News

  • Disability Benefit Cut Looming

    ,000 Notch Fairness Act Reintroduced .Here are some tips to identify false or misleading claims. .We know from past surveys and email comments that you want the freedom to choose how you receive your Medicare benefits — either through a Medigap supplement and Part D plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage. Nobody wants to get a cancellation notice or to give up their doctor, hospital or other important provider because their health plan is closing. Maintaining affordable access to quality healthcare coverage is the key issue for every Medicare beneficiary and for TSCL. Coming up with a plan to pay for all this is the hard part which depends heavily on how quickly we can get our economy up and running full speed again and get people back to work. … Continued

  • Legislative Update April 2012 Advisor

    This week, the 115th Congress convened and lawmakers in the Senate took the first steps towards a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. .All costs cited include premiums and prescription out-of-pocket. .Medicare pays for a wide range of services including many preventive benefits, but routine eye care is not one of them. Medicare-eligible adults with diabetes can, however, get a dilated eye exam to check for diabetic eye disease. The patient's primary care doctor is responsible for determining how often this exam is needed. Medicare also covers an annual eye exam to check for glaucoma if the patient is diabetic or there is a family history of glaucoma. … Continued

This week, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for legislation that would increase the administrative funding of the Social Security program, prevent field office closures, and eliminate two waiting periods that Disability Insurance (DI) beneficiaries must endure. In addition, six key bills gained new cosponsors in the House. .Airlines frequently note that commercial planes are equipped with HEPA filters, the Centers for Disease Control-recommended air filters used in hospital isolation rooms. HEPA filters capture 99.97% of airborne particles and substantially reduce the risk of viral spread. In addition, the air in plane cabins is completely changed over 10 to 12 times per hour, raising the air quality above that of a normal building. .TSCL was pleased to hear that SSA decided to reverse the policy this week after receiving complaints from beneficiaries. TSCL's policy consultant Mary Johnson told Karen Damato this week, "We are grateful for a reprieve, even a temporary one." Policy analyst Jessie Gibbons also told Mary Beth Franklin of Investment News: "We believe the administration made the right decision to rescind their new cell phone texting requirement while they continue to pursue more options." .Senate Subcommittee Considers Family Leave Proposal .The Senior Citizens League agrees with Senator Brown, and we oppose the proposal since it would negatively impact Social Security's finances and the retirement security of future beneficiaries. In the days ahead, Senator Marco Rubio (FL) and Senator Joni Ernst (IA) are expected to introduce the proposal as legislation, and TSCL's legislative team will monitor its movement closely. For updates, follow TSCL on Twitter or visit the Legislative News section of our website. .However, there are several steps an importer would have to take to be certified to import the drugs and they are costly. If the current FDA rules are kept in place it could be that states would not see significant savings in the costs of drugs, or even enough savings to justify the cost of setting up such a program. .Finally, one new cosponsor – Rep. Ted Yoho (FL-3) – signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 1795), bringing the total up to one hundred and seventeen. If signed into law, the bill would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – two federal provisions that unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of state and local government employees each year. .If you have recently moved and need to update your official mailing address, visit MySocialSecurityaccount, or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. .Unlike other government penalties, such as a tax penalty, the extra 0 per month is permanent, and is payable for the rest of the time he has Medicare. To avoid further penalties, we strongly urge your daughter to get her father-in-law enrolled in Medicare Part B as quickly as possible. If her father-in-law only receives Social Security and has limited savings, he may qualify for a Medicare Savings Program that would pay the cost of the Part B premium.