Surprise! Congress Passes Legislation Banning Surprise Medical Bills.In addition, TSCL announced its support for legislation from Rep. Grace Meng that would address the Social Security Notch once and for all. It would allow Notch victims born between the years 1917 and 1926 to choose between a ,000 lump sum payment or an improved monthly benefit calculation. TSCL firmly believes that Congress must provide some compensation to victims of the Notch injustice, and we are hopeful that Congresswoman Meng's bill will be approved by the end of this year..Members of the Senate will return to Capitol Hill on September 6th, and Members of the House of Representatives will return on September 7th. TSCL would like to remind you to approach your Members of Congress at local events and request their support for a fair Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and other key issues..Where no average prices are available, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U numeric data are used..But the new policy could backfire with senior voters. According to a recent TSCL poll seventy-seven percent said they do not agree with the new "deferred action" immigration policy..The data certainly suggests this is the case. The years in which inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Workers has been the highest, the difference in the chained CPI was the greatest. The average difference between the CPI-W and the chained CPI is 0.3 tenths of a percentage point. But in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina sent gas prices through the roof, the CPI-W paid a COLA of 4.1% the following year. The chained CPI would only have paid 3.4% - a difference of 0.7 tenths of a percentage point. In 2008 the CPI-W paid a COLA of 5.8% the following year. The chained CPI would have only paid 5.2%, a difference of 0.6 tenths of a percentage point..The flowerpots aren't watered.."But there's still time for Congress to pass legislation to provide an emergency COLA," says Cates. TSCL strongly supports legislation that would provide 70 million Americans with a one-time emergency COLA payment of 3.9%. The Seniors and Veterans Emergency Benefits Act was introduced last fall by Senator Elizabeth Warren, and a companion bill was introduced in the House by Representative Tammy Duckworth..According to Rep. Cartwright, Direct Care Workers currently provide 70-80 percent of the paid, hands-on care that those with chronic illnesses receive. However, they are not recognized as "essential contributors" to teams that provide care, and they do not receive the advanced training that is needed for them to realize their full potential. S. 2251 and H.R. 4445 would address this issue, and TSCL believes if signed into law, the bill would go a long way in ensuring that seniors receive coordinated, quality medical care.
