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  • Congress Should Boost Social Security Benefits And Increase The Amount Of Wages Subject To Payroll Tax

    How Much Should You Spend on Vet Care for Your Pets? .In some hard-hit states, inspectors conducted remote surveys rather than going into nursing homes, a process that involved speaking to staff by phone and reviewing records. In Pennsylvania, for example, inspectors conducted interviews and reviewed documents for 657 facilities from March 13 to May 15 — most of which was done remotely. .Debt among older Americans is rising and affecting a growing number of retirees. According to the Survey of Consumer Finances, the percentage of households with debt headed by an adult age 65 and older increased from 41.5% in 1992, to 60% in 201Medical debt poses the biggest challenge over the course of a retirement. … Continued

  • Tighten Your Belts Prices Hurtling Skyward Feed

    For updates on the three bills endorsed by TSCL this week, follow the Legislative News or the Track Bills sections of our website. To view TSCL's full legislative agenda for the 115th Congress, click HERE. .Is his condition found on the Social Security Administration's list of disabling conditions? This is a list of medical conditions that the Social Security Administration considers so severe that it prevents a person from completing substantial gainful activity. .However, an estimated 15 million Medicare beneficiaries – including new enrollees, those who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, high-income beneficiaries, and beneficiaries who do not receive Social Security benefits – will see large premium and deductible hikes in January if Congress does not act before October 15th, less than one week from now. … Continued

Congress is considering comprehensive immigration reform that would provide work authorization and with it, valid Social Security numbers, to an estimated 12 million immigrants working in this country illegally.(3) In 2004 Congress passed the Social Security Protection Act (P.L. 108-203) requiring immigrants to have work authorization at the time a SSN is assigned or at some later time, in order to become entitled under Social Security. (4) .The poll, which was conducted in September and October of this year, during the debt limit budget standoff, found that respondents voted higher and more fair COLAs as an even greater priority than "Preventing 20% Social Security Disability Insurance benefit cut" or "increases in Medicare premiums and cost-sharing"— two provisions which were passed in the recent debt deal. .UnitedHealth, the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, announced in mid-November that they would be dropping thousands of doctors from their networks in at least ten states. By the end of 2014, the company expects its network of doctors to be 85 percent to 90 percent of its pre-Obamacare size. .Sources: 0.3% COLA Announced, The Social Security Administration, October 19, 201"Long Term Impact of Low COLA Growth," Mary Johnson, TSCL, August 31, 2016. .These higher Medicare Part B premiums, in turn, contributed to ongoing flat growth in Social Security benefits in subsequent years — even when a 2 percent COLA became payable two years later in 201The Medicare Part B premium took the entire 2 percent COLA of about half of all beneficiaries — the half with lower benefits. Many beneficiaries did not see any growth in their net Social Security benefits until they received a 2.8% COLA in 2019. .This week, the Senate Budget Committee met to discuss the future of the Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) program, which is set to become insolvent in 2016, and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for one new piece of legislation. .Now there is a lobbying effort to make sure enough money is provided for those programs because without sufficient funding states could choose not to take the money and leave their Medicaid programs running as is. .As with the start of any new Congress, TSCL is encouraging Senators and Representatives to reintroduce and cosponsor key legislation for seniors, like the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act, the Strengthening Social Security Act, the Notch Fairness Act, and the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act. In addition, with comprehensive Medicare and Social Security reform on the minds of many deficit hawks, TSCL is working diligently to prevent harmful cuts that would affect your benefits. .This week, four new cosponsors signed on to Rep. Schwartz's (PA-13) Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 5707), bringing the total up to eighteen. The new cosponsors are: Reps. Ed Perlmutter (CO-7), Gerald Connolly (VA-11), Mazie Hirono (HI-2), and Paul Tonko (NY-21).