News

  • 2017 Loss Buying Power Study

    According to Medicare, no single organization was behind the 35 people charged in the genetic testing scam, which included 9 doctors. All of this comes at a time when Medicare and Medicare Advantage are expanding the use of telemedicine, which allows doctors and nurses to connect with patients over the internet or by cell phone for consultations and to check symptoms remotely. .TSCL recently solicited membership support for three issues critical to seniors' needs: Social Security Fairness (COLA), Notch Reform, and the Anti-Totalization Agreement. Collectively, these issues represent key legislation that TSCL believes will help protect the earned benefits for our supporters and formed the focus of our grassroots Congressional petition campaign. This campaign centered on educating and calling on all U.S. Representatives to support the: Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act, Guaranteed 3% COLA for Seniors Act, Social Security Guarantee Act, Notch Fairness Act, No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act, and Social Security for Americans Only Act. .Lawmakers End Partial Government Shutdown … Continued

  • Category Best Ways To Save

    Lower prescription drug prices is one of our top priorities and we will continue to fight for them as long as it takes, and for whatever actions it takes to reduce them. .On Tuesday, TSCL's Legislative Analyst, Jessie Gibbons, attended the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction's first public hearing. The Committee heard testimony from Doug Elmendorf, Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). .According to Mr. Brune, SSA is making several organizational and technology-driven improvements that will lead to an increase in fraud detection. The administration is currently expanding its successful Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) program, which prevents benefit payments from being made in cases where fraud is detected. The CDI program is operating in thirty-three states this year, and it is expected to expand to the remaining seventeen states by 202Mr. Brune said, "Chairman Johnson and this Subcommittee have long championed this CDI program, and we thank you for that support." … Continued

Several new bills have recently been introduced in Congress that would reduce prescription drug costs. A number of them have bipartisan support. To read more details about these bills see —"Stories About High Drug Costs Lead To Congressional Investigation of Pharmaceutical Pricing." .Social Security was never designed to be the sole source of retirement income. It replaces around 40 percent of the average earnings of its beneficiaries. Pensions and savings form the two other major streams of retirement income, but people who retire with all three sources of retirement income are rare. Even worse, recent research from the National Institute of Retirement Security found that more than 40% of older adults have no retirement income other than Social Security. .The Senior Citizens League supports your right to avoid unwanted direct mail. If you no longer want to receive mailings from The Senior Citizens League, you can opt out by contacting us at comments@ and telling us, "No mail please." Be sure to include your name and mailing address as it appears on the mail you are receiving from The Senior Citizens League. .Impose new Medicare deductibles and impose new coverage restrictions on Medigap plans: Impose a new 0 deductible for both Medicare Part A and Part B that Medigap plans would be restricted from covering. Would also limit the co-insurance or co-pays that Medigap plans could cover to 50 percent of the next ,000 in Medicare cost-sharing. Currently plans pay most, or all, of the Medicare cost sharing. .Depending on health, and type of Medigap coverage, seniors would get hit with up to ,100 per year in new costs that were previously covered by their health plan. .Last week there was major news concerning Social Security, Medicare, and prescription drug prices – or at least so it seemed. But "the devil is in the details" and we will try to sort it out for you below. .Surprise! Recent Budget Law Accelerates Closing Of Medicare Part D Doughnut Hole .In addition, one new cosponsor – Rep. Jared Nadler (NY-10) – signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 973) this week, bringing the total up to 15The bill, if signed into law, would repeal two Social Security provisions – the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) – that unfairly reduce or eliminate the earned Social Security benefits of millions of retired teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other state or local government employees each year. TSCL believes the two provisions must be repealed as soon as possible so that public servants receive the retirement security they have earned and deserve. .First, one new cosponsor – Representative Ruben Gallego (AZ-7) – signed on to the Competitive DRUGS Act (H.R. 4117), bringing the total up to thirty-seven. If adopted, this bill would prohibit brand name pharmaceutical companies from paying generic drug companies to delay the introduction of their products to the market. Banning these anti-competitive "pay for delay" deals would lead to lower prescription drug prices for older Americans and other consumers.