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  • Category Legislative News Page 45

    In order to pass it all 50 Democratic Senators would have to support the legislation. If that were not the case there would have to be enough Republican Senators voting "yes" to reach at least 50 votes in favor of passage. .I would like to know the deductible of my Medicare. .My husband recently lost his job in a company re-organization. I was getting my healthcare benefits through his employer. He is 64 and I'm 6I'm still working, but coverage through my employer is much higher than we paid previously. Can you explain our options at this point? Neither one of us has started Social Security. … Continued

  • Congressional Corner Two Social Security Provisions Unfairly Penalize Millions Of Teachers Firefighters And Public Sector Workers

    Most people who spend the night in the hospital would say they have been an inpatient. But over the past six years, rapidly growing numbers of Medicare beneficiaries have learned that they were never admitted as an inpatient — even though they have stayed in a hospital bed, received treatment, diagnostic tests, and drugs. ."We should not allow health insurers to limit how much cost-sharing assistance can help patients at the pharmacy counter," the spokesperson said. .Because of these risks, action will be required well before 2037 and the costs associated with delaying action grow each year. While TSCL understands that changes are needed to the Social Security system and some small changes are likely, harsh benefit cuts should not be tolerated. … Continued

The Social Security Administration maintains an "earnings suspense file" which tracks wages sent in by employers, for earnings that cannot be posted to individual workers' records because there is no match for the name and Social Security number. The Congressional Research Service reports that wages represented in the earnings suspense file currently amount to approximately 0 billion. According to Social Security Administration Inspector Patrick P. O'Carroll, "We believe the chief cause of wage items being posted to the earnings suspense file instead of an individual's earning record is unauthorized work by noncitizens." .Lawmakers Work to Avoid Government Shutdown .While most in Washington acknowledge this dilemma, and House Republicans have put forward a plan to address the issue, our leaders have yet to agree upon a solution to preserve the program for seniors beyond that date, and instead are pitting each other against seniors. .The amount you get from Social Security may surprise you. While the amount you receive depends on how many years you worked, your earnings, and the age at which you start benefits, the average monthly Social Security payment today is about ,100. People who retire with average benefits will receive about ,200 in 2011 prior to Medicare premium deductions. With people spending as much as 25 years in retirement, people who retire today with an initial benefit of ,100 can expect to receive more than 6,800 in Social Security over 25 years. But that assumes no changes to cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). .It would implement a moratorium on all field office and contact station closures to ensure that beneficiaries have access to the essential services they provide. .I'm helping my brother who has cognitive problems. He's enrolled in a Humana Medicare Advantage plan that covers prescription drugs in addition to providing hospital and doctor benefits. The plan seems OK, but I'm annoyed by numerous (often weekly) phone calls from the plan asking for permission to send out a visiting nurse. They say the visit is provided at no charge to get his blood pressure, and a physical. That sounds good, but my brother doesn't want strangers coming to his home, and I'm getting suspicious. Is this request legitimate? .Congress Fails to Reach Agreement – President Takes Action .Super Committee Running out of Time .Example: Let's say Sally had a Social Security benefit of ,000 in 201The Part B premium that year was 4.90. In 2016 there was no COLA, and Sally continued to receive ,000. But the Medicare Part B premium in 2016 increased to 1.80 per month. Sally's Part B premium was adjusted downward and she continued to pay the same 4.90 Medicare Part B premium that she paid the previous year, to prevent a reduction in her Social Security benefits in 2016.