News

  • Could Your Benefits Be Notched

    Help! Mom Moved In With Us, But Her Medicare Plan Isn't Accepted Here! .It's do or die time for Congress. Unless they can pass a federal government funding bill in the next 10 days the government will shut down on October And those 10 days are not all working days unless they decide to work through next weekend. .In addition, Many Members of Congress have gone on the record saying that they would prefer to pass a short-term spending measure that would provide funding only through March of next year. That way, Republican majorities in both chambers would have more leverage when the issue is revisited. In an interview last week, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (KS-1) stated: "It doesn't make any sense to me to say, ‘Let's negotiate before we have a better position.'" Many lawmakers in the House and Senate seem to feel the same way. … Continued

  • H R 4998 Medicare Advantage Participant Bill Of Rights Act

    We are covering this study again because according to an article on BenefitsPro.com, "The study is part of a growing body of evidence that cost-sharing, designed to encourage consumers to make smarter choices when shopping for health care, is not achieving that goal. Both anecdotal and statistical data suggest that health care, as it exists today in the U.S, is simply too complicated and opaque for Americans to approach as a simple consumer product." .If signed into law, H.R. 1811 would base Social Security cost-of-living adjustments on the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E) and gradually phase out the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. .TSCL Wants to Know: Did You Wind Up Owing Uncle Sam? … Continued

Lawmakers End Partial Government Shutdown .TSCL's members and supporters tend to be older, less affluent seniors. They are also, to a large extent, Notch victims — those individuals who receive lower Social Security benefits because they were born between the years 1917 and 1926. .TSCL supports legislation that would lift or eliminate the Social Security taxable maximum. Such a change is estimated by Social Security Trustees to eliminate 67% of Social Security's long-term shortfall over 75 years while improving retirement security. .TSCL supports several bills that would lead to lower prices for Medicare Part D beneficiaries, and we will continue to seek out innovative solutions that would increase access to lifesaving prescription drugs. The goal remains to ensure safe and affordable medicines for older Americans. .Many expected the Obama administration to seek an emergency review of the decision by the Supreme Court, but on Wednesday, the Justice Department announced that it would not. Instead, the administration said it will focus on another 5th Circuit hearing that's scheduled for the week of July 6th. .Lawmakers Advance Short-Term Funding Measure .August Congressional Recess Continues .Sources: Individuals Who Are Not Authorized To Work In The United States Were Paid .2 Billion In Refundable Credits, Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration, July 7, 2011, http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2011reports/201141061fr.html . "Tax Loophole Costs Billions," transcript, Bob Segall, WTHR, 13 Indiana, May 10, 2012. .In addition, should your husband improve and regain the ability to work, he would be allowed to earn ,580/month in 2021 before his benefits would be temporarily reduced due to Social Security's earnings restriction rules. Under disability rules, your husband could not earn more than ,310/month without losing eligibility for disability benefits altogether. Should your husband continue to improve, he could earn more by the year he attains full retirement age.