News
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2015 Legislative Update Week Ending June 5 2015
In April, House lawmakers voted on a balanced budget amendment to the constitution that would have been disastrous for Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries if adopted. Did you support this drastic measure, and if so, why? .According to TSCL studies, Social Security benefits have lost more than 31% of their buying power since 2000. "Yet the vast majority of seniors can't absorb any loss in buying power," Cates says. According to the Social Security Administration, 53% of senior households depend on Social Security for more than half of their income. The median income of seniors aged 65 and older is just ,757 – only 220% above the federal poverty level for an individual. .In January, one-third of all Medicare beneficiaries will see a Part B premium increase of 22 percent – the highest increase in 27 years. Do you believe Congress should take action like it did last year to prevent the dramatic increase? … Continued
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The Senior Citizens League Weekly Update For Week Ending March 13 2020
Click here for more information about our legislative agenda. There you can also sign a petition to your Members of Congress, view bills that have been recently introduced in the House and Senate, and stay updated with the latest news on Capitol Hill. .How Safe Are Electronic Social Security Benefits From Fraud? .TSCL believes all three of these bills go a long way in ensuring the retirement security seniors have earned and deserve. In addition to strengthening benefits, each one would include measures to increase the solvency of the Social Security program responsibly, for 40 years or more into the future. We look forward to working with Rep. DeFazio, Rep. Larson, and Sen. Sanders in the months ahead to help build support for their important legislation. … Continued
Provide a one-time bump – up in monthly benefits for all beneficiaries. A higher level of monthly benefits would mean more adequate COLAs and a greater ability to afford Medicare Part B premium increases in coming years. .Because the House of Representatives has 435 members its rules are much less complicated than the Senate's, which has 100 members. If the House had the same rules as the Senate, nothing would ever be accomplished. .This is a new issue that has popped up on our radar and TSCL will be studying it in greater depth as we learn what might be done to insure lower prices and greater security for the prescription drugs that are so important for so many of us, especially the nations senior citizen population. .Welcome to the month of February! This week, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in his first State of the Union, and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) monitored negotiations at one Senate hearing. In addition, four key bills gained new cosponsors in the House and Senate. .The annual COLA increased Social Security benefits in January of 2021 by just 1.3 percent. While mild inflation in 2020 did improve the buying power of Social Security benefits by 2 percentage points through the month of January 2021 — from a loss in buying power of 30 percent to a loss of 28 percent — that improvement was completely wiped out by soaring inflation in February and March of this year," says Mary Johnson, a Social Security policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). Based on consumer price data through July 2021, the erosion in the buying power of Social Security benefits has deepened to 32 percent over the 2year period. .Now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has told hospitals they can't hide their prices from web searches. .Ensure that rebates drug makers now pay to benefit managers and insurers get passed directly to patients when they buy a medication. The White House last year withdrew an earlier version of the proposal, after the Congressional Budget Office estimated it would cost taxpayers 7 billion over 10 years. .Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment – Ensure a fair, accurate, and guaranteed COLA. .Reduce the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that beneficiaries receive once they become eligible for benefits.