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  • Update Social Security Benefits Lose 32 Percent Of Buying Power

    The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574) also gained a cosponsor – Rep. Pete Gallego (TX-23) – this week, bringing the total up to thirty-five. If signed into law, H.R. 574 would repeal and replace the SGR, bringing increased stability to the Medicare program for both physicians and beneficiaries. .Joint filers in households where both spouses work or where one or both spouses have more than one job. .Proxy voting allows a member of the House to give to another member the right to cast a vote on his or her behalf. The member authorizing the proxy will stipulate how the vote should be cast and the member casting the proxy vote is required to abide by the wishes of the member granting the proxy. … Continued

  • Category Congressional Corner

    Shop around regularly. You can save hundreds of dollars a year in premiums by shopping around. Some state insurance department websites publish rate comparisons for standardized coverage that can help you find the best deals. Another way to compare is to shop from an independent insurance agent who sells from multiple carriers. You can also try online sites like Insure.com, NetQuote.com and SelectQuote.com. When considering a less expensive insurer, consider getting auto coverage from the same company for savings of up to 30 percent. .The Advisory Office would give seniors hope in recovering their assets. It would address the low reporting rates by directing the FTC to educate seniors, families, and caregivers about the process for contacting law enforcement after being targeted in a fraud scheme. It would direct FTC to help improve the nation's fraud response efforts by reforming FTC's complaint system as well as enhancing fraud surveillance through better coordination with law enforcement agencies. .Defeating Alzheimer's requires uniting Americans nationwide in conjunction with local government, healthcare experts, and outside organizations like the Alzheimer's Association. We are all in this fight together, and ending this disease will take time and a common focus on the task at hand. That's why we must continue to raise awareness of Alzheimer's and the promising efforts taking place to curb its growth, as well as increase support for patients and their caregivers. While the challenge of battling Alzheimer's is immense, the outpouring of support and dedicated activism for this crucial cause gives me hope that we can one day effectively treat—and eventually cure—this devastating disease. … Continued

According to Rep. Roskam, the bill would enhance data sharing between states and agencies so that they can more easily catch scammers, and it would modernize outdated fraud prevention systems. Upon introducing the bill, Rep. Carney said, "In this Congress, it's not easy to find areas where Democrats and Republicans agree, but fighting waste, fraud, and abuse while saving billions of taxpayer dollars just makes sense." .This week, TSCL announced its support for two bills that would prevent a spike in next year's Medicare premiums and deductibles for approximately 30 percent of enrollees. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (OR) introduced the Protecting Medicare Beneficiaries Act (S. 2148) on Wednesday with the support of nine original cosponsors. Rep. Dina Titus (NV-1) introduced similar legislation in the House called the Medicare Premium Fairness Act (H.R. 3696). .TSCL Supports Bills to Prevent Premium Hike .Beyond funding the government and raising the debt ceiling, TSCL was pleased that the Bipartisan Budget Act included the following three improvements to the Medicare program: .The revenues that would be collected based on the 12.4% Social Security tax (the total paid by employee with the employer match) was ,071,619, and averaged 3,581 per CEO. .Tuesday's hearing made it clear that the Joint Committee has an enormous amount of work to do in a very short amount of time and in a very politically-charged environment. Adding to the pressure, Elmendorf told the Committee Members that if they wish to have their proposal scored by the CBO before voting on it, they'll need to submit it by early November, giving them less than two months to reach a compromise. Despite the tough circumstances, most Members seemed up to the challenge and will to, as one Committee Member put it, "go big, go long, and go smart." .According to the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) recent baseline data for the Social Security Trust Funds, Social Security is expected to receive about 7 billion in payroll tax revenues in 202The CBO further estimates that the Trust Fund would receive billion in revenues in 2021 from the taxation of Social Security benefits. .Congress and President Obama are battling over the federal budget, but supporters in Congress aren't about to forget Notch Babies. The Notch Fairness Act bills (H.R. 155) and (S.90) were introduced by Representative Mike McIntrye (NC-7) and Senator David Vitter (LA). They were among the first bills to be re-introduced in the new session. The bills would provide Notch Babies born from 1917 through 1926, or spouses who receive benefits on their account, a choice of ,000 payable in four annual installments or, an improved monthly benefit. .Six Steps to Getting Six Month's Worth of Prescriptions for the Cost of Two. Get more mileage out of your drug coverage using these tried and true methods. They'll be lifesavers for you just like the thousands of seniors who have tried them. Editors, a full article with permission to reprint is available.