News

  • Q February March 2019

    With that in mind we remind you that the Federal Trade Commission has warned that anybody offering a chance to jump ahead on the statewide priority list for a vaccination in exchange for money is a scammer. .Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (NV) told reporters on Wednesday, "The CR is not done; it's a work in progress … This isn't going to be wrapped up in the next couple hours, that's for sure." In addition, Senator John Thune (SD) said, "I think [Majority Leader McConnell's] goal all along has been to try and get something considered by the end of this week, to try and wrap things up. But I'll just tell you, my own view is that, based on past experience, I don't think we'll get there this week. I think this probably spills into next week." .Both bills are now awaiting the signature of President Donald Trump. He is expected to sign them into law in the very near future. The Senior Citizens League is pleased that lawmakers successfully advanced legislation that will protect the American public from "gag clauses" that result in higher out-of-pocket costs at pharmacies. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending April 18 2014

    With respect to security: When The Senior Citizens League transfers and receives certain types of sensitive information such as financial or health information, we redirect visitors to a secure server and will notify visitors through a pop-up screen on our site. .In the days and weeks ahead, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) will closely monitor the movement of S. Con. Res. 3 since a repeal of the Affordable Care Act will impact older Americans in several ways. For instance, progress that has been made to close the Medicare Part D prescription drug "doughnut hole" will be reversed, and the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund that finances Medicare Part A will lose a critical stream of funding created by the law. Throughout the 115th Congress, TSCL's legislative team will continue to advocate on Capitol Hill for legislation that would reduce any negative impacts on the Medicare program. ."'We trace this mortality effect to cutbacks in life-saving medicines like statins and antihypertensives, for which clinical trials show large mortality benefits,' the researchers wrote. … Continued

The annual COLA increased Social Security benefits in January of 2021 by just 1.3 percent. While the lack of inflation in 2020 did somewhat improve the buying power of Social Security benefits by 2 percentage points by the month of January 2021 — from a loss in buying power of 30 percent to a loss of 28 percent — that improvement was completely wiped out by soaring inflation in February and March of this year. .The Senior Citizens League is predicting another record-low Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2020 despite skyrocketing prescription drug prices and home heating costs. Will you cosponsor the Fair COLA for Seniors Act (H.R. 1553), which would make the COLA more adequate for Social Security beneficiaries? .Rep. Gene Green (TX-29) recently introduced a bill that would remove the limit for the amount of outside income that an individual could earn while receiving Social Security benefits. The Social Security Earnings Test Repeal Act of 2011 was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. .What are the Notch Reform bills that are in the current Congress? .Your required minimum distribution (RMD) is the minimum amount that you must withdraw from retirement accounts each year. Failure to do so by your deadline can result in a penalty equal to 50% of the required amount not withdrawn. .Again, next year, a number of physicians and medical specialists were facing sharp Medicare pay cuts. This was to come, of course, in the face of the worst pandemic in our lifetimes and one which has worn so many physicians and nurses to the point of exhaustion. .I recently introduced H.R. 4521, SNAP Simplification for the Elderly Act, as one of the focal points for my "Let's Feed America Campaign." The bill would eliminate burdensome red tape and make it easier for the low-income elderly and disabled individuals to receive SNAP, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) benefits. .The Fair COLA for Seniors Act of 2017 (H.R. 2896) gained two new cosponsors in Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) and Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-01), which brings the total cosponsors up to two. If signed into law, H.R. 2896 would provide a mid-year COLA to Social Security beneficiaries of 3.9% to account for an insufficient increase in 2017, and it would apply the CPI-E to future Social Security COLAs. .Annual vaccinations. While you don't want to skip annual exams and vaccines, you might be surprised to learn that many recommended vaccines are licensed to be effective for three years or more. However, all pets are different and some non-core vaccines may need to be given more frequently. State and local laws can affect how frequently some vaccines are given. Ask for a copy of your pet's vaccination records, if you don't already have them. Then check around for low-cost spay & neuter clinics that also offer discounted vaccinations. To learn more about discounted vaccines, contact your local SPCA, animal shelter, or local pet supply stores to learn what may be scheduled in your area.