News

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending September 14 2012

    This week, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) successfully hosted its first ever town hall meeting. Meanwhile, action on Capitol Hill remained slow as Members of both Houses of Congress remained in their home states and districts for the August recess. .Many observers believe the plan will likely include a combination of tax increases and benefit cuts for Social Security. Some of the most commonly mentioned proposals are: (1) switching to the chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) to calculate Social Security COLAs; (2) lifting or raising the cap on income which is subject to Social Security taxes; and (3) raising the Social Security retirement age. Switching to the chained CPI alone would both reduce initial benefits and cut lifetime Social Security benefits by more than 10%. .According to MedPAC, the Medicare fee schedule undervalues the important services that primary care physicians provide. This creates disparities in compensation between the primary care and specialty fields, and it deters medical students from choosing to enter primary care. To address the issue, MedPAC recommended an extension of a primary care bonus program that is set to expire in the near future. However, instead of offering bonus payments for each service that is provided, the Commission suggested that physicians be rewarded on a per beneficiary basis, which will help the Medicare program improve the coordination of care. … Continued

  • F Q Executive Action Immigration Social Security Medicare 2

    MA enrollees could be impacted by the ACA's cuts in other ways, as well. They could begin to see higher premiums, deductibles, or co-pays in the coming years. They could also see reduced supplemental benefits like vision or dental coverage. According to another expert witness at the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing – Robert Book of the Health Systems Innovation Network – by 2015, MA beneficiaries will see an average reduction of ,530 in benefits due to the reduced funding from the federal government, and in 2017 that number will grow to an astounding ,700. .Because COVID-19 has never been seen in humans before, there are currently no vaccines to prevent COVID-19 approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA recently approved the first treatment for COVID-19, the antiviral drug remdesivir. .But among other things, if consumers can't find the cost of health care, the idea of the free market is impossible. … Continued

TSCL's all-volunteer Board of Trustees and legislative team look forward to working with both new and veteran lawmakers this year on the issues that matter the most to our members and supporters. We will work tirelessly throughout the 114th Congress to ensure that Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries receive the retirement security they have earned and deserve. .These attacks on the safety and security of seniors in our communities are unacceptable but, unfortunately, they aren't new. Before the pandemic, scams targeting the elders in our community were already on the rise. At a town hall I held in Los Angeles in early 2018, I heard multiple stories from relatives of seniors in our community who had been targeted by scams. .By Representative Brad Wenstrup (OH-2) .It sounds as though your daughter's father-in-law didn't sign up for Medicare Part B by his enrollment deadline and is now subject to a late enrollment penalty. For each 12-month period he delayed enrollment in Medicare Part B, he will have to pay a 10% Part B penalty. A penalty of as much as an extra 0 per month in addition to the current premium of 8.50 for 2021, suggests that he is being penalized for a 16-year period he did not have Medicare coverage. That suggests that he didn't enroll at age 6That would mean his base Medicare Part B premium could be 8.50 per month when he enrolls. .There's hardly anyone who isn't feeling the effects of our "Great Recession." We've learned of seniors sharing depression-era survival techniques with younger family members. Meanwhile their Baby Boomer children nearing retirement wonder if they'll ever have enough money to retire. .What can you do? .The crackdown was unique not only for its scale, but also. No Lie! Affordable Care Act Not So Affordable .I turn 61 this year and I'm still employed. I've read about waiting until my full retirement age before starting Social Security benefits. Is that 66? Do I enroll in Medicare at the same time I start Social Security? ."Hello seniors!" the voice bellows. "Medicare covers a remarkable new device that can give you freedom from lower back pain! Hold the phone to find out how to get your free, Medicare-covered back brace. " While free usually sounds good, this call is worse than a pain in the lower backside. It's. Feds Bust 243 People In Biggest Medicare Fraud Yet In what the U.S. Department of Justice is calling the largest nationwide crackdown on Medicare and Medicaid fraud ever, some 243 people were recently arrested and charged for bilking Medicare out of 2 million. Those charged include 46 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals.