News

COLAs are calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners. This simply does not make sense for seniors. This method of calculation considers spending habits of younger workers who are more likely to spend their dollars on electronic devices and consumer goods. Seniors are more likely to spend money on medical services and housing expenses. The prices of these items rise significantly higher than what the CPI-W calculates..Alexandria, VA Seniors got a modest 3.6% boost in their Social Security benefit this year. But whether it's making a difference in the bank balances of the more than 39.5 million seniors aged 65 and older who get Medicare is another story. The Senior Citizens League, one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups, is hoping to learn the answer to this question. TSCL recently launched its annual "Senior Survey" to find out how rising Medicare and other costs are impacting seniors' incomes and.For more progress updates or for more information about these issues, and other bills that would strengthen the Social Security program and make improvements to Medicare, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website or follow TSCL on Twitter..Flu Vaccine Reduces Risk of Flu Illness and Serious Outcomes.Currently the program pays out more in benefits than it receives in cash revenues. The interest on money owed to the Social Security Trust Funds, however, is helping to fund the benefits of today's retirees. But because the government must borrow the amount of money needed to repay funds borrowed from Social Security in the past, that drives up federal spending. Some Members of Congress are saying that benefits must be reduced, or that higher revenues are needed, to reduce the deficit..Sleep: Deep sleep helps the brain store and retain new facts and information. But the structural changes to our brain as we age interferes with the quality of our sleep. That in turn reduces our ability to store memories for the long term. To improve focus and memory, get better sleep. That's not always easy for people 65 and over, and there may be times when you need to speak to a doctor. The nonprofit Helpguide.org has tips on how to sleep better as we age..Mary Johnson, a policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League, said earlier this week: "The combination of higher premium costs and lower premium subsidies that people would receive under the replacement plan would make health insurance unaffordable for millions of low and middle income Americans … Anyone who cares about his or her health coverage should contact their Members of Congress now.".This week, the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification Act gained three new cosponsors in Representatives Anna Eshoo, Zoe Lofgren, and Earl Blumenauer, bringing the total up to thirteen. If signed into law, H.R. 2575 would simplify the Medicare enrollment process and increase efforts to educate those nearing eligibility about the program and the application process..Now it seems that the cancelled policies and the number of people affected by them are beginning to have an effect on the Administration and Members of Congress concerned about the November elections. The Obama Administration recently announced that individual health policies, that were supposed to end in 2014 because they aren't compliant, may remain in force another two years, if states allows it.