News

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending August 21 2015

    Affordable Care Act – Monitor the continued implementation of the law as it affects older Americans. .If our annual COLA works as intended, this should not happen. .We want to assure you that we will try to report the facts as we understand them and keep elective politics out of it. … Continued

  • Legislative Update February March 2018

    "Let's have some discussion about what the government would actually be measuring," Johnson says. "It would not be direct measurement of the growth in the costs of specific goods and services as is the case under the conventional CPI," she says. "Yet that's what most people think of when we talk about inflation," she says. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the chained CPI measures the amount of additional resources that an individual would need to maintain the same standard of living this year as last year. "That's not the same thing, especially for people dependent on fixed incomes," Johnson notes. .But for more than two months, state inspectors failed to enter half the country's homes — a revelation that prompted CMS to crack down. .To stay updated on TSCL's legislative efforts and their progress in Congress, visit the Legislative News section of our website. You can also find us on Facebook or Twitter for more frequent legislative updates. … Continued

How Can My Sister's Son-In-Law Work And Claim Disability? .Each year, due to a faulty formula that's used to determine Medicare's reimbursement rates, doctors are threatened with sizable pay cuts. This year, if Congress fails to act, doctors will face a 25 percent cut. Lawmakers consistently override scheduled pay cuts with temporary "fixes," but many doctors have grown tired of the ritual and have stopped treating Medicare patients. The estimated cost of repealing the formula has recently dropped dramatically, and many are hoping to replace it in the coming months. Doing so would provide much-needed stability for Medicare beneficiaries. .A monthly supply of diabetes drug Lantus Solostar, for example, ranges from a high of 2.00 from the mail - order pharmacy of First Health Part D Value Plus plan to a low of .75 from the network retail pharmacies for SilverScript Choice, a difference of 4.25 per month. .Accurate earnings estimates: It's important to accurately estimate your earnings. If you worked for someone else, Social Security will need your gross earnings prior to deductions for taxes. In addition, Social Security counts when the wages are earned, NOT when they are paid. This includes accumulated sick or vacation pay and bonuses. .One-out-of-five people who participated in TSCL Senior Survey spend more than 0.00 per month out-of-pocket on prescription drugs. That's an enormous amount, considering the average Social Security benefit is just ,460.00 per month. But even if you only take generics, or your Medicare drug or health plan premium goes down, this does not mean that your 2020 Medicare plan's drug coverage costs will also decrease. Your Medicare drug plan's prescription coverage – including which drugs are covered by your plan, and the cost, usually changes every year. .Are you at risk of a notch in your Social Security benefits? A & 8220;notch& 8221; refers to inequality in benefits between people who are close in age and have similar earnings records. One birth group receives significantly more in benefits, sometimes thousands of dollars per year, than. Benefit Bulletin: March/April 2013 ,000 Notch Fairness Act Reintroduced .Fraud, waste and abuse are costing taxpayers and seniors an estimated billion a year, but Medicare fails to recover overpayments about 80 percent of the time. The Inspector General recently said that of the 6,287,546 in overpayments identified through the 30-month period ending March 31, 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported collecting only ,168,50But it gets even worse. The OIG said that it could not verify that the ,168,502 had been collected as reported because CMS did not have an adequate system for documenting overpayment collections. .USA TODAY .You are asking yourself the right questions. Many people buy life insurance to replace the income that would be lost when the policyholder dies and no longer is paid a salary. Once you stop working, most of your income is likely to come from retirement savings, pensions, annuities, and Social Security, which pays survivors benefits, if you or a spouse dies. There can be special needs, however, and for some retirees, life insurance may make sense. Here are a few major considerations: