This week, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for one new bill that would improve the Medicare enrollment process. In addition, the seven-week summer recess continued for lawmakers in the House and Senate.
TSCL Endorses New Medicare Bill
This week, TSCL announced its support for the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act (H.R. 5772). The BENES Act was introduced by Congressman Raul Ruiz (CA-36) with the support of Congressman Patrick Meehan (PA-7) on July 13, 2016. If signed into law, the bill would do three things: it would create a new notification system for those approaching Medicare eligibility, it would modernize the existing Part B enrollment periods, and it would broaden the system that provides relief to those who unknowingly make costly enrollment mistakes.
In a letter to Congressman Ruiz, Ed Cates – TSCL’s Chairman – wrote: “As you know, thousands of beneficiaries every year are faced with a lifetime of higher Medicare Part B premiums and gaps in Medicare coverage when they fail to enroll in the program on time. Common enrollment mistakes can have devastating impacts on the retirement security of older Americans, many of whom are living on modest fixed incomes … We salute you for introducing legislation that would simplify and improve the Medicare Part B enrollment process.”
TSCL enthusiastically supports the BENES Act, and we look forward to working with Congressman Ruiz in the months ahead to help build support for his important new bill. For updates on its progress, visit the Legislative News section of our website or follow our legislative team on Twitter.
Summer Recess Continues for Congress
Members of Congress remained in their home states and districts this week to continue the summer recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, September 6th. In the meantime, most Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings in their home states and districts, presenting constituents with an excellent opportunity to have their most pressing questions answered.
TSCL encourages its members and supporters to attend these events and to voice their concerns about important Social Security and Medicare issues like inadequate cost-of-living adjustments and skyrocketing prescription drug prices.
The following Members of Congress, among many others, will be holding town hall meetings in the coming week: Sen. Rand Paul (KY), Sen. Jerry Moran (KS), Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5), Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-2), Rep. Mark Walker (NC-6), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-5), Rep. Earl Carter (GA-1), Rep. Kevin Cramer (ND), Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Rep. Tom Emmer (MN-6), Rep. Jeb Hensarling (TX-5), and Rep. Alex Mooney (WV-2).
For details, or to see if your Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings during the summer recess this week, call their local offices. You can find contact information HERE.
