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This, of course, keeps the costs of those drugs much higher than if a generic version were available..Nearly 1.5 million public servants are currently affected by the WEP because they have earned pensions from their state or local government, but have also paid into Social Security through previous or secondary employment. Their earned Social Security benefits are often reduced by as much as 40 percent. In addition, the GPO affects public servants who are entitled to Social Security spousal or survivors benefits based on the work history of a husband or wife. Nine out of ten times, the benefits to which they are entitled are eliminated altogether..President Trump has said that he wants to deliver on his promise to lower drug costs, but bipartisan legislation is required to cap costs and provide real cost savings for older Americans. If Congress fails to take action, older Americans will bear the increasing burden of higher drug spending through depleted savings, higher taxes, and a lower standard of living..Late this week, lawmakers in the House and Senate adjourned for a week-long holiday recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, July 10th. In the meantime, many Members of Congress will be attending local events and hosting town hall meetings in their home states and districts..I turn 66 this year and my wife is 6Neither one of us has started Social Security. We receive health insurance through my employer. Do we need to sign up for Medicare yet?.This week, appropriators in the House and Senate continued their work on the .1 trillion omnibus to fund the federal government through the remainder of the fiscal year. Lawmakers have just one week to finalize the deal in order to avoid a government shutdown like the one that occurred in 2013..Social and recreational activities.President Barak Obama included a proposal in his fiscal year 2014 budget that would have reduced Social Security benefits by using the more slowly-growing chained consumer price index to calculate the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. An estimate produced for TSCL projects that "chaining the COLA" would cut Social Security benefits by about 9% over a 30-year retirement. Although the proposal has been under discussion for several years, it has not passed, primarily due to fierce resistance from older voters..By Representative John Garamendi

Debating The Electoral College

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at Wednesday's hearing expressed their strong interest in addressing the growing DI backlog. In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson said: "Today, over one million people are waiting for a hearing with a Social Security Administrative Law Judge, and on average these folks will wait around 600 days to get that hearing. That's nearly two years!" He continued, saying: "While not all of them will qualify for DI benefits, all of these people deserve an answer in a timely fashion. And for those who don't qualify for benefits, these long wait times make getting back to work even harder.".TSCL enthusiastically supports the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act, and in a survey that we conducted in January, nearly 90 percent of our members and supporters agreed that such payments should be prohibited. We commend Rep. Rohrabacher for introducing legislation that would protect the integrity of the Social Security program while preventing an unnecessary and unspecified strain on the Trust Fund. We look forward to working with him in the coming months to help build support for the critical piece of legislation..Fresh is not always more healthful than frozen. From the moment fruits and vegetables are harvested, they begin to lose nutrients. Fruits and vegetables grown in North America may spend up to 5 days in transit before arriving at a distribution center, and another 1-3 days on display prior to purchase. Consumers may keep their produce for up to 7 days prior to consumption. Consequently, fresh produce can lose a considerable amount of nutrients before consumption. A University of California study found, for example, that vitamin C losses in vegetables stored 7 days range from 15% for green peas, to 77% for green beans. Unless you are harvesting and consuming your own home grown fruits and vegetables within a few hours of picking, frozen choices may be just as high in nutrients. … Continued

Health Reform Poll Finding Kff Health Tracking Poll November 2019

What do you think about proposals to cut Social Security or Medicare benefits? Visit to participate in TSCL's annual Senior Survey..Could the Social Security COLA Be More Fairly Adjusted to Provide a Fixed Annual Dollar Amount?."You have a whole spectrum of people out there who won't be reassured by any amount of information," he said. "If we don't pay strict attention to safety, this is going to backfire." … Continued