News

  • Nearly Half Of Social Security Disability Recipients Overpaid

    Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Inspector General Statement, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, November 2010. .This week, Members of Congress returned to Washington to begin working on a temporary measure that would avert a government shutdown on October 1st. In addition, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for one new piece of legislation, and three key bills gained cosponsors. .The audit is part of long-delayed plans to recover money that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says it overpaid to plans that exaggerated the severity of illnesses of patients treated. The problem is one that the federal government has struggled with, unsuccessfully, for more than a decade. According to one estimate that appeared in Health Affairs, CMS will overpay Medicare Advantage plans by 0 billion over the next decade if the current "coding intensity adjustment" system remains in place. … Continued

  • Legislative Update Week Ending September 21 2018

    Rick is also an advocate for all Veteran causes and currently serves as The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) Chairman. .(Washington, DC) – Providing a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2016 should be the next top priority for Congress, according to a new poll of retirees released today by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). When asked, "Which of the following should be the most important priority for Congress in the next few months?" the majority of poll respondents — 34 percent — said that Congress should "Provide a higher and more fair COLA." In October the Social Security Administration announced that inflation is so low there would be no COLA next year. "But Social Security beneficiaries today are struggling to keep up with rising costs, and next year's zero COLA will put them even further behind," says TSCL Chairman, Ed Cates. .For more information, visit the website of the National Academy of Social Insurance at www.NASI.org and download a copy of "When Should I Take Social Security Benefits? ". Or watch a video "It Pays To Wait". … Continued

Trump Issues Executive Order on Prescription Drugs .Third, the bipartisan CHANGE Act (H.R. 4957) gained one new cosponsor in Representative Ted Lieu (CA-33), bringing the total up to twenty-two. If adopted, the CHANGE Act would promote early identification of Alzheimer's disease, improve support for family caregivers, and provide continuous care for those battling many forms of dementia. .The TSCL survey found that, to improve Medicare's finances, seniors strongly support ramping up anti-fraud efforts, and better integration of care to reduce duplications of tests, services, and expensive imaging. What do you think? Take a poll. Visit TSCL's website at . .This week, lawmakers adjourned for a week-long holiday recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill on Monday, November 28th. .Background Information: Roughly 56% of older taxpaying households paid income taxes on a portion of their Social Security benefits this year, even though many of them only made twice the federal poverty level in income. Question: Do you believe this is fair, and if not, what should be done about it? .We've also reported on an analysis by the Social Security Administration about the effect of the President's directive on the viability of Social Security. That report said in part, the " DI [Disability Insurance] Trust Fund asset reserves would become permanently depleted in about the middle of calendar year 2021, with no ability to pay DI benefits thereafter. We estimate that OASI[Old Age and Survivors' Insurance] Trust Fund reserves would become permanently depleted by the middle of calendar year 2023, with no ability to pay OASI benefits thereafter." .The lack of growth in Social Security benefits is eroding the buying power of more than 60 million people who depend on Social Security. There was no annual boost again this year. But according to a recent TSCL survey of more than 1,100 people age 62 and over, retiree household expenses continued to climb. Some 72 percent of survey respondents reported their monthly expenses grew by more than in 2015. .Some in Congress are hopeful that the conferees will negotiate a "grand bargain," which would include an overhaul of the tax code and entitlement reform. However, leaders in both chambers have been pushing for the conferees to focus more narrowly on replacing the "sequester" and establishing a fiscal 2014 budget blueprint. Should the conferees fail to reach a consensus, the government could face another shutdown on January 15th, a default on February 7th, and about billion in across-the-board spending cuts at the beginning of the year. .In 2016, under the Supplemental Poverty Measure 14.5% of adults age 65 and older lived in poverty, compared to 9.3% under the official poverty measure.