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  • S 2553 Know Lowest Price Act 2018

    Most of the negotiators seem relieved to have reached a compromise, but it's clear that neither party is thrilled with the concessions they had to make. In a telling statement, one of the twenty conferees, Rep. Henry Waxman (CA-30), said of the deal: "It's not so bad that I would vote against it." Another conferee, Rep. Kevin Brady (TX-8) stated however, "At the end of the day, we have prevented a disruption to our economy, avoided a tax increase on working families. and ensured our local doctors will not be punished merely for treating seniors in Medicare." .In many years when inflation is at more typical levels, only a small number of beneficiaries, those with the lowest benefits, are affected by the hold harmless provision. The reduced Part B premiums that they receive has minimal impact on Part B financing.[6] But in years when there is an exceptionally low COLA, the hold harmless provision is triggered more widely, and this leads to much more challenging financial impacts for both beneficiaries and for Medicare Part B funding. .TSCL Endorses New COLA Bill … Continued

  • Notch Bulletin How Much Less Do Notch Babies Receive

    In addition to advocating for these three important issues, Legislative Liaison Joe Kluck delivered letters to lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee urging them to advance comprehensive proposals that would enhance Social Security benefits and strengthen the solvency of the Trust Funds past 203Both the Social Security 2100 Act (H.R. 860) and the Social Security Expansion Act (H.R. 1170) would reform the program responsibly, without cutting benefits for current or future retirees. .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. .Rather than working on bipartisan legislation to solve the rural healthcare crisis, many of my colleagues have instead chosen the fantasy of "free" healthcare for all. In reality, "Medicare-for-all," as they call it – would put more than 1,000 rural U.S. hospitals in 46 states "at high risk of closure" among other devastating consequences, according to experts. … Continued

This week, in elections nation-wide, Republicans in the House and Senate held on to their majorities, and President-elect Donald Trump defied odds to win the White House. .Recently, three lawmakers – Sen. John Cornyn (TX), Rep. Phil Roe (TN-1), and Rep. Linda Sanchez (CA-38) – introduced the Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act, and it quickly gained the bipartisan support of more than two hundred legislators. Upon introducing the bill, Rep. Sanchez said, "When it comes down to questions of how to cut costs, we think it's better left to the Members of Congress who have constituents that we're answerable to." .One new cosponsor also signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3118), bringing the total up fifty-six. The new cosponsor is Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-1). If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E), resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. The bill would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. .Employers are only required to check SSNs and report wages, but aren't required to verify whether individual workers have legal authorization to work in this country. When employers submit wage reports with SSNs that don't match those of Social Security, the reports wind up in the Earnings Suspense File until they can be reconciled. .It was during this time that TREA Senior Citizens League (TSCL) was founded, and of its primary goals became the representation of those affected by the Notch in Congress. Recognizing that Congress created the Notch by reducing Social Security benefits in the past, and that baby-boomers nearing retirement would provide continuing pressure to reduce benefits in the near future, TSCL's primary mission is to protect "earned" Social Security and Medicare benefits. . How much would delaying retirement benefits after my full retirement age be worth? I turn 66 in August. .What is TSCL? .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. .The fact is no one can know ahead of time what healthcare will be needed in the future, let alone the actual costs of the services that providers charge. Doctors frequently refer patients to expensive specialists, and order endless expensive tests without spending adequate time to explain why the tests are necessary, how much they cost, or the chances of improving treatments through their use.