Perhaps the greatest difference between the Republican and Democrats in Congress when it comes to legislation to lower prescription drug prices is whether the federal government should impose some kind of price control or regulation..At a time when our country faces a real and growing retirement crisis, it is more important than ever that we take steps to protect and expand Social Security. Yet today, Social Security remains under attack. Republicans in Washington are doing everything they can to privatize and cut benefits for millions of seniors who rely on Social Security to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads..Permanent Cuts to Payroll Tax would Devastate Social Security/Medicare."The Senior Citizens League believes that as retirees and disabled people live longer, thousands of older Americans like Susan and her husband are working hard to make ends meet while at the same time providing care and support to aging family members and disabled adult children, says TSCL Chairman Ed Cates. The Senior Citizens League recently endorsed The Credit For Caring Act, legislation that would provide a tax credit for caregiving expenses..Despite these obstacles, Subcommittee Members were relentless in their requests for CMS to reform the system. A frustrated Chairman Herger stated, "To date, CMS has offered little beyond excuses and questionable reports. If CMS does not responsibly act, then Congress will require them to." Trenkle closed the hearing with an agreement to provide the Subcommittee with an updated list of options and cost estimates by the beginning of next year. TSCL will continue to monitor any movement on this important issue..A new analysis by Johnson compared the growth of average benefits since 2009 with what retirees would have received assuming Social Security law provided a COLA guarantee of at least 3 percent, as has been proposed by some Members of Congress, including Representative Eliot Engel. Johnson's analysis found that an average benefit of ,075 in 2009 would be 6.50 per month higher in 2018 - about 17 percent higher - had Social Security recipients been protected by a 3 percent COLA guarantee. Over the past nine years, the average retiree would have received about ,947 more in total Social Security income..The 2010 health law, which was vague on many other details, specifically states that enrollees can receive subsidies when purchasing health insurance on an exchange "established by the state." Some 34 states, however, don't operate their own insurance exchanges, and uninsured people living in those states must go through the federal online exchange, in order to receive subsidized coverage..This week, The Senior Citizens League's Board of Trustees traveled to Capitol Hill to host a Welcome Reception and to meet with several lawmakers and their top aides. In addition, Members of the Senate overwhelmingly voted to confirm Marilyn Tavenner as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and three key bills gained critical support..This week, one new cosponsor Rep. John Fleming signed on to Rep. Dana Rohrabacher's No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act. The total is now up to twenty-four. If signed into law, Rep. Rohrabacher's bill would prevent Social Security credits from being earned by work done illegally. Currently, those who receive "green cards" or work authorization may file a claim for Social Security benefits based on all earnings even earnings from jobs where they used stolen, invalid, or fraudulent Social Security numbers. TSCL believes that this practice must be put to an end in order to protect the integrity of the Social Security program, and we were pleased to see support grow for it this week.
