News

  • Update For Week Ending July 31 2021

    The government negotiates prescription drug prices for veterans and Medicaid beneficiaries, but it is barred from negotiating lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries. As a result, seniors enrolled in Part D often pay much higher prices than others for their prescription drugs. What are you doing to correct this unfair policy? .To find contact information for your Members of Congress, to learn about important issues affecting seniors, or to sign a petition to Congress, visit the ACTION CENTER of our website. .Please join us in our drive to gather 100,000 signatures on a petition to the White House by clicking Here to sign our petition or by pasting this into your address bar: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-calling-payroll-tax-cuts-and-preserve-social-security-and-medicare … Continued

  • Older Voters Rank Members U S House Medicare

    TSCL believes that the Delay until Fully Functional Act represents a fair solution to the technical problems that the HealthCare.gov website has been experiencing for the past month. Millions of Americans – including seniors under the age of sixty-five – have been unable to purchase insurance coverage through the new marketplace due to the technical glitches. According to the law, those who fail to enroll before March 31st will be faced with a tax penalty of either or 1 percent of income, whichever is higher. .The federal government shutdown that occurred from midnight December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019, was the longest in U.S. history. It was so disruptive that an analysis from Standard and Poor's (S & P) estimated that the shut down cost the U.S. economy .6 billion. While the government shutdown was terrible for all affected, failing to raise the U.S. debt limit, also called the debt ceiling, could make the recent shut down look like a tea party. .But 2 million retirees receiving Social Security benefits of less than 0 per month in 2018, won't see an increase after the deduction for their Medicare Part B premiums. Part B premiums will increase by more than .50, for this group of retirees because they are paying less than the current Part B premium of 4 today. This is due to the effects of the Social Security "hold harmless" provision. … Continued

Action on Capitol Hill slowed down this week as Members of Congress returned to their home states and districts for the week-long holiday recess. Meanwhile, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for Medicare fraud prevention legislation, and one key bill gained a new cosponsor. .Put your mother's apartment on the market and work to sell it. This means giving it a thorough cleaning, a fresh coat of paint if needed, and minor repairs. .The America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) trade group commission released a report claiming that insurance premiums would increase by 1.9 to 2.3 percent by 201The report asserts that the new fee will be passed on to consumers. Citing the annual fee on insurers mandate under the Affordable Care Act, an AHIP spokesperson predicted the increase in costs would act "just like any other sales tax." The White House disputed the claim, saying that the report was "fundamentally flawed" and ignored provisions of the law that would decrease costs. .On November 21, 2017 The Senior Citizens League delivered advocacy letters to caution members of Congress to NOT repeal the medical expense tax deduction. The letters were delivered to Majority and Minority members of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittee on Taxes, in addition to a few other key Congressional members. Learn which members are on the Ways and Means Sub-committee on taxes here. .This issue has just popped up and TSCL will be in contact with members of Congress to do all we can to prevent these looming cuts and we will keep you advised as to how things are going. .Early Efforts to Hold Congress to Its Promise Leads to a Notch Commission .Because of the high air exchange rate, it's unlikely you'll catch the coronavirus from someone several rows away. However, you could still catch the virus from someone close by. .On Tuesday, The Senior Citizens League released new data that shows nearly 80 percent of older Americans believe Medicare should cover dental, vision, and hearing services. Under current law, the Medicare program is prohibited from covering these critical services, and many older Americans living on fixed incomes cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket for costly care and assistive technologies like eyeglasses or hearing aids. .Social Security is a promise our country must keep. If you work and pay into the system, you should have the opportunity to retire with dignity and respect. This promise is part of what makes America exceptional — the idea that after a lifetime of work, Americans deserve security in retirement.