News

  • Legislative Update Social Security And Medicare Commission Proposed

    As with the start of any new Congress, TSCL is encouraging Senators and Representatives to reintroduce and co-sponsor key legislation for seniors, like the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act, the Notch Fairness Act, the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act, and the Social Security Fairness Act. In addition, with comprehensive Social Security and Medicare reform on the minds of many deficit hawks, TSCL is working diligently to prevent harmful cuts for beneficiaries. .Finally, two new cosponsors – Senator John Hoeven (ND) and Senator Angus King (ME) – signed on to the Concentrating on High-Value Alzheimer's Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act (S. 2387). The cosponsor total is now up to twelve. If adopted, the bill would direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to create programs that would promote early identification, improve support for family caregivers, and provide continuous care for those battling many forms of dementia. .As the number and scope of extreme weather events and disasters grow, some homeowners are learning that their insurance coverage doesn't provide all the protection they were expecting it to. According to Consumer Reports, the greater the damage costs, the higher the likelihood that there will be a disagreement over the claim, especially when you have a very large claim of ,000 or more. … Continued

  • Usmexico Social Security Treaty Must Be Opposed

    Some issues of controversy inevitably arose at Thursday's hearing, but common ground was also found on the important issue of corporate tax reform. The Joint Committee, which must hold a vote on its final proposal before Thanksgiving, will likely hold a third public hearing in the coming weeks. TSCL will continue to monitor its progress. .Fraudulent Use of Social Security Numbers Is Not Penalized .Just years before they were set to retire, these individuals learned that they would receive significantly lower benefits than originally anticipated. The problem has grown and compounded over time, and TSCL believes that in order to make the program more equitable, some compensation for the injustice should be provided. We enthusiastically support Rep. Meng's Notch Fairness Act, and we were pleased to see one new cosponsor sign on this week. … Continued

We gave you the bad news about eating fried foods, which really is nothing very new. But there was some hopeful news last week that we want to pass along. .This week, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) released new data that shows overwhelming support for improved Medicare coverage of essential health services. In addition, on Friday, lawmakers in the House adjourned for a five-week recess. .On Tuesday, two Senate Committees – the Budget Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee – held confirmation hearings to question Congressman Mick Mulvaney (SC-5), who was nominated by President Trump to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. If confirmed, he would lead the office that develops the administration's federal budget and advises the White House on fiscal matters. .This week, members of The Senior Citizens League's (TSCL) legislative staff were in attendance at two committee hearings – one held by the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, and one held by the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. In addition, TSCL saw support grow for a key piece of legislation. .The extent of probable illegal work related to such reinstatements has also been growing. "With more recent work years and earnings, the percentage of reinstatements to foreign-born persons with work activity prior to SSN issuance is significantly higher—an average of about 32% of such reinstatement occurring between 1986-200Further, in some years, these reinstatements for potentially unauthorized work have been in excess of 50% of all reinstatements to foreign-born recipients," the GAO said.(17) .The Scott bill passed the Education and Labor Committee on Tuesday of this week. It has a different approach for dealing with surprise bills that limits the arbitration process and sets forth a benchmark payment rate. Scott's bill would force doctors to accept a benchmark rate for bills under 0 and go through arbitration in disputes over bills higher than 0. .The Part A deductible, however, is charged "per spell of illness" and it's feasible that you could have to pay it more than one time in a year should you require multiple hospitalizations the same year. .The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is provided to protect the buying power of Social Security benefits from rising prices. Yet for almost a decade, retirees have had to manage their household budgets despite COLAs that have been at unprecedented lows. During this period, typical retiree costs have continued to rise several times faster than overall inflation and, consequently, Social Security benefits have lost one-third of their buying power since 2000. .Let a call go to voicemail if you do not recognize a phone number, as scammers rarely leave messages.