News

  • Legislative Update April May 2020

    Seniors wanting to learn how much a COLA cut would cost in Social Security income should visit the TSCL Chained COLA calculator. .Moreover, U.S. dependence on China for drugs and drug products is growing. Its imports of Chinese medical equipment increased 78 percent between 2010 and 2018. .But a COVID-19 vaccine will have an actual price tag. And given the prevailing business-centric model of American drug pricing, it could well be budget breaking, perhaps making it unavailable to many. … Continued

  • Are You Affected By High Out Of Pocket Costs For Covid 19

    To cover the projected cost, lawmakers included a reduction in funding to the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which was created by the ACA to support preventive care efforts, the management of chronic conditions, and developments in public health. .At the time of writing this week's update, the House had not yet voted on the measure, but its passage is expected in that chamber by Friday. The committees of jurisdiction will then begin working on legislation to repeal the health care law. Through the budget reconciliation process, the Affordable Care Act is expected to be repealed by as early as February, and lawmakers hope to have a replacement plan signed into law soon after. .TSCL enthusiastically supports the bills mentioned above, and we were pleased to see support grow for each of them this week. … Continued

We are happy to see that the Trump administration is preparing an executive order that would require certain essential drugs and medical treatments for a variety of conditions be made in the U.S. The order comes in light of drug and device shortages during the pandemic. .Citizenship is not a requirement to claim Social Security benefits. Undocumented immigrants who, at some point, receive even temporary work authorization, and who also receive a valid SSN, may eventually claim Social Security benefits if other qualifications are met, according to the Congressional Research Service. .However, we believe Congress can and must do more to reduce prescription drug prices. In the months ahead, we will continue to advocate for legislation like the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act (S. 41, H.R. 242), the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act (S. 469, H.R. 1245), and the Improving Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs Act (S. 771, H.R. 1776). .TSCL believes the drug problem could explode this year. Citing massive "sequester" budget and staff cuts, federal officials are set to scale back or drop investigations into Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse cases. The Department of Health and Human Services may lose a total of 400 staffers and the existing staff is stretched so thin that it was unable to investigate about 1,200 cases of Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse last year. .Locality pay adjustments are currently used to adjust the paychecks of federal workers. Federal employees receive a two-part pay adjustment that includes base pay (which is established by a specific formula set by law) and locality pay adjustments. The locality pay adjustment varies depending on where the employee works. The parameters aren't set by law but use metropolitan statistical areas to define locality pay areas. .Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced earlier this year that he wants to overhaul entitlement spending. TSCL is concerned that, after the elections, Congress could address rising deficits by moving legislation that would cut Social Security benefits. .If you delay starting benefits, past your full retirement age, your benefit will grow by 8% of the full retirement benefit amount per year until age 70, at which point your benefit would be about ,50To learn more about your Social Security benefits, and to get estimates visit the Social Security Administration's website at www.SSA.gov. .The resolution would also allow committees to meet remotely using interactive technology and let members cast votes remotely during the legislative process. .What Was I Thinking?