News

  • The Senior Citizens League Press Release Parental Leave

    Your total earnings, including your earnings now until you stop working. .But the money to cover beneficiaries' share of premium costs still needs to come from somewhere. That leaves the 30% of Part B enrollees who aren't protected by hold harmless to make up the difference through steeply higher Part B premiums. Many of those people are facing a steep Part B premium increase from 1.80 per month to an estimated 9.00, the highest increase in 27 years. Those not protected by the hold harmless provision include: .This week, lawmakers in the House and Senate voted to begin conference negotiations on legislation to overhaul the tax code. Representatives in the House passed their tax reform bill last month, and Senators in the Senate passed their version last Friday, with a vote of 51-4Members of the bicameral conference committee have been busy ironing out the differences between the two bills this week, and they hope to have a deal reached before they adjourn for the holiday recess on December 22nd. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending April 19 2019

    Tests are underway in up to 26 states to move as many as 3 million "dual eligibles" — people who receive both Medicare and Medicaid — into managed-care health plans. .Senior Medicare Patrol Saved Millions in 2013 .By the time the Inspector General has performed its audit reports and given CMS its recommendations, CMS has limited, if any, time to collect before the statute of limitation expires. The OIG recommends that CMS should pursue legislation to extend the statute of limitations so that the recovery period exceeds the reopening period for Medicare payments. In addition, the OIG recommends that CMS develop a system to verify that the amount reported collected has actually been collected. TSCL heartily supports these commonsense recommendations. With Congress debating a major Medicare overhaul that would make seniors pay a higher portion of Medicare costs in the future, Congress should move quickly to close the statute of limitation loophole that's costing us millions in lost recoveries. … Continued

People who decide to go on a cruise should get tested 1–3 days before their trip and 3–5 days after their trip. .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. .Congressman Larson's bill would comprehensively reform the Social Security program by enhancing benefits and improving the solvency of the Trust Funds for decades to come. He said at Wednesday's hearing: "The Social Security 2100 Act will expand and enhance Social Security, making the program financially stable through this century and beyond. It is the only legislative proposal that expands benefits, is fully paid for, and achieves sustainable solvency as determined by the Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration." .The authors of the study concluded that unless the overall trend stabilizes or is reversed, or high cost-to-claim drugs are addressed, this trend will place an increasing burden on the neurologic Medicare budget. .It's up to us to see that they do. We must hold our elected lawmakers accountable. TSCL, our members and their families, friends, and supporters will not allow the Notch Issue to quietly die away, but continue to press for enactment of Notch Reform legislation. .This week, Members of Congress returned to Capitol Hill from the month-long summer recess to begin working on legislation that would avert a government shutdown on October 1st – the start of the 2014 fiscal year. Lawmakers have agreed that they would like to pass a stopgap bill to extend funding for federal programs through December 15th. They feel that a temporary measure will grant them the time needed to work out a more substantial fiscal package before the end of this year. .Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced earlier this year that he wants to overhaul entitlement spending. TSCL is concerned that, after the elections, Congress could address rising deficits by moving legislation that would cut Social Security benefits. .We reported last week that President Trump has dropped his demand for a payroll tax cut in any new pandemic-related stimulus bill, which TSCL successfully lobbied against, along with many other groups. However, other issues have caused great difficulty in negotiations for a new bill, one of which has not received much attention in the main press. .This week, lawmakers in the House and Senate adjourned for a week-long recess. In addition, The Senior Citizens League saw three key Social Security and Medicare bills gain support in the House.