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  • Category Newsletter Archive Page 2

    You make an excellent point! The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) uses the most recent data for the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W), the index that is used to calculate the annual Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA). New data is released monthly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. .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). ."Income-Relating Medicare Part B and Part D Premiums: How Many Medicare Beneficiaries Will Be Affected?" Kaiser Family Foundation, Publication No. 8126, December 2010. … Continued

  • Medicare Recipients Face Steep Out Of Pocket Medicare Part D Drug Costs In 2021

    Recently Congressional Budget Office estimated in its September budget outlook, that Medicare outlays for 2020 would rise about 12 percent — roughly double the rate forecast by the Medicare Trustees in their April 2020 report. This suggests that the Medicare Part B premium increase for 2021 could be about .40 per month higher in 2021, rising from 4.60 to 2.00. But even this estimate does not include the full impact of cost shifting that occurs when people with low Social Security benefits are protected from reductions due to high Medicare Part B premium increases. Thus, the base monthly Part B premium increase for 2020 could be even higher than .40, and closer to the spike seen in 2016. .TSCL believes that beneficiaries need to maintain the freedom to choose their plan, their providers, and how they get their care. "We urge CMS and states to ensure a thorough beneficiary education process and have provisions that allow care with existing providers, especially during the transition," Hyland says. .Social Security Notch Legislation Introduced … Continued

The COVID-19 recession of 2020 may potentially result in permanent benefit cuts for about 4 million people. Q & 038; March 2021 Can You Tell Me My Full Retirement Age? .The overpayment amount that the Social Security Administration is claiming in your case may be due to several reasons. Here are some things that may affect you: .TSCL strongly believes that the current formula breeds uncertainty within the Medicare program. Some doctors have stopped accepting Medicare patients due to the steep pay cuts that the formula regularly calls for, and many more are threatening to do so if a permanent solution is not established soon. Rep. Schwartz's bill would do just that, bringing much-needed stability to the program for both doctors and seniors. TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 574, and we were pleased to see support grow for it this week. .Your responses to our annual Senior Surveys are a key means to helping us convince Congress to move forward on key issues. Please take our 2021 Senior Survey. .Welcome to the month of February! This week, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in his first State of the Union, and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) monitored negotiations at one Senate hearing. In addition, four key bills gained new cosponsors in the House and Senate. .TSCL Endorses Two New House Bills .Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-2) introduced H.R. 4998 on June 26, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. .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). .The House recently approved legislation that would require a valid Social Security Number in order for tax filers to claim the child tax credits, but the fate of the legislation is uncertain in the Senate. TSCL is strongly opposed to allowing illegal immigrants to collect refundable tax credits of ANY kind. We encourage you to contact your Members of Congress to tell them to put a stop to this .2 billion hand-out. Send an email to your Member of Congress online.