The Chairman rightly pointed out that Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and other online drug tracking systems can ensure that patients are only receiving the drugs they need. Senator Michael Bennet agreed that digital record keeping databases can help limit opioid prescriptions, and cited his new bill that would mandate electronic prescribing for all opioid medications prescribed to Medicare Part D beneficiaries..May 15, 2013 Seniors have lost almost one-third of their buying power since 2000, according to the Annual Survey of Senior Costs, released today by The Senior Citizens League. TSCL is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan senior advocacy groups..He purchased it on his first trip to the dealership after receiving an offer in the mail of payments of a month. Instead of a payment that low, though, he wound up owing 0+ a month for five years. His auto loan charges 18% interest. My brother couldn't pass a credit check from a legitimate lender. He's had numerous problems with debt collectors over the years, although he and his wife still own their home with no mortgage now. Do you have any advice?.TSCL supports the "No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act" introduced by Representative Dana Rohrabacher which would ban the use of earnings for jobs worked while illegal to be used to determine entitlement..There's power in numbers. If you're concerned about your Social Security benefits, share this information with others and encourage them to visit the TSCL website to learn more. To learn how much COLA cuts might cost you, try the TSCL Chained COLA calculator..The Senior Citizens League is relieved that Members of Congress were able to avert the Fiscal Cliff and provide a "doc fix" without enacting harsh benefit cuts. However, topics like "chaining" the Social Security COLA and increasing means testing measures within Medicare will likely resurface next month, when Congress will be required to raise the debt ceiling address the spending cuts once again. In the meantime, TSCL will continue to inform Members of Congress about the consequences of cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website..Learn the full cost and coverage for every drug you take: If you take more than 6 worth of prescription drugs a month, you're at risk of hitting the doughnut hole at some point during the year. The 6 is based on the full retail cost, that is what you and your drug plan pay, not your co-pays. Part D plan enrollees have an initial coverage limit of ,840 in total drug costs in 201You can learn the full cost of your drugs and whether your plan covers all your prescriptions using the drug using the Medicare Drug Plan Finder at..Increasing the payroll tax rate gradually by around 1 percent for both workers and employers. Doing so would amount to an additional 50 cents per week for the average American worker an amount that TSCL feels is reasonable..The difference in drug prices between the lowest and highest costing plans, can be in the hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. For brand name and specialty drugs, the most frequent reason that the drug costs so much more in the highest costing plan is lack of coverage. The drug is not listed on the high cost plan's formulary. For example, the lowest cost plan for Sovaldi, a drug used to treat Hepatitis C, charges ,600 in co-insurance. The highest cost drug plan charges 0,800, the full cost of the drug, because Sovaldi is not on the plan's formulary.
