News

  • Legislative Update Week Ending May 22 2015

    TSCL believes these three Medicare improvements were long overdue, and we were pleased that lawmakers reached across the aisle earlier this year to address them once and for all. For more information about the Bipartisan Budget Act and the other Medicare improvements TSCL is advocating for on Capitol Hill, visit our website at . .Part D — If you choose a Medigap plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan that does not offer drug coverage, you will need a Part D plan. If you take any prescription drugs, be sure to input your medications to get an accurate estimate of costs and to check the coverage of the drugs you take. Coverage of prescription drugs varies from plan to plan and from one year to the next. The average monthly premium for Part D plans weighted for enrollment is Plans often charge a deductible and in 2011 you would need to spend a total of ,550 out-of-pocket (not including premiums) before reaching catastrophic coverage. .When there's a COLA as low as 1.3%, a provision of law known as "hold harmless" ensures that an individual's net Social Security benefit will not decrease from December of one year to January of the next, because of an increase in the Part B premium. That's an important protection, but it doesn't go far enough. … Continued

  • House Passes Bill To Stop Cuts In Medicare Payments But Senate Passage In Doubt

    The fact is no one can know ahead of time what healthcare will be needed in the future, let alone the actual costs of the services that providers charge. Doctors frequently refer patients to expensive specialists, and order endless expensive tests without spending adequate time to explain why the tests are necessary, how much they cost, or the chances of improving treatments through their use. .TSCL Gears Up For Busy New Year .If you do not wish for your mailing address to be shared with other reputable companies, please provide us with your exact name and address and we will be sure that your name is removed from the list we share with other organizations. … Continued

In our meetings on Capitol Hill, we're frequently told that Notch reform would more likely be addressed when Congress takes action on comprehensive Social Security reform, as it appears to be interested in doing now. TSCL is meeting with Members of Congress to ensure that Notch Reform is considered. .Under a rule change that will take effect in July the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow insurers and employers to exclude certain copay assistance programs from counting toward deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. The rule applies even for expensive brand-name drugs with no generic alternatives. .This week, one new cosponsor – Rep. David Loebsack (IA-2) – signed on to the Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures (PRIME) Act (H.R. 2305). The total is now up to sixty-two. If signed into law, the PRIME Act would take a number of steps to comprehensively prevent fraud, waste, and abuse within the two programs – a problem that TSCL believes must be addressed in order to ensure that scarce program dollars are being spent properly. .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. .Sources: 0.3% COLA Announced, The Social Security Administration, October 19, 201"Long Term Impact of Low COLA Growth," Mary Johnson, TSCL, August 31, 2016. .The CPI-E tends to grow more quickly than the CPI-W in most years, because it more accurately accounts for the percentage of income that retirees spend on healthcare and housing costs. Those two categories tend to increase several times faster than inflation, and tend to take a bigger share of retiree income. The CPI-E tends to give less weight to items like gasoline and consumer electronics which have fallen significantly in recent months and helped drag down the COLA for 2020. .Last year the House did pass a Medicare negotiations bill, which would cap out-of-pocket drug costs for older people and expand program benefits as well. But it has had no Republican support in the House, and it has no path forward in the Republican Senate because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has refused to bring it up for a vote. In addition, the White House calls it unworkable. .Third, the bipartisan CHANGE Act (H.R. 4957) gained one new cosponsor in Representative Ted Lieu (CA-33), bringing the total up to twenty-two. If adopted, the CHANGE Act would promote early identification of Alzheimer's disease, improve support for family caregivers, and provide continuous care for those battling many forms of dementia. .What is a surviving beneficiary spouse?