News

  • Dental Coverage Under Medicare

    Over the past 8 years COLAs have been at record lows, averaging just 1.1 percent. During three of those years there was no COLA at all, and in 2017, the COLA was just 0.3 percent. But inflation, especially for the goods and services used by older Americans, has continued to grow more quickly than annual COLAs. .In fact, according to TSCL's annual survey of senior costs, Social Security benefits have lost more than one-third of their buying power since 2000 because COLAs underpay recipients. TSCL supports using the CPI-E to determine COLAs that better take into account the spending patterns of older people. For well over a decade, TSCL has lobbied Congress to make the COLA more fair and accurate. TSCL is mobilizing seniors nationwide to contact Members of Congress. .The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for these three bills this week, and we thank the new cosponsors for their support. In the months ahead, we will continue to advocate for the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, the Social Security 2100 Act, and the Fair COLA for Seniors Act, and we urge Congress to enact them this year. … Continued

  • Advisory Commission Draft Calls For A Medicare Benefit Redesign

    In addition, two new cosponsors – Reps. Pete Olson (TX-22) and Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) – signed on to the Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures (PRIME) Act (H.R. 2305), bringing the total up to sixty. If signed into law, the PRIME Act would take a number of steps to comprehensively prevent fraud, waste, and abuse within Medicare and Medicaid – a problem that TSCL believes must be addressed in order to ensure that scarce program dollars are being spent properly. .People who decide to go on a cruise should get tested 1–3 days before their trip and 3–5 days after their trip. .Deductible: During the initial deductible, the beneficiary pays 100% of the cost of the drug—up to 5 depending on the plan. Many plans provide immediate coverage on generics, and even preferred brand drugs "before the deductible." In this type of plan, you only pay the full price up to the deductible on higher tier drugs, and some plans don't charge a deductible at all. … Continued

With respect to cookies: The Senior Citizens League uses cookies to record session information, such as items that visitors add to their shopping cart. .Congress This Week .You can apply for widow benefits as early as age 60, but if you start prior to your full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced. In addition, your benefits would be further reduced if you earn more than the annual earnings limit, which is ,640 in 2012 (,220 per month). More on this in a moment. .Millions of Seniors Are Losing Benefits .The Medicare report estimated the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will become depleted in just six more year. .Finally, one new cosponsor – Rep. Alcee Hastings (FL-20) – signed on to the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574) this week bringing the total up to thirty-seven. If signed into law, H.R. 574 would repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate (SGR), which is the flawed formula that is currently used to determine reimbursements for physicians who treat Medicare patients. Adopting H.R. 574 would bring increased stability to the Medicare program for both physicians and beneficiaries. .The President believes tying drug prices in the U.S. to those in other countries will bring down the prices here. However, the effect of his order won't be seen for some time and will only cover certain prescription drugs. The executive order requires that the secretary of Health and Human Services immediately test a payment model for Medicare to pay "no more than the most-favored-nation price," meaning the lowest price paid in other developed countries, for specific "high-cost" prescription drugs and products. .In a statement, Congressman Doggett said: "Despite groundbreaking medical discoveries, we see no breakthrough in affordability for consumers. Drug pricing in America is a tangled mess, a knot that will take more than one cut to pull apart … Sick patients are tired of seeing Congress do nothing about a problem that affects so many." .Only twice in the history of Medicare was the therapy cap actually implemented. In 2003, the cap was set at ,500 until the cap was once again halted from being implemented that same year. Then earlier this year the cap briefly went into effect again. Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN-3) introduced the Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2017, a bill that would repeal the therapy cap permanently. This bill gained the bipartisan support of 240 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and TSCL was proud to endorse and build support for this piece of legislation.