Now, it has been reported that the top lawyer in the Department of Health and Human Services has warned in an internal memo that the President's plan to give seniors 0 discount cards to buy prescription drugs could violate election law..Ask whether you are an inpatient or outpatient: If admitted to a hospital, it's highly important that you, or your designated caregiver find out immediately whether you are being admitted to the hospital as an inpatient or an outpatient. Even if you are admitted as an inpatient, the hospital can switch you to observation status, but the hospital is required to notify you..According to the Congressional Research Service, older noncitizens who were assigned a Social Security number before January 1, 2004, are not required to have ever received authorization to work in the United States at any point to qualify for Social Security benefits. In other words, those individuals may have worked illegally their entire career and may still file a claim for Social Security, and all their illegal earnings will be counted..For seniors - many of whom are on fixed incomes - these skyrocketing prices are unsustainable. Astronomical drug prices are forcing seniors to make daily choices between the medication they need to stay healthy and other necessities such as food, transportation, and housing costs. This is unacceptable..TSCL believes that both positions would have a significant impact on the future of Social Security, and we urge Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill to work together in the months ahead to strengthen and modernize the program responsibly. Throughout the 115th Congress, our legislative team will continue to advocate with a nonpartisan voice for policies that would secure the solvency of the Social Security trust funds, make the program more fair and equitable, and avoid harsh benefit cuts for current and future retirees..This year, Social Security beneficiaries are receiving a COLA of just 0.3 percent, and in 2016, they received no COLA at all. Since 2012, COLAs have averaged 1 percent less than half of the 3 percent average during the decade prior but most beneficiaries have seen no benefit increase at all in several years due to rising Medicare Part B premiums..President Trump announced last week that there will be a new type of Medicare prescription drug plan that will cap insulin costs at per month for some seniors who have diabetes. While TSCL applauds that as far as it goes, it is woefully short of what is needed..TSCL recently endorsed The BASIC ACT introduced by Senator Christopher Murphy that would pay the deceased beneficiary's Social Security benefits for each day a recipient lives. The bill would send the beneficiary's estate a check for the days lived in the final month. The legislation would also increase the size of the Social Security death payment from 5 to 50% of the deceased beneficiary's typical monthly Social Security income with 5 as the minimum payment. As currently structured, the legislation would cost an estimated 0 million each year..This includes, among other things, legislation to strengthen the long-term viability of both Social Security and Medicare; lowering the costs of prescription drugs; enacting a fair COLA that takes into account the actual cost of living increases seniors face; Social Security Notch Reform; stopping any cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, or to the COLA that may be proposed; enacting legislation to provide for dental, vision and hearing coverage for seniors.
