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  • Legislative Update For Week Ending April 11 2014

    My sister lives alone at age 7She has no children. I've noticed a growing number of changes in her health over the past two years. She seems to have problems with anxiety, and recently became immobilized with fear of evacuating her home, prior to a severe hurricane. Fortunately she was OK, despite four days without power. Home maintenance tasks are becoming a huge burden for her and I worry about her vulnerability to scams. When should single older people start making plans for moving to assisted living? .In addition, the agreements allow workers who split their careers in two or more nations to combine or "totalize" work credits from both countries. That allows them to become eligible for retirement benefits proportional to the amount of credits earned in either country. Although the U.S. has 24 such totalization agreements, most are with countries like the U.K. and Canada that have economies similar to ours. At issue in totalization with Mexico is whether millions of immigrants who have worked in this country without legal work authorization, along with their family dependents, would become eligible for U.S. Social Security benefits under the agreement. .Medicare's Trustees reported in April that the Part A Trust Fund, which covers hospital insurance and inpatient care, would run out of money by 202That estimate, however, does not factor in the impact of the coronavirus on the program. New estimates are coming in that the pandemic could cause the Part A Trust Fund to become insolvent much sooner. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a group of nonpartisan budget experts focused on fiscal policy, estimates that the pandemic will cause Medicare Part A to run low in 2023 or 2024 —as little as two to three years from now. … Continued

  • Social Security Benefit Cuts Need To Be Stopped

    Meanwhile, some of the highest-priced drugs in the United States are brand-name drugs that can cost thousands of dollars per dose and are used to treat life-threatening illness such as hepatitis C or cancer, the researchers said. .Switching Drug Plans Can Save Big Money — Here's Proof .Because a high percentage of taxpayers were affected by under-withholdings due to the problematic tax tables, the IRS allowed a waiver of penalties for both 2009 and 2010 tax years. But taxpayers have to request the waiver of penalties in order to receive it. According to the Treasury Inspector General, last year virtually no taxpayer surveyed knew they could request a waiver. … Continued

But changes to illegal immigration enforcement can have long-term financial implications for federal benefit programs, including Social Security and Medicare. With work-authorization and valid Social Security numbers, even noncitizens can potentially become entitled to Social Security benefits with enough years of earnings or a change of legal status. At issue is whether work prior to obtaining legal status and valid Social Security numbers would count toward entitlement to Social Security and Medicare benefits — under current law it does. .Members on both sides of the aisle seemed eager to tackle corporate tax reform, but there was a clear divide on the panel when it came to the Social Security payroll tax holiday. Co-chair Patty Murray (WA) and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (AZ) both seemed skeptical about President Obama's recent proposal to cut the payroll tax in half for both employees and employers next year. When asked whether short-term tax cuts typically succeed in stimulating the economy, Barthold responded "yes" without hesitation. However, he said that such short-term cuts for employers generally do not lead to job creation. .78% Of Older Voters Support Strengthening Social Security By Raising Payroll Taxes .If you do not want to receive e-mails from us in the future, please unsubscribe here. .However, in tough economic times, our seniors — many of whom live on fixed incomes — get hit the hardest. From increasing medical expense costs to the rising cost of living, our seniors are facing greater economic insecurities. This is why we must protect Social Security from cuts and work to lower medical costs for this generation and the generations to come. .Direct federally funded community health centers to pass discounts they now get for insulin and EpiPens directly to low-income patients. .Sources: "Social Security, Treasury Target Taxpayers For Their Parents' Decades-Old Debts," Marc Fisher, The Washington Post, April 10, 201 .Estimating that this new rule would save approximately million over five years, CMS proposes to require Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans to "involuntarily dis-enroll" people who are in the country illegally, something that may prove difficult for private plans to substantiate. .For progress updates or for more information about these and other bills that would strengthen Social Security and Medicare programs, visit the our website at , follow TSCL on Twitter or Facebook.