 201You will hit the former coverage gap around October or November, depending on whether the price of your prescription goes up. … Continued

TSCL disagrees, and we fear that if triggered, the IPAB's recommendations could result in increased costs for beneficiaries or decreased access to quality medical care. In the weeks ahead, we will continue to advocate for legislation to repeal the cost-cutting board in the House and Senate, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .When there's a COLA as low as 1.3%, a provision of law known as "hold harmless" ensures that an individual's net Social Security benefit will not decrease from December of one year to January of the next, because of an increase in the Part B premium. That's an important protection, but it doesn't go far enough. .The fourth article is quite lengthy, but it discusses the issue of how much a vaccine for the coronavirus will cost once it is available. Obviously, that is a concern for all of us because we all are anxiously awaiting its development. .So far, 800,000 federal workers have been furloughed, and Members of the House have begun taking a piecemeal approach that would send some of them back to work by providing funding for certain agencies. However, the Senate has rejected each bill. Leaders in that chamber believe a piecemeal approach will set a bad precedent and give the opposing political party "veto power over what is funded and what isn't," according to Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY). .Open enrollment for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans is now in progress, and before selecting or renewing your current plan, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) encourages all members and supporters to explore their options diligently. According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than 0 billion will be cut from the program by 2023 due to requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and many MA plans may be making modifications to benefit packages and provider networks that could affect enrollees significantly. .Here's how it works: If Medicare spending exceeds certain growth rates, the 15-member board must make recommendations to Congress to rein in spending. If Congress fails to respond by passing cost-cutting measures of their own, the board's recommendations would be automatically implemented. .With only six weeks to go before the December 13th deadline, it remains to be seen which path the budget conference will take. Leaders of the conference announced on Wednesday that the next public meeting will be held on November 13th, but most of the work will likely occur behind closed doors in the coming weeks. Regardless, TSCL will continue to monitor the evolving budget negotiations, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .This study illustrates why legislation is needed to provide a more fair and adequate COLA. To put it in perspective, for every 0 worth of groceries a retiree could afford in 2000, that individual can only buy worth today. .Lawmakers Approve Temporary Spending Bill