News

  • The Senior Citizens League Weekly Update 1 24 20

    Will Our New Congress Pass a Benefit Boost? .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. .Advocates for less government involvement in health care and instead letting the free market have a stronger role base their arguments on the idea that just like groceries or cars or clothes, consumers should be able to shop around and look for the best value in health care. … Continued

  • Category Issues Medicare Part D Bills

    What happens when Congress waits too long to address a Social Security funding crisis? Deeper benefit cuts, sudden tax increases, and glitches in the implementation of reforms that can lead to significant benefit inequities between people close to each other in age. Consider the case of the Social Security Notch that led to the most significant benefit inequities in the history of the program. The Notch affects seniors born from 1917 through 1926 and other seniors having similar work histories and earnings. .Due to record-low growth in health care costs, the board hasn't been triggered to begin making recommendations to Congress yet, and it currently has no appointed members. Nonetheless, many lawmakers feel that such critical policy-making decisions should be left solely in the hands of elected representatives, and they hope to repeal it long before it is needed. .A Word of Warning … Continued

If signed into law, this bill would repeal the windfall elimination provision (WEP) and establish a new formula to calculate benefits for those with non-covered earnings. The WEP currently affects more than one million seniors who collect Social Security benefits and have earned pensions from non-Social Security-covered employment. .Enrolled in Medicare Advantage? ,700 in Benefit Cuts by 2017 Predicted .TSCL strongly supports legislation like the Notch Fairness Act that would provide Notch babies with modest compensation, and we were pleased to see support grow this week. .Rep. McIntyre has consistently cosponsored the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E) Act, a bill that would provide seniors with a more fair and accurate Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. He has also cosponsored legislation that would close a Social Security loophole that allows non-citizens to become entitled to Social Security benefits for work done illegally. Finally, Rep. McIntyre introduced the Notch Fairness Act in 2011, a bill that would provide those born between the years 1917 and 1926 with modest compensation for the lower Social Security benefits that they tend to receive. .This week, President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address, and talks to repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for doctors who treat Medicare patients seemed to have stalled. .New Legislation Would Combat Scams Against Seniors' Investments .First, one new cosponsor, Representative Dean Phillips (MN-3), signed on to Congressman Larson's Social Security 2100 Act (H.R. 860), bringing the total up to 20If adopted, this critical bill would strengthen and reform the Social Security program responsibly, without enacting benefit cuts for current or future retirees. It would also cut taxes for millions of seniors and create a new Special Minimum Benefit set at 125 percent of the poverty line. .Instead, I am a strong supporter of the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act of 201This legislation would change the way the Social Security Administration calculates the Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) by switching from a CPI based on urban wage earners to a formula that would better reflect the spending of seniors. Unlike younger Americans, seniors spend a disproportionate amount of their income on medical expenses and it is crucial that we raise the Cost of Living Adjustment to keep up with the rising cost of medical expenses. .We reported earlier this year that President Trump issued executive orders to lower prescription drug prices under Medicare by linking them to rates paid in other countries and allowing Americans to buy medication imported from Canada.