News

  • Legislative Update Week Ending February 3 2017

    Recently I got a notice that my bank account was overdrawn. When I checked with the bank, my Social Security direct deposit was never received. I called the local Social Security office and learned that a request in my name was made to switch from my direct deposit account to a prepaid debit card. I never authorized this. How safe are the direct deposits and what can I do to get my money back? .On Wednesday the Pentagon sent a "rightsizing plan" to Congress which, if fully agreed to by Congress, would result in approximately 200,000 military family members and retirees losing their ability to get health care at military hospitals and clinics. .On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed two bills – the Know the Lowest Price Act (S. 2553) and the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act (S. 2554) – into law that will protect Medicare beneficiaries and privately insured individuals from "gag clauses" at pharmacies. "Gag clauses" prevent pharmacists from telling consumers when it would be cheaper to purchase their prescriptions out-of-pocket than through their Medicare Part D or health insurance plans. … Continued

  • Legislative Update July 2016

    Surprise! A new Part D plan drug pricing program may lower costs for those who seek out the savings. Recent Congressional scrutiny on drug pricing may be spurring some drug plans to drop prices on certain drugs. A new drug plan pricing program offered by Cigna, for example, lowers the cost of insulin. In 2018, the lowest cost Part D plan charged an copay for a 100/ML of Lantus Solostar. In 2019, the lowest cost plan in my area charges copays as low as .00 - .00 for Lantus Solostar in the Cigna-HealthSpring Rx Secure — Extra Part D plan. The highest cost plan, which does not cover Lantus, charges the full price, 3.18 per 100/ML. Which would you rather have? .Budget Chair Revives Fiscal Commission Plan .Wages in the ESF since the end of 1999 grew by 3.20 billion to 5 billion, nearly doubling from 1.8 billion. In other words, it took 63 years to accumulate 1.8 billion in wages in the ESF. In the five most recent years, the amount of wages rose by 93%. This growth is illustrated in the charts in Tables 1, 2 and 3, which follow. … Continued

Only one other time in recent years, in 2009 at the peak of Great Recession job losses, has the AWI ever gone negative. The 2009 AWI dipped by 1.51% and retirees who were born in 1949 were affected. Although the problem was known at the time, the reductions to benefits were considered small and Congress took no action to prevent those reductions. .A minimal source of supplemental benefits for seniors with extremely low benefits (Supplemental Security Income, or SSI). .The first few months of this year were spent encouraging lawmakers to re-introduce critical legislation. So far, TSCL's most vital bills have been re-introduced, including the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E) Act, the Notch Fairness Act, the Social Security Fairness Act, and the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act. More recently, TSCL's focus has shifted to building support for these and other bills, and already, many legislators have signed on to them as co-sponsors. .A new healthcare cost survey conducted in October 2011 by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) — one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups — found that the majority of seniors spent a very significant portion of their Social Security benefits in order to pay for healthcare. The survey asked for information about the out-of-pocket costs that respondents paid in the first six months of 2011, and for comments about how they were managing after two years of receiving no annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). .This week, two new cosponsors – Reps. Mike Burgess (TX-26) and Lamar Smith (TX-21) – signed on as cosponsors to the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act (H.R. 1716). The cosponsor total is now up to thirty-one. .In addition, twelve new cosponsors signed on to the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act (H.R. 242) this week, bringing the total up to twenty-nine. The new cosponsors are: Representatives Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Thomas Suozzi (NY-3), John Sarbanes (MD-3), Peter DeFazio (OR-4), Chellie Pingree (ME-1), Brad Sherman (CA-30), Peter Visclosky (IN-1), Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Tulsi Gabbard (HI-2), Jared Huffman (CA-2), Dave Loebsack (IA-2), and Jamie Raskin (MD-8). .Both Senate Leader McConnell and President Trump have said they are in no rush to pass another virus-related aid bill, but the Democrats believe it is necessary to get relief out to individuals and businesses as soon as possible. .Katherine Estep, a spokesperson for Airlines for America, a U.S.-focused industry trade group, said the CDC has not confirmed any cases of transmission onboard a U.S. airline. .More Harmful Chemicals Found in Some Hand Sanitizers