News
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Congressional Corner Its Time For Seniors To Get A Fair Cola 2
Senate Group Proposes Medicare Phase-Out .TSCL enthusiastically supports the Strengthening Social Security Act and the Social Security Fairness Act, and we were pleased to see support grow for both of them this week. .Make a list of contact information for family members, close friends, health providers or anyone who calls regularly so you know the call is legitimate. … Continued
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Legislative Update 5
Watch our public service video about the need for a fair Social Security COLA and spread the word! .A Census Bureau poll of how households are handling their medical needs during Covid-related closures and stay-at-home orders found that millions are going without care. In the last four weeks to June 9 an estimated 87.7 million people across the nation delayed getting care, while nearly 71 million needed it for something unrelated to Covid-19, but did not get it, .The Senior Citizens League supports legislation that would raise the income thresholds that subject Social Security benefits to taxation. … Continued
How much would chaining the COLA cost you? Use TSCL's new Chained COLA Cut Calculator to calculate your loss. .The calculation of the COLA is based on the percentage of difference in the average third quarter change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Clerical Workers and Wage Earners (CPI-W) from one year to the next. In late August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina knocked out petroleum production, causing gasoline and other consumer prices to surge in September. The CPI-W shot up an astonishing 1.5 percent between August and September of that year. But since Katrina, the CPI-W has increased .042 percent on average from August to September. "Even if costs were to rise as much as they did after Katrina, the COLA for 2018 would still be about 2 percent," Johnson says. .TSCL supports H.R. 973 and H.R. 1391 since both would modernize the Social Security program in a responsible way. We were pleased to see them gain critical support this week. .According to a survey by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), 70% of older Americans think Social Security's solvency should be improved by scrapping the Social Security taxable wage limit of 8,500. .The definition of disability under Social Security is different from other programs. Social Security only pays benefits for total disability, and none are paid for partial or a short-term disability. To determine if your husband is disabled, the Social Security Administration will examine the following: .Enrollees in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans should take a careful look at changes in their health plan for 201These Medicare health plans have new leeway to offer new supplemental benefits. While some of the new benefits may be valuable to some families, other changes, which give plans greater leeway to "tier" the co-pay structure for healthcare providers, may mean higher out-of-pocket costs when non-preferred or out-of-network providers are used. .My drug plan is offering a new mail order system. I normally fill my prescriptions at the pharmacy. Does this really save any money? What would I do if I need a prescription quickly? .Sources: "Cost, Logistics Of Obama Immigration Plan Raise Concerns Before Launch," Doug McKelway, Fox News, February 13, 201Testimony of Eileen O'Connor, Esq., Before The Senate Committee On Homeland Security And Government Affairs, February 4, 201"How Changes In Immigration Policy Might Affect The Federal Budget," The Congressional Budget Office, January 2015. .An Emergency COLA in 2021 Would Prevent Economic Insecurity and An Unprecedented Medicare Part B Premium Increase for Older Americans.
