News

  • Will Widows Of Notch Babies Be Included Under Notch Reform

    Because of the advanced ages of Notch Babies, the cost of correcting the Notch is falling every day. TSCL estimates (in 2006) that the cost of Notch Reform would be about billion, or slightly less than .75 billion per year over the next four years. The billion could be financed without taking additional money from the Social Security Trust Fund. This could be done through cutting wasteful pork barrel spending and reducing fraud and abuse in government programs. In fiscal year 2006 alone, lawmakers spent about billion in pork-barrel projects (8). That doesn't include what the government lost to improper payments, fraud, and abuse. The Government Accountability Office estimated that for fiscal year 2005 government agencies improperly spent more than billion (9). .The last thing we need to happen to our healthcare system is to limit access to quality care. Already, 1-in-3 physicians are limiting the number of Medicare patients they see, and 1-in-8 physicians are refusing Medicare patients all together. Furthermore, the Affordable Care Act created the Independent Payment Advisory Board to control Medicare cost. This would place 15 bureaucrats, appointed by the president, in a position to control the future of Medicare and is another example of the Federal Government forcing themselves into your health care decisions. .For more information about these and other TSCL-backed bills, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. To follow The Senior Citizens League's work on Capitol Hill, follow us on Twitter. … Continued

  • Cola Hits New Low 0 0x 2017

    I'm Entitled to a Pension for Work as a City Cop… .In fact, the CPI-W does't even measure one of the most rapidly rising senior costs – Medicare Part B premiums. TSCL's research has found that Medicare Part B premiums rank as the third-fastest growing senior cost since 2000. Only home heating and gasoline have increased faster. To put the problem of Medicare's cost growth into perspective, the following table illustrates what common food items would cost in 2014, if they had increased as rapidly as Medicare Part B premiums. To give a full picture, this table spans a 3year period, the length of time that many Baby Boomers can expect to live in retirement. Medicare Part B premiums are twelve times higher today than 34 years ago in 1980. .After a much-anticipated mid-term election and an active "lame duck" session on Capitol Hill, the 114th Congress has officially begun and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) is gearing up for another busy year. With the November elections behind them, lawmakers will finally be able to focus on some of the complex policy issues that sit high on their agendas, like deficit reduction, Social Security reform, and an overhaul of the immigration system. … Continued

One-out-of-three adults covered by Medicare is not getting regular routine dental care, according to TSCL's 2019 Senior Survey. We estimate that translates to roughly 20 million older Americans who are going without bi-annual cleanings, X-rays, and dental exams. Medicare does not cover routine dental health services, and that often comes as a shock to new beneficiaries. More than half of survey participants say they do not have any dental insurance coverage. .Finally, locality pay is subject to the approval of the President, and thus subject to politics. In 2019, the average locality pay adjustment was 0.5%. The annual COLA was 2.8%. The calculation has also been challenged by economists and the nonpartisan CBO as not being accurate. What do you think about using locality pay adjustment rates to adjust Social Security? To send a comment or take a poll on this topic visit . .This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill and those in the House passed legislation that will reduce prescription drug costs at pharmacies. In addition, the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee met to discuss information technology within the Social Security program, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) saw two key bills gain support. .My husband recently lost his job in a company re-organization. I was getting my healthcare benefits through his employer. He is 64 and I'm 6I'm still working, but coverage through my employer is much higher than we paid previously. Can you explain our options at this point? Neither one of us has started Social Security. .Last week we wrote about a new bill that was expected to be introduced this week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that would lower prescription drug prices on some of the most expensive drugs. The plan would allow the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate the price of up to 250 drugs per year, and the lower prices would apply to people both with private insurance and those on Medicare. .In 2015, the Senate Finance Committee came up with a simpler explanation for high drug prices. After reviewing 20,000 pages of company documents, it found that Gilead Sciences had what the committee's ranking Democratic member, Ron Wyden of Oregon, called "a calculated scheme for pricing and marketing its hepatitis C drug based on one primary goal, maximizing revenue." .While the other two rulings went against the Trump Administration, this one was a win on a key piece of Trump's health-care agenda at the end of his administration. .Fraudulent Use of Social Security Numbers Is Not Penalized .The month of August presents constituents with the perfect opportunity to do just that. Both the House and the Senate adjourn for the month, and many Members of Congress travel home to hold town hall meetings. The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) encourages you to make the most of this month by attending town halls and making your voice heard. Below are summaries of three key issues, along with sample questions. Feel free to take them with you to your next meeting.