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  • Legislative Update For The Week Ending August 19 2011 Feed

    Things could get worse for older households. Some economists and policy makers worry that the new economic stimulus will cause consumer prices to spiral. Consumer price index data through February showed a big jump in some prices and suggests that the next Social Security COLA may in fact be much higher — the highest since 2019 when the COLA was 2.8%. "But right now, those higher prices erode the buying power of Social Security benefits," says Johnson who studies the impact that rising prices have on the purchasing power of Social Security recipients. According to research by Johnson, from January of 2000 to January of 2020, Social Security benefits have already lost 30 percent of buying power. .In a statement issued early this week, America's Health Insurance Plans, an advocacy organization for insurers, wrote: "Reports from leading industry analysts show broad consensus that the CMS proposal, if finalized, would result in Medicare Advantage payment cuts of at least 4 percent in 2015 and likely much higher once other changes are factored in." But in a statement of their own, representatives from CMS countered: "The proposed changes for 2015 for Medicare Advantage are smaller than those implemented in 2014 – a year in which CMS expects to exceed its 5 percent enrollment growth projection." They went on to claim that the 2015 MA cut will actually result in lower premiums and better care for seniors. .Drug Executives Refuse to meet with Trump … Continued

  • Congress Picks Up Debate Over Benefit Cuts

    The Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act (S. 61), introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley (IA) and Amy Klobuchar (MN), would allow individuals to safely import prescriptions from approved pharmacies in Canada. .On top of unexpected coverage shortfalls, TSCL's 2017 annual Survey of Senior Costs indicates that homeowners' insurance was the fastest growing housing cost over the past year. In fact, since 2000, the national average homeowners premium rose 154%, a rate of about 9.6% per year! .Over the past five years, the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) has reached an all-time low, averaging just 1.5 percent. Seniors, however, have reported that their living expenses are higher than ever. In fact, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) has found that seniors have lost almost one-third of their purchasing power since 2000, and their expenses have increased more than twice as fast as the annual COLA. Today, it is more clear than ever that the Social Security COLA is failing to help seniors keep up. … Continued

In a letter of support, Art Cooper – Chairman of The Senior Citizens League's Board of Trustees – wrote: "The Senior Citizens League's supporters – most of whom are enrolled in the Social Security program – question why Congress has not yet acted to address the funding challenges of the Social Security Administration in order to ensure the service that beneficiaries have earned and deserve … As such, The Senior Citizens League salutes you for introducing the Social Security Administration Fairness Act." .The absence of confirmed transmission is not necessarily evidence that fliers are safe. Instead, the lack of data reflects the fact that the U.S. has a higher infection rate relative to other countries, said Chen. Since the U.S. has so many confirmed cases, it's more difficult to determine exactly where somebody contracted the virus. ​ .Can your husband do the work he did previously? If he can, your husband would not qualify. .Last year President Trump proposed lowering the prices of certain Medicare drug prices by tying those prices to lower prices paid in other developed countries. Under that proposal, prices would have been lower than they are now, but would still be a certain percentage higher than they are in other countries. The President was not satisfied with that idea, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. On Wednesday Azar said the President wants the proposal changed so that prices in the United States are even lower than they are in other countries. .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. .The Social Security COLA is calculated using the consumer price index. There are several of them, and the government uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Workers (CPI-W) to calculate the annual boost. That index, though, doesn't measure how people 62 and older spend their money. It measures how younger working adults do. Seniors, however, have different spending patterns, and have to spend a growing share of their budget on healthcare, which in most years outpaces overall inflation. .The CR that was adopted on Thursday will provide funding for two weeks, which lawmakers hope will give them enough time to iron out the details for a larger spending package. TSCL will be following the negotiations closely in the coming days and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .There could be several reasons that can cause sticker shock at the pharmacy. Here are some tips for checking the charges and understanding the costs associated with your new drug plan: .House Postpones Thursday AHCA Vote