News

  • 2015 2015 Annual Survey Senior Costs Study Methodology

    The lack of growth in Social Security benefits is eroding the buying power of more than 60 million people who depend on Social Security. There was no annual boost again this year. But according to a recent TSCL survey of more than 1,100 people age 62 and over, retiree household expenses continued to climb. Some 72 percent of survey respondents reported their monthly expenses grew by more than in 2015. .Senate Committee Discusses SGR Alternatives .TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 1029, H.R. 3118, and H.R. 1795, and we were pleased to see support grow for each of them this week. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending December 27 2013

    We recently moved my mom from another part of the state to live with us. She's starting to have memory problems and it's too risky for her to live on her own. Recently when we went for a visit to her new doctor, I discovered that her Medicare health plan isn't accepted in our area. Can she enroll in a new plan now that Open Enrollment is over? .The transition has set off dozens of new Medicare scams. To protect yourself from scam here's what to remember. There is nothing you need to do to get your card, and it does not cost anything. It will be shipped to you automatically. Scammers try to call beneficiaries on the phone and falsely claim that to get the new card you must provide Social Security, credit card, or bank account information, or Medicare benefits will be canceled. All of these claims are false. If you get a call like this or if anyone calls unsolicited, and claiming to be from Medicare, HANG UP. This is a scam. Once you get your new Medicare number, don't toss your old Medicare card in the trash — shred or cut it up into small pieces. .Take A Look At This New Chart From The Senior Citizens League … Continued

On Tuesday, new and veteran lawmakers in the House and Senate met on Capitol Hill for the swearing in of the 115th Congress. As expected, Congressman Paul Ryan (WI-1) was re-elected to the Speaker position with 239 votes in the House, and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) was re-elected to the House Minority Leader position with 189 votes. .According to TSCL estimates, benefits are now 13% lower this year than if inflation had remained the more typical 3% for retirees who have been receiving Social Security since 2009 when the low COLAs started. A Social Security benefit of ,000 in 2009 is about 2 per month lower today than if COLA had been the more typical 3%, with a total loss of about ,697 in Social Security benefit growth over the past seven years. Over the same period, however, actual senior costs have continued to climb. Some 72% of retirees who participated in TSCL's 2016 Senior Survey reported that their monthly expenses had gone up by more than in 2015, despite the lack of growth in inflation. .To learn more and participate in surveys visit . .The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) urges its members and supporters to make the most of the August recess by attending town hall meetings. For more information, or to see if your Members of Congress will be holding town halls in the coming days, call their local offices. .An Emergency COLA in 2021 Would Prevent Economic Insecurity and An Unprecedented Medicare Part B Premium Increase for Older Americans. .Based on the growth rate of the Consumer Price Index for Workers (CPI-W) over past 12 months, I'm projecting a COLA in the vicinity of 3.6% for 201But Congress may take action that would slow the growth of the COLA. Deficit reduction plans are likely to call for switching to the "chained" CPI, a move that TSCL feels would further undermine the purchasing power of benefits. The difference between the CPI-W and chained COLA has averaged about 0.3 percentage point since 2000, but that's not the case this year. In fact, if the switch were to affect the COLA payable in 2012, seniors would get a COLA of about 2.8% — a cut of more than 20%. .Sen. Bernard Sanders (VT) introduced S. 500 on March 7, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Finance. .The Grassley-Wyden package would create a rebate system in Medicare Part B and Part D beginning in 2022 for brand-name drugs and biological products with prices that increase faster than inflation. Conservative groups and some Senate Republicans have opposed the rebate system for Part D, the prescription drug benefit program, but not for Part B, the outpatient services program. .Source: The Federal Government's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook, Government Accountability Office, October 201"Monitoring Medicare+Choice, What Have We Learned?" Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., August, 2004.