News

  • Surprise Billing Issues Still Not Settled

    In mid-December there were reports that the Administration expected to begin sending out President Trump's promised 0 drug discount cards to seniors by Jan. However, we have not heard any report about whether or not that has begun. We will keep you posted when there is new information about the distribution of the cards. .House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he still expects the House to consider regular fiscal year 2021 spending bills beginning in June. But Senate Leader McConnell has not discussed any timetable for the bills coming out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which must happen before the full Senate can consider the legislation. The Appropriations Committee got off to a late start, and it is not clear the committee will keep its summer working schedule. As a result, there is growing expectation that – once again - a continuing resolution will be needed to prevent a government shutdown on the eve of the election and that lawmakers will complete their work on the spending measures in a lame-duck session. .The government has made it much easier to drop out of an older supplemental Medigap plan and join a new Medicare Advantage plan than the other way around. In fact, if you drop your older supplement, you may not be able to get it back again should you discover your new plan is not what you thought it would be. Failure to read the fine print can expose you to thousands of dollars in unexpected out-of-pocket costs should you require even just a few days of hospitalization or have a health condition that requires multiple visits to the doctor and lab services. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending November 23 2012

    Sen. Bernard Sanders (VT) introduced S. 500 on March 7, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Finance. .The drugs that would be affected by any Trump action are among the costliest taken by Americans. They include innovative therapies for cancer, immune disease and other disorders. The industry says that Part B pharmaceutical spending makes up just 3% of overall Medicare costs. .There is no simple, direct mechanism for regulators or legislators to control pricing. Our laws, in fact, favor business: Medicare is not allowed to engage in price negotiations for medicines covered by its Part D drug plan. The Food and Drug Administration, which will have to approve the manufacturer's vaccine for use as "safe and effective," is not allowed to consider proposed cost. The panels that recommend approval of new drugs generally have no idea how they will be priced. … Continued

With 1.2 million supporters, The Senior Citizens League is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups. Its mission is to promote and assist members and supporters, to educate and alert senior citizens about their rights and freedoms as U.S. Citizens, and to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and paid for. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of The Retired Enlisted Association. Visit for more information. .Advancing age puts many retirees at risk of oral health problems. A common cause of cavities is dry mouth, a side effect of more than 500 medications. Periodontal disease is widespread, even though it can be prevented with regular visits to the dentist and cleanings. In addition, research shows a strong link between oral health and a host of other diseases. .TSCL Announces Support for New Legislation .Democrats currently have an eight-seat majority in the House, meaning 10 defections could doom the legislation. Of those 10 members, seven got contributions last cycle from PhRMA, according to Federal Election Commission records. Six received donations from AbbVie's political action committee. .More than 61 million people, including adults age 65 and older, and younger disabled adults who receive Social Security disability benefits, get their healthcare coverage though Medicare.[3] The Social Security hold harmless provision protects about 70 percent of beneficiaries (almost 43 million beneficiaries) from increases in the Medicare Part B premium that exceed the dollar amount of their COLA. When an individual's Part B premium increases more than the dollar amount of his or her COLA, the Part B premium is reduced to prevent a reduction in net Social Security benefits from one year to the next. .One-out-of-five people who participated in TSCL Senior Survey spend more than 0.00 per month out-of-pocket on prescription drugs. That's an enormous amount, considering the average Social Security benefit is just ,460.00 per month. But even if you only take generics, or your Medicare drug or health plan premium goes down, this does not mean that your 2020 Medicare plan's drug coverage costs will also decrease. Your Medicare drug plan's prescription coverage – including which drugs are covered by your plan, and the cost, usually changes every year. .There is a misconception that all veterans can get health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. But that is not true. To get health care there a veteran must have a VA-rated disability. .I hate that we're placing seniors in no-win situations, and that's why I've re-introduced My Seniors' Security Act. It ensures that COLA increases aren't just eaten up by rising health care costs and it recalculates COLAs completely. Specifically, my act would create a ‘circuit breaker' of sorts, so seniors never lose more than 30% of their COLA to Medicare premiums. .Furthermore, this hurricane season is predicted to be a very bad one and money taken from FEMA for unemployment payments may be needed to deal with the destruction caused by the storms. What is more, the California fire season appears to be underway and federal funds are often used for relief efforts with those.