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  • Congressional Corner Can Protect Social Security Expanding Benefits

    Until then, many Members of Congress will attend local events and hold town hall meetings. The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) urges its members and supporters to attend town halls in the coming weeks, since they are an excellent opportunity for constituents to communicate with their elected officials and have their most pressing concerns addressed. .One of TSCL's top priorities again this year is for legislation to reduce the costs of prescription drugs. It is outrageous that we in the United States pay some of the highest prices in the developed world for the prescription drugs that we urgently need to preserve our health. .Senator Nelson also asked Congressman Price about his plans to privatize the Medicare program at Wednesday's hearing. A recent reform plan authored by the Congressman would transform the traditional Medicare program into a "premium support" model, where beneficiaries would be given vouchers from the federal government to purchase private insurance. In the past, Congressman Price has claimed that such plans would result in lower costs for both Medicare and its beneficiaries, but at Wednesday's hearing, Senator Nelson presented a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office that projected premium increases of at least 125 percent for seniors living in Florida and other heavily populated states. He expressed serious concerns about the privatization of Medicare since his constituents would see higher medical costs. … Continued

  • Dear Patient Medicares Effort Improve Quality Doctor Wont See Now

    The order is expected to apply to government programs and agencies that directly purchase drugs and medical supplies, according to lobbyists and industry watchers. They may include the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Strategic National Stockpile, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. .Sources: Options For Reducing The Deficit: 2014 to 2023, Congressional Budget Office, November 2013. .On Wednesday, the Board of Trustees – along with Shannon Benton (Executive Director), former Congressman Van Hilleary (Legislative Consultant), and TSCL's staff – spent the day meeting with four Congressional offices. Support was expressed for a number of bills that would strengthen Social Security benefits for older Americans, including the CPI-E Act (H.R. 3961), the CPI for Seniors Act (H.R. 3074), and the Honesty in CPI Reporting Act (H.R. 3500). … Continued

On Tuesday, President Obama released his .901 trillion budget blueprint for fiscal 201The proposal calls for more than 0 billion in new revenues by closing certain tax loopholes, and it would replace the "sequester" beginning in 2016 with .2 trillion in new spending cuts. It adheres to the caps for discretionary spending that were set back in December, but it also proposes billion in extra investments through the so-called "Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative." .Sources: "Home Is Where The Money Is For Medicare Advantage Plans," Fred Schulte, Center For Public Integrity, June 10, 201"Medicare Advantage 2016 Data Spotlight: Overview of Plan Changes," Kaiser Family Foundation, December 2012015 Medicare Trustees Report, July 22, 2015. .As a result, experts have been saying that even people who have been vaccinated should continue to wear masks and keep their distance from others. .According to testimony from a hearing on the problem held by the Senate Special Committee on Aging, fraudsters are "hijacking" federal benefits by using personal information such as name, date of birth and Social Security number. One victim who testified, Alexandra Lane, 73, of Florida went through a 50-day ordeal to recover close to ,500 worth of payments, which was not resolved until she turned to Senator Bill Nelson (FL) for assistance. Getting the money back has taken even longer, almost six months, for others. .And it will not feel like a bargain if we get free or cheap vaccines during a pandemic but pay dearly for annual COVID-19 shots thereafter. .The other two actions are related to eviction protections and student loan relief. .While you may hear a lot of shouting about the payroll tax cut over the next few months, don't let it distract you from the real threat to Social Security – namely, radical plans to convert Social Security from the current guaranteed retirement benefit for everyone to a risky gamble on Wall Street that would benefit only a select few at best. .However, it differs from the House version which means it must go back to the House to see if it will agree with the changes that were made. .After the drug executives announced they would not meet with the President, he went on Twitter and accused the pharmaceutical industry of running ads that lied about his new executive order.