News

  • Weekly Update For Week Ending October 24 2020

    Until then, TSCL will continue to monitor the movement of President Obama's immigration orders closely, since they could significantly affect the Social Security and Medicare programs if implemented. We will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .Congress should allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices by tying U.S. prices to prices paid in other industrialized countries like Canada, Great Britain and Japan where prices are lower. — 85 percent support, 13 percent not sure, and only 2 percent opposed. .There are new federal rules that require hospitals to post their pricing information online in order to give patients the information they need to make decisions about their health care. But it turns out that some large hospital systems have been using codes that prevent that information from appearing in online search results. … Continued

  • Legislative Update July Advisor Feed

    Industry groups and health systems led by the American Hospital Association challenged the rule, arguing that the rule would do more harm than good because it won't "tell consumers their actual out-of-pocket costs, will likely produce confusion and may be less effective than the price-transparency tools the hospital field has been developing." .However, it differs from the House version which means it must go back to the House to see if it will agree with the changes that were made. .Obama's controversial executive action would defer the deportation of up to five million illegal immigrants, including older adults who have children who were born in the U.S. (and thus U.S. citizens). In addition, his executive actions provide the work authorization required to receive Social Security and Medicare, once other qualifications are met. Texas and 25 other states are challenging the legality of Obama's actions. They are being supported by TSCL, 12 other groups, and 113 Members of Congress who argue in an amicus brief, that "the President acted contrary to both the express and implied will of Congress." … Continued

Repurpose "heirlooms in time." If you have boxes of "almost antiques" hidden away in antiques or basements pick out a few to repurpose for a second time around. Restring those old broken beads, cut apart shrunken felted sweaters and sew into new tote bags for the market. Drill holes in into old loose-leaf tea cans and plant some thyme, rosemary or a small parsley plant for a sunny windowsill. A great place to get inspiration is www.Pintrest.com. .Using statistical data from the Social Security Administration, TSCL estimates about 88 percent of Social Security beneficiaries have received benefits during the 2009 – 2015 period and have been impacted the hardest. "With 64 percent of older Americans depending on Social Security for over half of their income, going without a COLA is a loss of income that most beneficiaries simply can't be expected to bear," Cates says. Spiking medical costs are causing retirees to go into debt, and run through their savings," he adds. .This is not the end of the story, however. More legislation will be needed to stop additional Medicare payment cuts that are scheduled in 2022. .Notch Reform continues to be a major priority of seniors who turn 85 to 94 this year. After so many years of receiving lower Social Security benefits than other seniors having similar work and earnings histories, is it any wonder that the majority of "Notch Babies" believe Congress is waiting for the issue to quietly die away? .Fraud is so prevalent that prevention is only part of the solution. One in 20 seniors in the U.S. is a target of fraud schemes. Yet, the National Adult Protective Services Association has found that only one in 44 seniors report that they are victims of a fraud scheme, suggesting seniors lack information on how to file a complaint. .Case 2— A man born in Mexico worked under his father's SSN for 9 years and then had these wages transferred when he acquired his own SSN before collecting retirement benefits. From 1999 to 2002 he collected approximately ,441 in retirement benefits, including benefits for dependents based on his account. Estimated benefits over 20 years — ,300. .This week, lawmakers in the House and Senate remained in their home states and districts for the two-week spring recess. Both chambers are scheduled to be back in session by Tuesday, April 25th. .Recent proposals would provide "block grants" or cap federal funding for Medicaid and give states additional flexibility over how they run their programs. Under the budget plan passed by the House of Representatives, beginning in 2013, the state grants would increase annually at the rate of overall inflation, but that rate, as seniors are all too aware, is far below that of inflation for healthcare costs. Analysts say that, as a result, states that cannot keep up with the program costs, are likely to scale back coverage. TSCL believes that Congress should consider better options to ensure that the seniors who are dependent on long-term care services will be able to continue to rely on those services. .It's true that public opinion can sway votes in Congress, especially during a critical election year like this one. TSCL strongly believes that grassroots lobbying is the most effective way for the public to communicate with elected Members of Congress. Our members spoke loudly and clearly when they signed more than 1.5 million petitions, and many Congressional offices met our deliveries with surprise and gratitude. We look forward to partnering with many of those offices in the future to ensure that Congress lives up to the commitments it has made to seniors.