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  • S 469 Affordable Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act

    Have you heard anything about congress fixing a Social Security cut for those of us born in 1960? — K.S. .Congress managed to pass a short-term fix to prevent a 19% benefit cut that was due to hit disabled Social Security beneficiaries by the end of this year. The legislation heads off the cut by temporarily transferring some payroll tax revenues over the next three years, expanding measures to better ensure medical eligibility for benefits, and by preventing improper payments due to fraudulent work. The stronger eligibility and anti-fraud provisions are strongly supported by TSCL, incorporating several recommendations that TSCL presented last fall to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security. The legislation: .This year, Social Security beneficiaries received no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) despite a national survey indicating a majority reported higher costs. Do you support legislation that would give seniors an emergency COLA before the end of this year? … Continued

  • Congressional Corner The Payroll Tax Cuts Not The Problem Privatization Is

    Interview with author Mark Miller .Three Ways Congress Can Pay For Notch Reform .In recent years, inflation and COLAs have been virtually flat, averaging just 1.1% per year since 2010 — with no COLA at all in 2016 and just a 0.3% COLA in 201Slow growth in Social Security benefits, particularly when it continues over a period as long as 8 years, has a very significant impact on the overall amount of lifetime income that retirees can expect from Social Security. When retiree costs climb while benefits remain flat, people wind up having to dig more deeply into retirement savings (if they have any), spending more quickly than anticipated. Many people without other pensions or savings are forced into debt. About one in four low-income older Americans is dependent on programs that provide assistance with essentials like food and healthcare costs. … Continued

Last week we told you that President Trump issued four executive orders concerning prescription drug prices. We explained that we at TSCL are taking a "wait and see" approach because of concerns about the orders and the limitations that are involved with them. .The Drug Plan Finder can help you get very specific information because you can input the prescriptions you currently use and then find the lowest cost plan that covers your drugs. However, the lowest cost plan may not always be your wisest choice, especially since your doctor may change your prescriptions in the future or you may be close to the doughnut hole coverage gap. You may benefit by spending a little more and getting a plan that covers 95% of all drugs and covers at least generics in the gap. .Defeating Alzheimer's requires uniting Americans nationwide in conjunction with local government, healthcare experts, and outside organizations like the Alzheimer's Association. We are all in this fight together, and ending this disease will take time and a common focus on the task at hand. That's why we must continue to raise awareness of Alzheimer's and the promising efforts taking place to curb its growth, as well as increase support for patients and their caregivers. While the challenge of battling Alzheimer's is immense, the outpouring of support and dedicated activism for this crucial cause gives me hope that we can one day effectively treat—and eventually cure—this devastating disease. .A loop-hole in current Social Security law could allow millions of Mexican workers and their dependents to eventually collect Social Security benefits for earnings while working under fraudulent, or non-work-authorized, Social Security numbers. ."This is a major reason why Social Security checks don't keep up with rising Medicare costs," explains Johnson. "In fact, Social Security benefits have lost 34 percent of buying power since 2000," Johnson adds. .Finally, the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R.1205) from Congressman Rodney Davis (IL-13) gained ten new cosponsors this week, bringing the total up to 158 in the House. The bill, if adopted, would repeal two provisions of the Social Security Act that reduce the earned benefits of millions of state and local government employees each year. .In recent years, conversations about Social Security reform focused on the need to save funds by cutting benefits. While some lawmakers on Capitol Hill still favor an increase in the retirement age and a reduction in cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), others have shifted the debate towards a growing retiree savings "crisis" and calling for expanding benefits instead. Three bills in particular would strengthen and modernize the Social Security program while making benefits more generous for all recipients, but especially for those who rely on them the most. These bills have won the support of many in Washington – including The Senior Citizens League: .To be eligible for the Making Work Pay Tax Credit, individuals must have earned income from a job, be within income limits that apply to the credit, and have a valid Social Security number. Although the money was advanced in higher pay (and pension checks), taxpayers must figure the credit on Schedule M and attach it to a Form 1040 or 1040A in order to claim it. Taxpayers filing a 1040 EZ may figure the credit on the worksheet attached to the return. .There are now efforts for legislation to boost domestic manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. There is a new measure that would require the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to "convene a committee of experts to analyze the impact of U.S. dependence" on foreign medicines and to make recommendations to Congress. There is also an effort to use the fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill to strengthen U.S.-based pharmaceutical manufacturing and advance "make it in America" policies that favor domestic drug-production plants.