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  • Congressional Corner

    Uncovered healthcare costs — In planning your budget, include costs that Medicare doesn't cover — dental care, eye exams and eyeglasses, for example. When shopping health plans, some MA plans may offer extra benefits like these. .The responsibility is on you to notify the SSA of your age, and file an application for retirement benefits based on your own earnings, if higher. As you continue working past age 66, the retirement benefit you receive based on your own earnings continues to grow. That retirement credit is only applied until age 70; however, there's no additional increase thereafter, so put in your claim now. .This week, The Senior Citizens League's legislative team hand-delivered nearly eight hundred petitions to leaders in the Senate. The petitions urged lawmakers to support legislation that would boost Social Security benefits while strengthening the financing of the program by adopting the Social Security Expansion Act (S. 427). … Continued

  • Legislative Update For The Week Ending April 8 2011

    This legislation would require the Federal Trade Commission to update its website to include a searchable database of scams targeting seniors. It would have to work with media outlets and law enforcement to distribute the information. The FTC also would be required to send Congress a report with policy recommendations to prevent scams targeting older individuals, especially during national emergencies. ."It is not possible or believable that the infection control surveys accurately portray the extent of infection control deficiencies in U.S. nursing facilities," the report states. .In a letter of support to Rep. Kevin Brady (TX-8) – the sponsor of H.R. 711 – TSCL's Chairman Ed Cates wrote: "According to a recent study completed by TSCL, Social Security beneficiaries have lost over 20 percent of their purchasing power since 2000. Those who are subject to the WEP have undoubtedly fallen even further behind. It is now more important than ever for Congress to address the inequities that have been created by the WEP, and TSCL believes the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act is a fair and responsible solution." … Continued

Having income to supplement Social Security benefits that lasts your entire life, no matter how long you live, is a challenge for many seniors. If you don't get a sizable pension from an employer, but you have some savings built up in retirement accounts, "longevity insurance policies," better known as annuities, might be worth considering. .If adopted, S. 61 would allow for the personal importation of safe and affordable drugs from approved pharmacies in Canada. .Under current law, the Social Security COLA is determined by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). This index surveys the spending patterns of younger working adults under the age of 62 and doesn't include the households of people who are retired. But older and disabled Social Security recipients allocate their budgets differently than younger working adults, spending a larger share of their income on medical and housing costs which, in many years, tend to rise faster than overall all inflation. .The cuts were buried in a "must pass" debt limit bill that provided essential funding for more than 60 million recipients of Social Security and other federal benefits. Even though the Social Security Trust Fund is the single largest government account which is holding government debt, legislation is required to ensure repayment of even the smallest fraction of the .8 trillion the government owes to the Social Security Trust Fund. .If you choose to supply The Senior Citizens League with your postal address through our website, you may receive periodic mailings from us with information on new issues, products, services or upcoming events. If you do not wish to receive such mailings or if there is an inaccuracy in your name or address, please let us know by writing to us at the above address, or through our Contact Us page. Additionally, you may request that TSCL provide you with the personal information that it has about you over the past 12 months by writing to us at the above address, or through our Contact Us page. ."For those who don't like these executive actions, there's time to get to the table and back a legislative solution," Grassley said in a statement. "I will continue the fight in Congress until significant prescription drug pricing legislation becomes law. The next coronavirus relief bill presents the perfect opportunity for Congress to meet the moment." .You can also sign a petition to your Members of Congress, find contact information for your Senators and Representatives, and stay updated with the latest news on Capitol Hill. .TSCL surveys confirm that costs for older Americans continued to climb despite no COLA this year. A recent TSCL survey found that 72 percent of respondents reported that their monthly household expenses rose by more than in 2015. .Under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, private and public sector large employers are responsible for providing health insurance for employees and contributing toward the cost of insurance. Generally, the federal health insurance exchange is only available for people who can't otherwise afford to purchase the insurance offered by their employer (according to thresholds set by law). But the fight to pass the 2010 Affordable Care Act was so contentious and controversial that some Members of Congress insisted that their colleagues set an example and be required to have the same coverage as all other Americans.