News

  • Medicare Part B Premiums To Rise More Than 4 Times Faster Than Your Cola

    Members in the House have decided to offset the bill with a five-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. Those in the Senate have acknowledged that its chances of passing through their chamber are slim. Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, said of the House's approach: "The House passes a law – they're very good at legislation – but it dies in the Senate. The Senate won't even bring it up." Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) has said, "We're going to move forward in our own way." .Data indicates that many, if not most, retirees, leave a significant amount of Social Security income on the table because people tend to retire too soon. Consider this: even when you reach your full retirement age, that only represents the point at which you are entitled to start full benefits without reduction for starting benefits early. It does not represent the age at which you would receive the maximum benefit amount, which is age 70. The reward for work and patience can pay off significantly. Once you reach your full retirement age, Social Security benefits are increased by 8% per year (or 2/3 of 1% per month) until age 70. ."If the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and Congress take no action to lower the Part B premium, most of those who were protected by "hold harmless" will need a hefty COLA in order to raise their benefit just to cover the cost of Medicare Part B premiums in 2018," Johnson says. … Continued

  • What Makes The League Different From Aarp

    Unlike many other organizations TSCL accepts no government funding -- this leaves us free to truly represent the interests of supporters like you. .Since he was first elected to Congress in 2010, Congressman Mulvaney – a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus – has been vocal about his support for reforming the Social Security and Medicare programs. In a 2011 interview, he told reporters: "We have to end Medicare as we know it. We have to fix it." He has endorsed several proposals that would privatize the Medicare program by adopting a "premium support" model, and on Tuesday, he endorsed plans to increase means-testing within the program. Both of those proposals are opposed by TSCL since they would result in higher out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries. ."Taxpayers and patients will pay more for drugs and medical supplies," a group of more than 250 economists warned in a letter to the White House earlier this year. … Continued

What are the Notch Reform bills that are in the current Congress? .For decades, Medicare and Social Security have lifted millions of people out of poverty and provided seniors with affordable, high-quality healthcare and reliable financial support. In Congress, we have a responsibility to strengthen and modernize Medicare and Social Security for today's seniors and future generations. That's why, earlier this year, I worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to oppose proposals by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to cut Medicare Advantage and limit access to prescription drugs. Thanks to these bipartisan efforts, CMS reconsidered these proposals. .According to the IRS, advance payments of the Child Tax Credit will be made from July through December to eligible taxpayers and will be up to 50% of the credit. Advance payments will be estimated from your 2020 tax returns, or 2019 returns if the 2020 returns are not filed and processed yet. .What is a surviving beneficiary spouse? .Two years ago, President Obama bypassed Congress to halt the deportations of almost 5 million unauthorized immigrants. The Supreme Court recently tied on a ruling that allowed a lower court's ruling to stand, barring Obama's executive action. Do you believe President Obama overstepped his constitutional limits? .With respect to security: When The Senior Citizens League transfers and receives certain types of sensitive information such as financial or health information, we redirect visitors to a secure server and will notify visitors through a pop-up screen on our site. .The Notch Fairness Act, legislation that would pay Notch Babies born from 1917 through 1926 a choice of ,000 in four annual installments of ,250 or an improved monthly benefit, was recently reintroduced in both the House and the Senate. Members of Congress have not forgotten about you and Notch reform may be closer than anybody thinks. .According to a Social Security Administration Issue Paper, when Congress first enacted the tax on Social Security in 1983, it was estimated to affect only 10 percent of Social Security recipients. But the income thresholds have never been adjusted for inflation in more than three decades. "Today, the taxation of benefits hits almost everyone with any income in addition to Social Security benefits —even people with the most modest of bottom lines," Johnson says. "An older couple with ,000 is living at just 155% of the federal poverty level," Johnson points out. Had the income thresholds been adjusted for inflation since 1983, the ,000 threshold would be ,940 and the ,000 threshold would be ,284 according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. .Chen cited two international flights from earlier stages of the pandemic where infection rates varied depending on mask use. On the first flight, no passengers were wearing masks, and a single passenger infected 14 people as the plane traveled from London to Hanoi, Vietnam. On the second flight, from Singapore to Hangzhou in China, all passengers were wearing face masks. Although 15 passengers were Wuhan residents with either suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, the only man infected en route had loosened his mask mid-flight and had been sitting close to four Wuhan residents who later tested positive for the virus.