News

  • Legislation Would Make It Easier For Low Income Beneficiaries To Qualify For Medicare Assistance Feed

    Comprehensive Social Security Reform .Of the more than 1,200 people who participated, 766 sent in comments. Most described their personal challenges in meeting their healthcare expenses. In what may be a sign of the times, a surprising number indicated they are working far longer than they ever thought they would, even into their late 70's and 80's, because they don't have enough to live on after paying their healthcare costs. Even seniors who do have good Medicare supplemental and drug coverage described how they keep costs in check by asking their doctor to prescribe generics, filling prescriptions for 90 days, splitting pills, and sticking to preferred pharmacies. .On Thursday, TSCL announced its support for the Elder Protection and Abuse Prevention Act (S. 1019 and H.R. 3090). Sen. Richard Blumenthal (CT) introduced the bill in the Senate, and Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-17) introduced the companion in the House. If signed into law, the bill would expand the federal definition of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. It would also incorporate elder abuse prevention trainings, screenings, and reporting protocols into all senior service access points that receive federal funding under the bill. … Continued

  • Warning Scam Calls Impersonate Social Security Help Report Scam

    This week, President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address, and talks to repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for doctors who treat Medicare patients seemed to have stalled. .Abrupt legislative cuts erode the trust that Congress needs for making far bigger changes in the future. TSCL urges you to engage candidates in conversations about Social Security and Medicare. Let's ask them what their plans are for fixing Social Security and Medicare and what changes they propose that would affect your benefits. .Republican leaders have also begun discussing plans to reform Medicare and Medicaid next year in an effort to reduce the deficit that the .5 trillion tax bill will create. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (WI-1) said in a radio interview on Wednesday: "We're going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit … This has been my big thing for many, many years. I think [Medicare is] the biggest entitlement we've got to reform." TSCL opposes reforms to Medicare, Medicaid, and other earned benefit programs that would result in higher out-of-pocket costs for older Americans. We will continue to advocate against benefit cuts in the months ahead. … Continued

I read your story about a potential Social Security benefit cut affecting people who were born in 1960. Has Congress taken any action yet to correct this? .A 2.5% COLA would boost an average monthly benefit of about ,500 by an additional ,000 over the next ten years through 2030. An emergency 2.5% COLA would boost a monthly ,500 benefit by an extra .50 (0 per year) in 2021, but it would grow to an extra .30 per month by the end of ten years. Another way to think about this, if retirees do not receive a 2.5% COLA, that would be like loosing ,000 in Social Security income over the next ten years. .CBO is strictly nonpartisan; conducts objective, impartial analysis; and hires its employees solely on the basis of professional competence without regard to political affiliation. CBO does not make policy recommendations, and each report and cost estimate summarizes the methodology underlying the analysis. .The Mayo Clinic has put out the following information as a way of helping you decide what it is that you may be suffering from. You are advised that if your symptoms are the same as in the past you are likely suffering from allergies again. But if there is any variation you should get tested for Covid. And if you have any doubt, getting tested for Covid is probably the right thing to do, especially if you have not been fully vaccinated. .No further information about the bill is available at this point but as soon as it is TSCL will review it to determine whether we will support it. .This article focuses on immediate annuities that provide income that starts right away, and lasts over your entire lifetime. (There are deferred annuities that younger investors purchase for later payouts. This type often has a reputation for high sales costs and poor investment performance and is not the topic of this article.) .According to the Urban Institute, parents who take paid leave one time would see a 3.2 percent cut in their future Social Security benefits, and parents who take paid leave two times would see a benefit cut of around 5.5 percent. Those who take four paid leaves would see permanent Social Security benefit cuts of around 10 percent in retirement. ."It's outrageous to say that COLAs overpay seniors and the disabled," Hyland says. "To the contrary, COLAs already grow too slowly to provide the protection to Social Security benefits they're intended to," he points out. .Paying heating or cooling bills,