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  • Big Agenda But Little Time To Get It Done

    For example, you may want to suggest that your sister put a simple plan into writing. The plan should outline how she wants to live. It's important for your sister to consider who is going to take care of her, if there's an emergency, or, if she needs someone to drive her to or from doctors' appointments. Do you have such a plan for your own long-term care? Perhaps this is something the two of you can do together. Your sister is not too young to start her plan. In fact, age 78 is an ideal age to put a plan in place, and, even to consider moving into a senior living community. .SSI is a federal program that provides monthly benefit payments to people age 65 or older, who are blind or have a disability and who have little or no income and resources. People who receive SSI are also eligible to receive food stamps and Medicaid. .The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that the number of beneficiaries that will be required to pay the increased Medicare premiums will almost triple over the next decade rising from five percent of beneficiaries in 2011 to 14 percent in 2019 due to the expansions of "means testing" in the PPACA. By 2019 one out of every five new enrollees will have to pay higher premiums. The Senior Citizens League strongly opposes the "means test" and supports efforts to repeal it. To learn more, please visit . … Continued

  • Your Health New Clues As To Why Some Older People May Be Losing Their Memory

    TSCL feels strongly that Social Security beneficiaries are entitled to transparency and honesty from the federal government, and we believe that Congressman Jones's H.R. 3500 would go a long way in ensuring that. We enthusiastically support the Honesty in CPI Reporting Act, and we look forward to working with Congressman Jones in the coming months to help build support for it. .No. Your understanding is correct, although there are circumstances that might explain the income. The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program's rules generally restrict beneficiaries from working and earning substantial amounts while they are receiving benefits. When beneficiaries first return to work, however, they can earn an unlimited amount for 12 months without losing their benefits under "trial work period" rules. Thereafter they can earn a specified limit, ,480 in 2013, before their benefits are eliminated. .Click here to add your name to a petition, learn how you can help, or take a poll. … Continued

"Public health officials were quick to tout J&J's data as a strong result, particularly given that regulators initially said a vaccine would only have to be 50% effective to be authorized. A vaccine that is 66% effective is an incredibly powerful tool in fighting respiratory viruses, they stressed. ‘We would be celebrating a seasonal influenza vaccine with 60% efficacy,' Jay Butler, the deputy director for infectious diseases at the CDC, told reporters. .That's why I'm excited and proud to announce TSCL's endorsement of The Guaranteed 3% COLA for Seniors Act (H.R. 3389) introduced in the House by Representative Eliot Engel (NY-16) and its companion bill in the Senate (S. 1923) introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI). TSCL believes this bill will go a long way toward stopping the erosion in the buying power of your Social Security benefits. Now it's your turn. You can help draw attention to this legislation by contacting your Members of Congress and asking them to co-sponsor The Guaranteed 3% COLA for Seniors Act. For contact info or to send an email to your elected lawmakers visit the TSCL at . .Medicaid is the major source of coverage for an estimated 6 million seniors who need long-term care. Last year, long-term care services required one-third of the federal Medicaid budget, more than 0 billion. States, which share the program's cost, spent tens of billions to match that amount. .As outrageous as it is, there are reports of scams involving phony appointments for the COVID vaccine. People have received emails, phone calls or text messages supposedly from local health departments offering to put them on a vaccine registration list that doesn't really exist and then charging them for appointments. .Homeowners: Are You Covered For The Next Disaster? Maybe Not .You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. .Many believe that Sen. Conrad's plan entails a fair balance of spending cuts and revenue increases, and they are pleased that he has revived the Fiscal Commission's recommendations. Others, however, have expressed concerns about some of the entitlement spending cuts that it calls for. TSCL in particular is concerned about the adoption of the Chained Consumer Price Index, which could significantly reduce the lifetime benefits collected by future Social Security recipients. .In order to learn more about what services you are eligible for under Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE ( 7), a State Health Insurance Assistance Program counselor at your Area Agency on Aging, or your Member of Congress. .Over the past 25 years, Congress has periodically debated plans to fix Social Security's financing, that rely heavily on benefit cuts. But for the first time in 2019 and 2020, Congress is considering a plan to strengthen Social Security and its benefits while making the program solvent by beefing up the payroll tax revenues flowing into the program.