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In the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the first generation of drugs was mediocre at best, he said. As scientists learned more about the virus and the disease it causes, the medicines became more effective. That may be a model for what we are going to have here. We may not get the best vaccine up front. But hopefully it will be good enough and will be replaced later by better vaccines. We have may just have to live with that until we get a better one..Burwell Nomination Advances.In a letter of support to Representative Roybal-Allard, Art Cooper Chairman of The Senior Citizens League's Board of Trustees wrote: "Our supporters nationwide question why the Medicare program has not yet been expanded to include coverage of essential hearing, vision, and dental services, which many employers provide during working years. As such, The Senior Citizens League lends its enthusiastic support to the Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act, a bill that we believe would go a long way in ensuring the retirement security seniors have earned and deserve.".July 15, 2011 The most likely deficit reduction proposals are also the most harmful to the nation's elderly, according to The Senior Citizens League, one of the nation's largest nonpartisan senior citizens advocacy groups. However, a few alternatives exist that would reduce the budget in less painful ways..New Congress Sworn in but Little in the Way of Legislation Yet.TSCL is in the early stages of understanding the full scope of the impact of COVID-19 on the Social Security Trust Fund, as we continue to work with Congressional Offices to enact legislation to boost benefits and strengthen program financing..Another possibility for House legislative action is subsidies to make health care more affordable..In the debate over Social Security's funding, much of the debate has focused on benefit cuts. A recent survey by the National Academy of Social Insurance, however, shows that benefit cuts aren't supported by a large majority of survey participants. Those who participated in the survey agreed on a package of changes to strengthen Social Security that doesn't cut benefits..From January through March, TSCL surveyed seniors and disabled Medicare beneficiaries to learn how our readers feel about many of the proposals under debate. Almost 5,000 of you weighed in. The answers are important as members of Congress consider major changes to Medicare, most of which would make people pay more for their benefits.

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The idea is to cut government spending on Medicare by limiting the annual growth of the Medicare voucher to the growth of the gross domestic product plus one percentage point. However, for the last 40 years national healthcare spending has exceeded the growth of the gross domestic product by more than two percentage points, and TSCL is highly concerned that the vouchers would rapidly become increasingly inadequate to purchase sufficient coverage or that seniors would face significantly higher premiums. In addition, the CBO recently wrote that the average age and cost of enrollees remaining in the current system would increase over time, and TSCL believes that would lead to far higher premiums for older beneficiaries as well..Here's how it works: Because you are under your full retirement age in 2021, you are subject to Social Security's earnings restriction rules. The Social Security Administration will deduct from your benefits for every you earn above the annual exempted amount, which is ,960 in 2021..By Jarrad Hensley, TSCL Legislative Assistant … Continued

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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..And it could be worse if inflation is lower and Medicare Part B premiums are higher. Due to a special provision of law known as the Social Security hold harmless provision, when the dollar amount of the Medicare Part B premium increase is greater than the dollar amount of an individual's COLA, the Medicare Part B premium is adjusted to prevent a reduction in Social Security benefits from December of the previous year. Those affected by hold harmless wind up with no growth in their net Social Security benefit after the deduction for Part B premiums. That leaves nothing extra left over to deal with other rising costs such as housing and drug costs..John, age 66, is already enrolled in Medicare in 200He pays .40 per month. Because there is no COLA, and the basic Medicare Part B increases, his Part B premium will remain .40 because he's protected by the hold harmless provision. His premium will be adjusted to prevent a reduction in his Social Security in 20His wife Jane is 6She's not eligible to enroll in Medicare Part B until 20Her monthly premium would be an estimated 4 instead of .40. She won't have "hold harmless" protection until 2011. … Continued