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  • Why The Social Security Disability Insurance Program Is Going Broke

    The fact is no one can know ahead of time what healthcare will be needed in the future, let alone the actual costs of the services that providers charge. Doctors frequently refer patients to expensive specialists, and order endless expensive tests without spending adequate time to explain why the tests are necessary, how much they cost, or the chances of improving treatments through their use. .The Social Security Expansion Act (H.R. 1114) gained one new cosponsor in Congressman Donald Payne (NJ-10), bringing the new cosponsor total up to thirty-one. If signed into law, H.R. 1114 would enhance Social Security benefits by basing COLAs on the CPI-E, increasing monthly checks by around per month, improving the Special Minimum Benefit, applying the payroll tax to income above 0,000, and applying a 6.2% tax on investment income for wealthy individuals. .My ex-wife passed away last year at 62, and recently my job ended. She had a good job with a pharmaceutical company for about 20 years. Can I file a claim for widower's benefits based on her account and still get my own retirement benefit later? I'll be 64 in December and I'm looking for new employment. I have not re-married. … Continued

  • Best Ways To Save February 2021

    This legislation would require the Federal Trade Commission to update its website to include a searchable database of scams targeting seniors. It would have to work with media outlets and law enforcement to distribute the information. The FTC also would be required to send Congress a report with policy recommendations to prevent scams targeting older individuals, especially during national emergencies. .The last vaccine to quell a global viral scourge was the polio inoculation, which ended outbreaks that killed thousands and paralyzed tens of thousands each year in the United States. The March of Dimes Foundation covered the nominal drug cost for a free national vaccination program. .The Social Security Administration also announced on Thursday that the Social Security payroll tax cap will rise from 8,400 in 2018 to 2,900 in 201Most American workers contribute 6.2 percent of every paycheck to the Social Security program, but high earners will stop contributing to the program once they reach 2,900 in income next year. That means the wealthiest American CEOs – many of whom are billionaires – will be finished paying into the Social Security program just a few hours or days into 2019. … Continued

"Switching to a more slowly growing CPI is not the only change affecting seniors that deficit negotiators are looking at," notes Hyland. "Members of Congress from both parties are already considering changes that would make seniors pay a bigger share of their Medicare, and reducing government Medicaid payments at the same time," he adds. .At the hearing, much of the focus was on the current state of the Social Security Trust Fund. Most Members of the Subcommittee, including Chairman Sam Johnson (TX-3), seemed to agree that Social Security is on the fast track towards insolvency, but Ranking Member Xavier Becerra (CA-31) was adamant that the program is on solid footing. .This week, five new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 1795), bringing the total up to one hundred and twenty-eight. The new cosponsors are Reps. Brian Higgins (NY-26), Greg Walden (OR-2), Andre Carson (IN-7), John Barrow (GA-12), and Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18). If signed into law, H.R. 1795 would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – two federal provisions that unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, fire fighters, peace officers, and other state or local government employees each year. .This week, lawmakers in both chambers voted to approve a temporary spending bill to fund the government past September 30th. In addition, The Senior Citizens League's (TSCL's) legislative team met with several Members of Congress and their aides, and two key bills gained support. . Paula chose to take the employer-provided Medicare supplement, dental and vision coverage at 6 per month, but "opted out" of the expensive Part D. Instead we found more reasonably priced drug coverage at .90 per month, and covering the prescriptions she currently took with no deductible, using the Medicare Drug Plan Finder at www.medicare.gov. .The Social Security Administration maintains a special Earnings Suspense File of wage reports that don't match the name and Social Security number of those in Social Security records. According to data from the Social Security Administration, an average of 9,762,500 wage reports per year with invalid names or Social Security numbers were received from 2000 through 2007 for an average of .68 billion in wages per year. That much in wages would be worth more than billion per year in Making Work Pay tax credits in 2009 and 2010 if those trends continue. ."Taxpayers and patients will pay more for drugs and medical supplies," a group of more than 250 economists warned in a letter to the White House earlier this year. .In the meantime, though, as businesses re-open and we return to a new version of normal, it's important to stay vigilant. .I recently introduced H.R. 4521, SNAP Simplification for the Elderly Act, as one of the focal points for my "Let's Feed America Campaign." The bill would eliminate burdensome red tape and make it easier for the low-income elderly and disabled individuals to receive SNAP, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) benefits.