News

  • Deficit Reduction Proposal Would Clobber Seniors With Medigap

    If these cuts ever went into effect, it could mean tens of millions of seniors no longer have access to their doctors and essential healthcare services. This is unacceptable. For too long, Congress has failed to seriously tackle the issue of physician payment reform, and instead has kicked the can down the road with short-term fixes that have now created a long-term fiscal nightmare. This has been the absolute wrong approach for American seniors and our federal budget. And that is why I have been working hard to protect seniors' access to their doctors by putting forth a plan to fix this broken system once and for all. .TSCL believes that the combined effect of COLA cuts and higher Medicare costs would leave the majority seniors far less able to afford necessities in coming years. Today the average monthly Social Security benefit is just ,150 before deductions for Medicare premiums. The average family income of married couples 65 and over including Social Security is just ,718. .The Neal bill was passed by the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday of this week. It would ban surprise billing using an arbitration process favored by hospitals and specialty physician groups but opposed by insurers, employers and labor unions. Neal's legislation would send all the disputes that can't be settled between the parties to arbitration but require mediators to consider median contracted rates used by health plans, with the mediators prohibited from considering "usual and customary charges," also known as "billed charges." … Continued

  • Category Newsletter Archive Feed

    Where Can I Get Help With What Medicare Doesn't Cover? .For those Social Security recipients concerned about making ends meet going forward, here are some tips: .If adopted, H.R. 1170 would strengthen and expand the Social Security program by providing beneficiaries with a monthly benefit boost, basing cost-of-living adjustments on the CPI-E, and setting the Special Minimum Benefit at 125 percent of the poverty line. It would also apply the payroll tax to all income – including investment income – over 0,000. … Continued

House Democrats also Unveil Proposals to Lower Drug Prices .You can apply for widow benefits as early as age 60, but if you start prior to your full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced. In addition, your benefits would be further reduced if you earn more than the annual earnings limit, which is ,640 in 2012 (,220 per month). More on this in a moment. .With no increase in Social Security benefits over the past two years, seniors participating in TSCL surveys say they are putting off visits to the doctors, and many are not filling prescriptions. But foregoing healthcare can backfire, leaving you with bigger health problems and bills down the road. Here are three things you can start doing right now to lower your Medicare costs and improve your health. .[2] Growth of the Social Security "Earnings Suspense File", Mary Johnson, TSCL February 2013. .Depending on your income, you may qualify for Medicare Extra Help, which can cover most or all of your prescription drug premium and out-of-pocket costs. Your SHIP counselor may also know of special programs in your state. .By Representative Alan Nunnelee (MS-1) .But among other things, if consumers can't find the cost of health care, the idea of the free market is impossible. .By 2012, in just five years, the first wave of those former illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. in the 1970's at age 20, and became legal permanent residents in 1986, will turn 62 and old enough to file claims for Social Security. As immigrants draw close to retirement age they are more likely to check their Social Security records and request reinstatement of any unauthorized earnings for which they have evidence. This comes during the same period that Baby Boomers start retiring, and assets of the Social Security Trust Fund begin to decline. .This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for two key bills that would strengthen the Social Security program. First, one new cosponsor – Representative Peter Visclosky (IN-1) – signed on to the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act (H.R. 2302), bringing the total up to eight cosponsors.