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  • Congressional Corner Preserving The Safety Net For Our Seniors

    Benefit reduction due to your ex-wife's age. — The maximum survivors benefit people can receive is limited to what your ex-spouse would have received if still alive. In 2016 she would have attained age 63, but her benefit would be reduced because she would not have reached her full retirement age, which is 66. .My Husband Had a stroke at 6Would He Qualify For Social Security Disability? .Health care for seniors is also one of the top issues on our agenda at TSCL and we have been talking to Congressional offices about our concerns. That's why we were happy to see progress this week regarding the issue of surprise medical billing. Surprise billing has been a real problem for some seniors who have Medicare Advantage. It's an issue that TSCL has been discussing with Congress and that we've written about for the last few weeks. … Continued

  • Issues Prescription Drug Policies Track Bills Feed

    TSCL has been getting a steady stream of email from those of you who might potentially be affected by a sizable benefit cut when you. Ask the Advisor: June 2021 What Is Congress Doing to Prevent My Benefits From Being Reduced? .It's no longer a matter of 'if' Congress will cut Social Security and Medicare, but "when" most policy observers now believe. Much will depend on Congressional budget negotiations in coming weeks as lawmakers address the extent to which borrowing can continue for payment of Social Security and Medicare benefits. .How much would your Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) be worth if it was more accurately based on your spending patterns as a retiree? Social Security legislation under debate in the U.S. House would tie the annual boost for inflation to the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). Had that index been used to calculate the COLA for 2020, your annual boost would be 1.9%, versus the 1.6% that Social Security recipients are actually getting. … Continued

The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) urges its members and supporters to make the most of the August recess by attending town hall meetings. For more information, or to see if your Members of Congress will be holding town halls in the coming days, call their local offices. .The Medicare Hotline number is The number to report Medicare fraud is You may also wish to look at their web site. www.hcfa.gov .The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security .This week, Members of Congress remained in their home states and districts to continue the seven-week summer recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, September 6th. In the meantime, most Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings in their home states and districts. TSCL encourages its members and supporters to attend these events and to voice their concerns about important Social Security and Medicare issues. .The sharp drop in benefits was unexpectedly steep and unduly harsh for those born from 1917 through 192According to economist Haldi, the decline in average benefit payments "was a highly unusual phenomenon, because benefits normally would be expected to increase slightly from one year to the next for people similarly situated. (7)" .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." .For some tips on how to reduce taxes on your Social Security Benefits, here's an article by Emily Brandon, author of Pensionless: The 10-Step Solution for a Stress-Free Retirement. Emily Brandon's Planning to Retire Blog can be found at: Money.USNews.com. .TSCL's legislative team is monitoring the tax reform negotiations closely, and we have serious concerns about several provisions that would impact older Americans, including the following five… .He predicted that lawmakers will pass a six-month "doc fix" later this month in order to buy more time for the offset discussions. If Congress takes that route, the temporary pay patch would expire at the end of September – the same time that funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will run out. Rep. Price suggested that a permanent repeal of the SGR would likely be rolled into a package with CHIP's reauthorization.