News

  • March 2013 Street Iq

    To get information about Medicare supplement premiums, first select the plan offering the coverage you are interested in, "A" through "N". You can find a listing of these plans on page 82 of the 2017 Medicare & You handbook but not all states will have all plans. Once you have chosen the plan then you can simply compare premiums between insurers. The coverage for each type of plan is just the same, but premiums between various insurers can vary tremendously. .What does this new "pay for performance" mean for patients? Not much is known yet, but I got a first - hand experience of the new system recently. One of my doctors, a specialist, told me that due to a "quality initiative reorganization," he wouldn't be seeing me as a patient anymore. I'll have to find a new doctor. .Call on your Member of Congress and urge them to sign on in support of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act, and in doing so stand up for millions of American seniors who depend on their access to their doctors and healthcare providers for everyday and lifesaving care. … Continued

  • Congressional Corner Two Social Security Provisions That Need To Be Fixed

    It's time to address our real problems -- growing inequality and our looming retirement crisis. I have sponsored legislation that would apply the payroll tax to earned income above 0,000 and to investment income. This would extend Social Security's solvency for the next fifty years, and allow us to increase benefits to meet the elderly's higher living expenses. .Two Bills Gain New Cosponsors .This week, members of The Senior Citizens League's (TSCL) legislative staff were in attendance at two committee hearings – one held by the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, and one held by the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. In addition, TSCL saw support grow for a key piece of legislation. … Continued

I've been hearing a lot recently that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. Just how much in Social Security benefits can I expect? I just turned 62, but I'm still working and haven't started benefits yet. .Cost-of-living increases are based on the nation's general rate of inflation, and the prices for the goods and services used to calculate inflation have barely budged. .You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you've been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others. .The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would eliminate many important tax deductions that older Americans rely on to reduce their taxable retirement income and preserve their savings. Those include deductions for medical expenses, which can be considerable for retirees. The bill also eliminates the deduction for state and local income taxes, casualty loss expenses, such as fire, wind damage and theft, and imposes new limits for the mortgage interest deduction. "The loss of these exemptions would leave older Americans paying taxes on more retirement income and higher tax bills," Johnson says. .One can't write about Medicare as I do without learning that Medicare has requirements for everything. Lots of requirements.. Medicare Starts Mailing New Cards In April — Beware Of Scams! Start watching the mail for your new Medicare card. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services will start mailing the cards this month and plans to replace all existing Medicare cards over the next year — by April of 2019. .What do you think? Should health and drug plans be responsible for removing illegals from Medicare rolls? Take a poll on the TSCL homepage today! .Sources: Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund: Background and Solvency Issues, Morton, Congressional Research Service, November 20, 2013, R4331"Social Security Made .3 Billion in Improper Disability Payments," Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press, September 14, 201"60 Minutes: Disability USA," Steve Kroft, CBS News, October 6, 201To view this story visit: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57606233/disability-usa . .If the Social Security Administration announces a 1.3% COLA next month, an emergency COLA of 2.5% instead would make a big difference to your income over the next ten years and would also prevent Medicare Part B premiums from spiking any higher than they are already likely to go. .Sources: "Complementary And Alternative Medicine Products And Their Regulation By The Food And Drug Administration," FDA, December 200"Complimentary And Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults: United States 2002," CDC, May 27, 2004.