News

  • Legislative Update October 2011 Advisor

    "Miracle cures," which claim scientific breakthroughs or contain secret ingredients, are likely a hoax. .Planning healthcare costs is extremely important, but not an easy task. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, healthcare expenses, on average, accounted for nearly 15 percent of Medicare household budgets in 200But even if you're in good health today, you're not out of the woods. The amount you spend on healthcare not only grows every year, but your need for more healthcare services increases with age. .Some Members of Congress question whether the federal government would replace borrowing for Defense with borrowing for Medicare. Democratic Rep. Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) said the savings from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars would "offer a unique and limited opportunity to resolve this problem that grows every month." Other legislators warn, however, that it is misleading to think that these savings could be used as a "doc fix" offset. … Continued

  • S 64 Preserve Access Affordable Generics Biosimilars Act

    Unfortunately, the Senate disagreed among themselves about what to do and they were unable to craft a bill that could pass the Senate. .What happens when Congress waits too long to address a Social Security funding crisis? Deeper benefit cuts, sudden tax increases, and glitches in the implementation of reforms that can lead to significant benefit inequities between people close to each other in age. Consider the case of the Social Security Notch that led to the most significant benefit inequities in the history of the program. The Notch affects seniors born from 1917 through 1926 and other seniors having similar work histories and earnings. .I'm grateful for TSCL's work as guards and advocates to help us keep up with all that affects what we have to rely on. I've often used the information from this website to contact my Congress members and the President to let them know where we stand on issues, and that as retirees, we are the largest and most consistent voting bloc that crosses all party lines. — Mr. & Mrs. Lance Colvin, WA … Continued

On Monday, lawmakers in the House revealed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which would replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) if signed into law. Just two days later – before the Congressional Budget Office had a chance to evaluate the proposal – Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to advance the proposal. .In a January 2017 survey of The Senior Citizens League's members and supporters, 34 percent said they itemize deductions for out-of-pocket healthcare costs most years. One member of The Senior Citizens League – William P. from California – recently contacted us to share his concerns about the elimination of the medical expense deduction. William is home-bound due to several medical conditions, and he relies on home health aides to provide him with lifesaving care on a daily basis. At the age of 61, William is not yet eligible for Medicare and he expects the out-of-pocket cost of his care to total ,000 by the end of this year. The elimination of the medical expense deduction would be a major financial loss for him. .The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security .These laws affect state or local government workers in twenty-six states and teachers in fifteen states, because their employers do not withhold Social Security taxes from their salaries. The GPO affects public servants who are entitled to Social Security spousal or survivors benefits based on the work history of a husband or wife. Often, the benefits to which they are entitled are eliminated altogether. The WEP affects those public servants who have earned pensions from their state or local government, but have also paid into Social Security through previous employment. Their earned Social Security benefits are often unfairly reduced by one-half or more. .That's why I'm excited and proud to announce TSCL's endorsement of The Guaranteed 3% COLA for Seniors Act (H.R. 3389) introduced in the House by Representative Eliot Engel (NY-16) and its companion bill in the Senate (S. 1923) introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI). TSCL believes this bill will go a long way toward stopping the erosion in the buying power of your Social Security benefits. Now it's your turn. You can help draw attention to this legislation by contacting your Members of Congress and asking them to co-sponsor The Guaranteed 3% COLA for Seniors Act. For contact info or to send an email to your elected lawmakers visit the TSCL at . .If signed into law, H.R. 973 would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) – two federal provisions that unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, firefighters, peace officers, and other state or local government employees each year. .There seems to be a great disagreement among supporters of Notch reform over who is truly a Notch Victim. What are the facts? .Consumers in the U.S. are used to have many choices when it comes to the products we buy. Usually that is a good thing. But sometimes it creates a dilemma in deciding which is the right one to get. It turns out that the problem of choice is creating concerns about which of the vaccines against the coronavirus we should take. .Wall Street economists are in the midst of a growing debate over whether we are in for "the return of inflation." (Oh, go ahead and snort. I did too when I first read about this.)