News

  • Benefit Bulletin May 2014

    President Trump has said all week that he will not agree to pass further stimulus measures to combat the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak without a payroll tax cut. Trump has been advocating for a payroll tax cut since last summer, even before the pandemic, but it is opposed by most congressional Democrats and it is not clear the idea has much support among Republicans in Congress. Obviously, a payroll tax cut would have no benefit for Americans put out of work in the wake of the outbreak until they return to employment. .This week, one new cosponsor – Rep. John Sarbanes (MD-3) – signed on to the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act (H.R. 1811), bringing the total up to eleven. If signed into law, H.R. 1811 would base Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) on the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) and it would gradually phase out the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. It would extend the program's solvency for decades into the future responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. .You can also sign a petition to your Members of Congress, find contact information for your Senators and Representatives, and stay updated with the latest news on Capitol Hill. … Continued

  • Best Ways Save November 2017

    Because of the huge demand various brands of sanitizers started appearing in stores that we had not seen before. Then we were alerted that some of those that were made in Mexico contained methanol, a form of alcohol that's poisonous to humans, and we should not use them. .One new cosponsor – Rep. Kay Granger (TX-12) – signed on to Rep. Kevin Brady's (TX-8) Public Servant Retirement Protection Act (H.R. 2797) this week. The cosponsor total is now at seven. .On top of unexpected coverage shortfalls, TSCL's 2017 annual Survey of Senior Costs indicates that homeowners' insurance was the fastest growing housing cost over the past year. In fact, since 2000, the national average homeowners premium rose 154%, a rate of about 9.6% per year! … Continued

This week, lawmakers in the House and Senate remained in their home states and districts for a week-long holiday recess. They are expected to return to Washington on Monday, June 3rd. .This will give them an additional week to try and get something done. If they can't by then, they'll either pass another short-term CR giving them additional time to work until probably Christmas, or they'll give up and go home for Christmas and push everything off to the new Congress and new President in January. .TSCL's annual survey of senior costs indicates that Social Security benefits have lost more than 34% of their buying power since 2000 because the current inflation measure, the Consumer Price Index for Workers (CPI-W) doesn't accurately account for the larger share of income that seniors spend on healthcare. .Another major concern for those at the hearings was that the IPAB might inadvertently ration care. The law explicitly prohibits this, but many fear that without clarifying the definition of "rationing," there will likely be many discrepancies in the future. Rep. Phil Gingrey (GA) pointed out that what one calls rationing, another might simply consider reducing costs. .For more information see the Medicare publication, "Are You a Hospital Inpatient or Outpatient?" CMS Product No. 1143Get a copy online at www.Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE ( 7). .But if your mom has lived with you some months already, you will need to determine if her former Medicare Advantage plan has already learned from CMS or the Postal Service of the move. If she moved over six months ago, then the plan should disenroll your mom 12 months after the move, but her Special Enrollment Period begins at the beginning of the sixth month and continues through the end of the eighth month after your move. .Second, six new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 521, H.R. 141), bringing the cosponsor total up to thirty in the Senate and 163 in the House of Representatives. The new cosponsors are: Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA), Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), Representative Colin Allred (TX-32), Representative Elaine Luria (VA-2), Representative Susan Davis (CA-53), and Representative Sean Casten (IL-6). .Therefore, they are considering using the "reconciliation" process because they would only need 51 votes. But if they do that, legislation passed over ten years ago dictates that they must either raise taxes or cut spending on current programs to pay for the new spending in the President's bill. .Be wary of the information from this acquaintance, and any claim that she has obtained the ,000. While it may be a simple misunderstanding, be careful of scams. Make sure your mom knows she should never give out her Social Security number over the phone to anyone or to anyone you meet who says that it's required in order to receive the ,000 settlement.