News
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Q February March 2018
This week, Members of Congress returned to Washington to begin working on a temporary measure that would avert a government shutdown on October 1st. In addition, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for one new piece of legislation, and three key bills gained cosponsors. .House Democrats did not pre-negotiate terms with the GOP-Senate or the White House, so it is unlikely that the bill, called the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act will become law in its present form. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R- Ky.) has already pronounced the bill dead. But most observers believe it is the opening bid on the part of the House leaders to begin a process that will eventually lead to a fifth virus-related relief bill. .We urge you to be cautious. You should not be charged just for being put on a list. If you receive a contact like this you should call your doctor's office or your local health department to try and verify that such a list exists. … Continued
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The Senior Citizens League Weekly Update For Week Ending November 15 2019
This week, President Obama released his fiscal 2015 budget blueprint. In addition, The Senior Citizens League's (TSCL's) Board of Trustees traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with four lawmakers and their top aides, and TSCL saw . .It remains to be seen how the CR debate will unfold in the coming weeks, but TSCL will monitor it closely since another government shutdown could have serious effects on Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries. For updates as the situation develops, visit the Legislative News section of our website. .In 2015, the last time a zero COLA was announced for the following year, the base Part B premium increase was estimated to be 52 percent.[2] While an increase of that size is not expected for 2021, any double digit increase in Medicare premiums would be unsustainable for many older households whose retirement savings have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus recession. … Continued
For many aged 65 and older, times are already tough. Since 2005, health care costs have risen faster than inflation every year except 200We need to be working to make retirement more secure for the 130,000 seniors living in Southern Arizona who I represent and the millions of others across the country. I'll continue to fight to make that happen. .Social Security is one of the only types of retirement income that provides a small increase annually to keep up with inflation. But in recent years, inflation as measured by the government's Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) has been almost non-existent, averaging just 1.2 percent per year since 2010, less than half the 3 percent inflation averaged the decade prior to 2010. .TSCL is not the only organization to warn about the prospect of another extremely low COLA next year. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in its latest budget report projected that next year's COLA would be 1.6%. Seniors depend on COLAS to protect the buying power of benefits from rising costs over retirement, which can last as long as 25 or 30 years. But over the past five years, COLAs have been at record lows, averaging only 1.4% after averaging about 4% per year since COLAs became automatic in 1975. .The President's final memo waives all interest on student loans held by the federal government through the end of 2020 and allows people to delay payments until Dec. 3This will help those who are repaying student loans. .Create a family documentary. Create a family scrap-book with old photos and memorabilia. If you have access to a computer and scanner or a friend with one, scan old photos for a digital family scrapbook you can share online. If a family member is good with making videos, consider doing a mini-documentary. Think of the questions you have about your ancestors and ask yourself the same. Like how you and your spouse met, how your family coped during a particularly hard time, or document a skill or craft that you love. This is also a good way to teach cooking your favorite family foods! Upload the video to YouTube to share with your family and send a link in a holiday email. .The deal will likely move to the House and Senate for a vote before the Presidents Day recess begins. .Can you tell me how I can find out what my benefit and probable income from Social Security would be? I've heard some complaints about conflicting information. I turn 62 later this year. .To fix the program, TSCL also supports an increase in Continuing Disability Reviews, which are conducted to determine whether an enrollee still qualifies for benefits, and an increase in the payroll tax cap, which currently sits at 8,500. We will continue to advocate for these and other long-term solutions that we believe would return the program to solvency responsibly. .Unfortunately, the Senate disagreed among themselves about what to do and they were unable to craft a bill that could pass the Senate.
