I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car..The flowerpots aren't watered..While benefits scheduled in the law for OASI [Old Age and Survivors Insurance] and DI [Disability Insurance] are obligations, such obligations can only be met to the extent that asset reserves are available in the OASI and DI Trust Funds. The law does not provide authority for the trust funds to borrow in order to pay benefits beyond the limited authority for "advance tax transfers.".In September, federal agents announced the arrests of 35 people linked to a huge genetic testing scam. Individuals charged are accused of billing Medicare for more than .1 billion worth of phony genetic tests. The crackdown included telemedicine companies, doctors, and labs which worked in an elaborate scheme that preyed on people's fears of having genetic markers for cancer..The Senior Citizens League encourages its supporters to attend these events and to ask important questions of their elected officials, like the following three….Agreeing on methods of payment has proven to be the most difficult task. One conferee, Sen. Jon Kyl stated this week: "The way our Democratic colleagues have been approaching offsets, there's just not much of anything that they seem willing to agree to, so I'm pretty pessimistic that we can get that done.".The Democratic Platform Committee approved a plan that would expand the Social Security program "so that every American can retire with dignity and respect." Their document states, "We will fight every effort to cut, privatize, or weaken Social Security, including attempts to raise the retirement age, diminish benefits by cutting cost-of-living adjustments, or reducing earned benefits.".One TSCL concern remains regarding the possibility of some seniors losing their prescription drug coverage from their former employers. Therefore, we supported incentives to help businesses continue to cover their former employees. We will continue to monitor this development to help ensure that retirees are given the option to maintain coverage that they are used to and prefer..Petition to Congress: Put an End to Dramatic Increases in Prescription Drug Costs
