News

  • Ask The Advisor December 2015

    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: .Fifty-one percent said they put off trips to the doctor and other routine medical care, some for months on end. Forty-four percent said they postponed filling prescriptions or were taking less of their medication than prescribed to make it last. .This week, three new cosponsors – Reps. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Alcee Hastings (FL-20), and Robert Scott (VA-3) – signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3118). The cosponsor total is now up to thirty-three. If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt a Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments; and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. TSCL enthusiastically supports the Strengthening Social Security Act since it would extend the solvency of the Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits. We were pleased to see support grow for it this week, and we look forward to helping build support for it in the coming months. … Continued

  • How Older Americans Would Fix Social Security

    The Senior Citizens League's surveys in 2020 asked about support for currently debated proposals to change Social Security and Medicare benefits. The five top areas of consensus include the following: .Your husband would need to apply for Social Security disability benefits to learn if his medical condition meets the Social Security Administration's definition of disability. But before getting started, it's important to understand your choices, since your husband is also old enough to start Social Security retirement benefits. .Last week TSCL was contacted by the office of Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Wash.) seeking our endorsement of legislation he is introducing titled the "Social Security Stabilization and Enhancement Act." Rep. DeFazio says this bill is a fix for the looming Social Security Trust Fund insolvency. … Continued

On halting evictions, the President has said many times in recent days he wants to prevent them. The President called for Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield to "consider" whether an eviction ban is needed. .Finally, one new cosponsor – Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) – signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 1795) this week, bringing the total up to one hundred and fourteen. If signed into law, the bill would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – two federal provisions that unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of state and local government employees each year. ."Chaining" the CPI would be a deficit reduction double-hitter. The CPI is used to calculate COLAs, a host of other federal retirement benefits (like military) and federal income tax exemptions, deductions and tax brackets. Thus, switching to a more slowly growing measure would dramatically cut government spending on the annual boosts for Social Security and a host of other federal benefit programs, in addition to quietly raising everyone's taxes. .Earlier this year, a Congressional report referred to the AARP as a "massive for-profit enterprise" whose financial structure "conflicts with its legal requirements to ‘primarily operate to promote the common good and social welfare of a community of people.'" .We do not collect any other information unless it is voluntarily provided by the visitor, such as if you answer one of our surveys, make a donation and/or register on our site to receive news and important updates on issues affecting senior citizens. .It is believed that Trump issued the executive orders because a drive to enact major legislation this year stalled in Congress. Although Trump has told Republican senators that lowering prescription prices is 'something you have to do,' many remain reluctant to use federal authority to force drug makers to charge less. .Things aren't likely to improve next year. The Social Security Chief Actuary recently estimated that the COLA in 2017 would be just 0.4 percent, which would be the lowest COLA ever paid. That would raise benefits just .00 per ,000 in benefits. .As TSCL supporters know, it is a particularly important issue for older people, who rely on medications to manage the medical problems associated with advancing age. However, drug makers remain adamantly opposed to government efforts to curb prices. .TSCL is gearing up to fight legislation that would cut the current rate of COLA growth. "People who depend on Social Security need a COLA that more adequately protects the buying power of their benefits," says Hyland. TSCL believes seniors would receive higher and more adequate benefits by using an index that more closely tracks senior spending, like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). TSCL supports The Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E) Act, H.R. 798 introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-4), and H.R.456 introduced by Charles Gonzalez (TX-20). Learn more by visiting TSCL on the web at .