News

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending August 28 2015

    For tips on which questions you should ask your Member of Congress at your next town hall meeting, click HERE. To find contact information for your Members of Congress, to learn about important issues affecting seniors, or to sign a petition to Congress, visit the ACTION CENTER of our website. .Source: "Spouses Eligible For Higher Retirement Benefits," Office of the Inspector General, Social Security Administration, March 2014. .In addition, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is prohibited from negotiating directly with pharmaceutical companies on behalf of the more than 40 million Americans who get their prescription drug coverage from Medicare Part D. … Continued

  • Benefit Bulletin February 2014

    The letter that TSCL delivered to congressional leaders this week urged lawmakers to begin immediate discussions about lifting the debt limit and preventing a default on the federal debt. Art Cooper – Chairman of TSCL's Board of Trustees – wrote: "Our supporters nation-wide hope you will act swiftly and responsibly to avert delays in Social Security benefits and payments to Medicare providers, and they will not tolerate additional cuts to their earned Social Security benefits." .By Shannon Benton, Executive Director .The recommendation of MedPAC would combine the deductibles for Part A and Part B services. Currently the deductibles are charged separately and for good cause. About 80 percent of Medicare beneficiaries never pay a Part A deductible because they don't require hospitalization in most years. The Part A deductible for hospital inpatient services is ,156, a cost that is covered in full today by all Medigap supplements. Some Medigap supplements also cover all of the Part B deductible, which is 0 in 201Costs differ for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage depending on the plan. Co-payments would also change and vary by the type of service and provider. … Continued

Congress should change the law to apply the Social Security payroll tax to all earnings, instead of the first 2,800 of earnings, to strengthen program funding. — 72 percent support, 19 percent opposed, and 9 percent favored other types of revenue increases. .Last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned lawmakers that the suspension of the debt limit would expire on March 15th. That deadline has come and gone without congressional action, and the Treasury Department is now using "extraordinary measures" – like postponing contributions to retirement accounts for federal employees – to prevent a default. .On Tuesday, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in his first State of the Union. In his speech, the President reflected on the strong economic growth of the country and he shared his hopes for the year ahead. The President said he plans to push .5 trillion in infrastructure investments, to secure the southern border with Mexico, and to offer a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million immigrants known as "Dreamers." .I take a brand name drug that costs more than 0 per month in 2019 and I have a co-pay of In 2019, I hit the Part D coverage gap. Can you tell me how much I would have to pay in the Part D doughnut hole next year? .This week, one new cosponsor – Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) – signed on to the Social Security 2100 Act (H.R. 1902), bringing the total up to 16The bill, which was introduced just a couple of months ago, has more support in Congress than any other comprehensive Social Security reform bill to date. .All costs cited include premiums and prescription out-of-pocket. .Things aren't likely to improve next year. The Social Security Chief Actuary recently estimated that the COLA in 2017 would be just 0.4 percent, which would be the lowest COLA ever paid. That would raise benefits just .00 per ,000 in benefits. .To help older Americans withstand the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide more adequate retirement benefits, The Senior Citizens League supports legislation that would provide a boost in Social Security benefits for all retirees, and would tie annual cost of living adjustments to a more representative seniors' consumer price index, the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). To learn more about efforts to strengthen Social Security benefits, visit . .By doing her research now, your sister can start learning about her options in the area where she would like to live. She needs to get an idea of how much senior living options cost, how the options are financed, and what she needs to do to get ready for such a move. There are companies that specialize in helping older adults downsize, and she may need to talk to a financial planner and real estate agents to get her home ready to put on the market.