News

  • Legislative Update Februarymarch 2016

    Based on your age, you potentially may be able to use a claiming strategy at your full retirement age (66) that could provide you with a divorced spousal benefit, while you wait for your own benefit to grow. Once you have reached full retirement age you can choose to receive only the divorced spouse's benefit and delay receiving retirement benefits based on your own work record until a later date or when you turn age 70. .Senate Committee Discusses SGR Alternatives .Analysts are warning about potential drug shortages, but there is a system for checking whether there really is a shortage, using reported shortage tools on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. You can look up current drug shortages at :https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/drugshortages/dsp_SearchResults.cfm … Continued

  • Update For April 24 2021

    Here are some examples of scams being tried. .What you can do: Public opinion can sway votes in Congress! Take TSCL's 2012 Senior Survey. TSCL will publicize the results and share your comments with elected lawmakers in our visits to Capitol Hill. .Similarly, Sen. Mike Lee (UT) wrote in a statement: "The Fifth Circuit should be commended for its well-reasoned decision to prevent President Obama from implementing his lawless executive amnesty program. Our immigration system is in desperate need of reform. But that reform must be agreed to and passed by Congress, not unilaterally imposed on the American people by the executive branch." … Continued

Two Bills Gain New Cosponsors .Many Members of the Subcommittee focused on raising the retirement age, though Mr. Blahous assured them that this action could not fix the shortfall on its own, or seniors would be working well into their late seventies. .In addition, two new cosponsors – Congressmen Jim Langevin (RI-2) and Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (MP) – signed on to the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act (H.R. 3302), which was recently introduced by Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-22). If adopted, his bill would base the COLA on the CPI-E and cover the cost by removing the Social Security payroll tax cap for high earners. H.R. 3302 now has nine cosponsors in the House. .The subcommittee's bill would repeal the formula and replace it with an enhanced fee-for-service system, while also allowing doctors to opt-out and participate in alternative payment models that emphasize quality. The bill was overwhelmingly approved by a voice vote on Tuesday, but much work remains to be done. Lawmakers have not yet determined how they will offset the full cost of the bill, although it does currently include funding for some provisions by authorizing transfers from the Medicare Part B Trust Fund. .Four cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act this week. Two Representatives – Ben Chandler (KY-6) and Mike Quigley (IL-5) – signed on to Rep. Buck McKeon's H.R. 1332, and two Senators – Sherrod Brown (OH) and Frank Lautenberg (NJ) – signed on to Sen. John Kerry's S. 20The cosponsor totals for these bills are up to 149 and 9, respectively. .My Mom Is Applying For Assisted Living: Why Must She Agree To Mandatory Arbitration? .Members of the Finance Committee seemed receptive to Blum's suggestions on Wednesday, but it remains to be seen whether they will act in the coming months. Thus far, one of the greatest hurdles for lawmakers has been coming up with an offset to cover the cost of the repeal – the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the price tag will be nearly 0 billion over ten years. TSCL is hopeful that lawmakers will repeal and replace the SGR by the end of this year in order to preserve seniors' access to quality medical care. As the discussions evolve over the coming months, we will continue to post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .May Signal Zero COLA for 2016 .The so-called "Buy American" order could represent a seismic shakeup of the drug industry: No one knows exactly how much of the American drug supply chain is produced abroad, but some experts say that up to 90% of critical generic drugs are made at least partially abroad.