By Susan Stewart, Licensed Insurance Agent I lived in England for 10 years, worked, got a driver’s license, joined a book club, and needed medical care. Here are facts and observations written from the point of observation rather than deep investigative reporting. In the U.K., prescriptions currently cost £9.90 each. That is about $12. In 2012, they were ...

By Daisy Brown, Legislative Liaison, TSCL The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law by former President Biden in January, will raise benefits for 3.2 million Americans who receive pensions for work that Social Security doesn’t cover. This means that many public workers—such as firefighters, teachers, and police officers—will no longer have their retirement benefits penalized ...

By Alex Moore Dementia affected more than 6.7 million Americans in 2023, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), with 14 million projected cases by 2060. The disease is brutal, not just for patients, but their families as well. It’s a major reason why 53 million Americans, according to an estimate from AARP ...

By Alex Moore Medicare just punished drug companies for increasing the price of medicine faster than inflation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) identified 64 drugs whose prices outpaced inflation in December and lowered their Part B coinsurance from January through the end of this month. The agency estimates that seniors will save up ...

By Edward Cates, Chair, TSCL President Trump laid out a major new policy proposal in December on his social media platform, Truth Social. “SENIORS SHOULD NOT PAY TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY!” he wrote, suggesting that he would like to eliminate the rules that require seniors to pay taxes on up to 85 percent of their benefits, ...

By Alex Moore In November, former President Biden proposed expanding anti-obesity drugs, like Wegovy, for people with Medicare and Medicaid coverage. These drugs are currently only covered for people who use them to treat other conditions, like diabetes and heart disease. However, the change faces a threat from the incoming administration. The new administration’s pick to lead ...

By Edward Cates, Chairman, TSCL It’s already February, which means that this year’s tax deadline of April 15 is just a few short weeks away. For many Social Security recipients, especially people who have just started claiming their benefits, it adds yet another layer of complexity to figuring out how much you owe the government—or ...

With unemployment still 5.4%, and less payroll tax revenue to finance the benefits of swelling Social Security rolls, how is the program’s financing faring during our 2021 economic recovery? The Social Security Trustees are expected to soon release a much-anticipated annual report that gives us our first real glimpse of how the recession caused by ...

As the coronavirus health crisis, and high unemployment drag on, Social Security’s financial situation is becoming increasingly urgent. According to the Social Security Trustees, Social Security’s annual revenues are expected to fall short of benefits paid in 2021, and never recover without action from Congress.  High numbers of people out of work due to business ...

Social Security’s finances depend largely on payroll taxes, tying the strength of Social Security to the strength of the U.S. economy.  The U.S. unemployment rate was more than 13.3% through May.  That was worse than the 2009 Great Recession, when the unemployment rate reached a peak of 10.6% in January 2010.  With 20.5 million people ...