News

  • Ask Advisor August 2018

    You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace. .This week, two new cosponsors signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (S. 567 and H.R. 3118), bringing the total up to three in the Senate and thirty-nine in the House. The new cosponsors are Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH) and Mark Pocan (WI-2). If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous benefits; it would adopt the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E), resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. The Strengthening Social Security Act would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. .TSCL's Board of Trustees Meets with Members of Congress … Continued

  • Update No 2 On Discount Drug Card

    Republicans and Democrats across the ideological spectrum agree that the payment system must be repealed and that the rate of growth in health care spending in the United States is unsustainable. But, even with strong bipartisan support, political hurdles still remain. I believe we must set aside politics and work together to enact a fiscally responsible and permanent solution to solve this problem. We owe it to American seniors to end this perennial threat to Medicare once and for all. .This week, House Republicans revived the AHCA after lawmakers affiliated with the Freedom Caucus endorsed a new version of it. A new amendment put forth by Congressman Tom MacArthur (NJ-3) would allow states to opt out of the ACA's essential health benefits mandate and allow them to do away with a provision that prevents insurers from charging sick individuals more for their coverage. .Many on Capitol Hill consider the proposal to be a political document and deemed it "dead on arrival," though Congress could use the proposal as a road map while forming their own fiscal 2013 budget. TSCL will keep a close eye on this debate over the coming months. … Continued

Dental Coverage Under Medicare .Social Security Notch Reform – Working towards benefit equality for older Americans. .Instead they learned they received observation care, which is considered an outpatient service, and is billed under Medicare Part B. With that designation, patients can have higher out-of-pocket costs even though they may have the very same health problems as people admitted as inpatients. .Over 3 million Notch Babies have joined TSCL's grassroots fight for Notch Reform, by adding their names to the TSCL Notch Reform Registry. The registry acts as a list of senior Americans who are on record as supporting Notch reform and want Members of Congress to pass "The Notch Fairness Act" (H.R.1001) introduced by Representative Mike McIntyre (NC-7) and (S. 118) introduced by Senator David Vitter (LA). .All Americans will one day become seniors, and so it should be the priority of all members of Congress to make retirement planning easier and to defend and strengthen programs like Medicare and Social Security for future generations. .This week, congressional leaders and President Donald Trump put an end to the partial federal government shutdown by approving a short-term CR that will reopen the government until Friday, February 15th. .New TSCL Report: 4.8 Billion in Wages In SSA's Earnings Suspense File .What cost increases should you keep an eye on in 2015? Prescription drugs! To learn more see "Unprecedented Generic Drug Price Spikes Wreaking Havoc." .Information about critical issues affecting seniors