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  • How Are You Doing In Retirement

    Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who was the Senate Majority Leader at that time, refused to even bring the bill up for a vote on the Senate floor. .Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Inspector General Statement, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, November 2010. .These overpayments occur because payments to plans are adjusted to pay more for older and sicker enrollees, and less for enrollees who are young and healthy. As well documented by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Medicare Advantage plans use a variety of strategies to "document" enrollee medical conditions, including repeated, calls to homes in attempts to "update" health histories, and to schedule home visits from nurses to conduct health risk assessments even when patients have emphatically declined the visit. … Continued

  • Obama Administration Releases Thousands Of Illegal Immigrants Feed

    This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill and resumed work on a stopgap funding measure for fiscal year 2015, which begins on October 1st. In addition, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) saw support grow for three key bills. .Using statistical data from the Social Security Administration, TSCL estimates about 88 percent of Social Security beneficiaries have received benefits during the 2009 – 2015 period and have been impacted the hardest. "With 64 percent of older Americans depending on Social Security for over half of their income, going without a COLA is a loss of income that most beneficiaries simply can't be expected to bear," Cates says. Spiking medical costs are causing retirees to go into debt, and run through their savings," he adds. .On Thursday, lawmakers in the House began considering legislation (H.R. 1190) to repeal the IPAB, the unelected 15-member board that was created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to manage Medicare's growth. The House Ways and Means Committee advanced the bill with a vote of 31-8 two weeks ago, and earlier this week it was approved by the House Rules Committee. … Continued

Sources: "Verifying Eligibility for Certain New Tax Benefits Was A Challenge for the 2010 Filing Season," Treasury Inspector General, September 30, 2010, Ref. No. 2010-41-128 .The Notch Fairness Act, which was introduced by Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC-7) in March, would provide compensation to Notch babies, or those born between the years 1917 and 192Just years before they were set to retire, these individuals learned that they would have significantly lower benefits than they originally anticipated. TSCL feels that this is an inequity that was brought about because of the Social Security Act Amendments enacted and signed into law in 1977. .A retirement coach might be helpful, but the fees can be pricey. A retirement coach differs from financial advisors by helping clients with nonfinancial social issues you need to consider in retirement. These include finding the right type of housing, figuring out Social Security and Medicare benefits, transitioning into second careers or volunteer work, and staying engaged with others in the community. A retirement coach will help you think through what you want and help you develop plans to attain those goals. A coach can also advise clients on managing aging parents or younger family members and provide help for maintaining a healthy state of mind. .The credit for qualifying children is fully refundable, which means that taxpayers can benefit from the credit even if they don't have earned income or don't owe any income taxes. .CMS Announces Preliminary MA Payment Changes .TSCL has serious concerns about several of the provisions in the AHCA, including the tax cut that would endanger the Medicare program. As discussions continue to advance the bill, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) will continue to monitor them, and we will advocate on Capitol Hill for policies that would protect the Medicare Trust Fund while reducing out-of-pocket costs for older Americans. For progress updates, follow TSCL on Facebook or Twitter. .Warning: Scams prey on seniors and others .Last week White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows announced that President Trump would soon be signing three executive orders regarding prescription drug prices. While he did not provide any further information the Washington Post published an article about what one of the orders is likely to be. .TSCL believes several of the proposals under consideration would make the program unaffordable over time for the majority of beneficiaries. According to a new TSCL survey, more than one quarter of Medicare beneficiaries spend as much as 50% of their Social Security payments just to cover healthcare costs. TSCL recently delivered a listing of hundreds of thousands of petition signers from supporters to almost every Member of Congress and is continuing to convey concerns about plans to cut Social Security and Medicare.