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As a result, the highest-risk patients were not filling their medication after prices jumped. Those most vulnerable to a heart attack and stroke cut back more on statins and anti-hypertensives than lower-risk patients - irrespective of socioeconomic status..Are benefit cuts inevitable when Social Security's financing runs low in a few years? Your participation in this November's presidential election will play a critical role in how this question will be answered..Do You Qualify For Medicare Part D Extra Help?.To qualify, you must meet your state's income and asset guidelines. You may qualify if your income in 2012 was at or below the income and resource limits listed below..Three Key Bills Gain Support.Another possibility for House legislative action is subsidies to make health care more affordable..You can contribute to more than one IRA. It's possible to have a traditional IRA, one or more 401s and a Roth IRA or Roth 40You can contribute to as many as you want but the total you may contribute is limited to a maximum amount that is adjusted annually and the type of account..Can the legislation be fixed in order to prevent this from happening? TSCL strongly believes that the cost of providing relief for the taxation of Social Security benefits can be worked out, if there's a will in Congress to make it happen. Provisions can be tweaked and phased in to make the budget math work. Your input at this point is critical. We urge you to write or call your Representative and ask him or her to help move this legislation that would boost your Social Security benefits, provide a slightly higher COLA, and provide a modest tax cut for millions of retirees with modest benefits..This year's Trustees Reports show that both programs face modest financial challenges that can be addressed by Congress with minor reforms. The Senior Citizens League supports the passage of legislation like the Social Security 2100 Act or the Social Security Expansion Act, both of which would strengthen the Social Security program's finances responsibly, without cutting benefits for current or future retirees. In addition, we hope Congress will pass legislation to bring down prescription drug costs in the Medicare program. Requiring Part D drug price negotiation would save billions of dollars for both the federal government and Medicare beneficiaries.

Newsroom New Health River Falls Clinic To Hold Grand Opening Sept 23

TSCL is happy to announce that one key piece of legislation gained support in the House of Representatives this week. The Improving Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs Act gained a new cosponsor in Representative Pete Visclosky, bringing the total up to twenty. If signed into law, H.R. 1776 would require the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries, allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, accelerate the closing of the Part D "doughnut hole," and cap monthly prescription drug expenses at 0, among other things..It's hard to plan your optimal retirement age without a realistic idea of what to expect in lifetime Social Security income. Yet, according TSCL's 2017 Senior Survey, 71% of survey participants said that's exactly the situation they were in when they filed a claim for Social Security benefits. They did not know, and Social Security did not supply any estimate of what they could expect in total lifetime Social Security income based on their choice of retirement age..When the average person measures cost changes, one compares the change in the cost of a specific item like a gallon of home heating oil over a specific time frame. For example, the national average cost of home heating oil was .15 per gallon in the first week of January 2000. In the first week in January, 2013 it had increased to .00 per gallon - an increase of .8That's a total increase of 257% over 13 years. … Continued

Newsroom Mercy And Unity Caregiver Program Helps Families Deal With Advancing Age Or Chronic Illnesses

This week, budget conferees released their fiscal 2016 blueprint, and lawmakers in the House voted in favor of it. In addition, The Senior Citizens League announced its support for one new piece of legislation the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act..Like Senators Klobuchar, McCain, and Grassley, TSCL enthusiastically supports efforts by the administration to reduce prescription drug costs, and we hope to see the White House move forward on executive actions that would allow for prescription drug importation. In the meantime, we will continue to advocate on Capitol Hill for legislation like the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act and the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act, both of which would go a long way in reducing prescription drug costs for older Americans..Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agreed at Wednesday's hearing that displaying the full Social Security number on Medicare cards puts seniors at risk for identity theft. However, the process of removing the numbers is costly and complex. Tony Trenkle, Director for the CMS Office of Information Services stated, "It's going to be a massive undertaking if we go down this road." He explained that the process would require a technology system update and massive education efforts for beneficiaries, providers, and business associates. … Continued