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  • 2013 To Maximize Your Social Security Dont Retire Too Soon

    Social Security and Medicare benefits are paid for through payroll tax deductions from workers and their employers. Even after starting to receive benefits, close to 56 percent of retirees continue to pay into the programs through income taxes on a portion of their Social Security benefits. Medicare beneficiaries also pay premiums for Part B doctors and hospital outpatient insurance. Both programs are relied upon by tens of millions of older Americans for income and healthcare benefits. "According to the most recent surveys by The Senior Citizens League the public wants their lawmakers to protect these programs, but not by cutting benefits." Johnson notes. .On Monday, Members of the House and Senate returned to Capitol Hill from the month-long August recess and quickly began working on a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government past September 30th. Originally, leaders in both chambers agreed to keep the CR as "clean" as possible in order to avoid a government shutdown like last year's and to allow lawmakers to quickly resume campaign work for the looming November 4th elections. .On Tuesday – despite projections that showed large gains for Democrats on Capitol Hill – lawmakers on the right swept elections across the country. For the first time in eight years, Republicans will control the House, the Senate, and the White House when the 115th Congress begins in January. Senator Roy Blunt (MO), who narrowly held on to his Senate seat on Tuesday, told reporters: "A Republican president and a Republican Senate and a Republican House can do things to change this country." … Continued

  • Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund Near Insolvency

    According to the Associated Press, the AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, which is being used in Great Britain, does more than prevent people from falling seriously ill — it appears to reduce transmission of the virus and offers strong protection for three months on just a single dose, researchers said last week in an encouraging turn in the campaign to suppress the outbreak. .To learn more about issues facing Social Security and Medicare, visit our weekly legislative updates, which provide information on upcoming town hall meetings. .Just years before they were set to retire, these individuals learned that they would have significantly lower benefits than originally anticipated. The issue was created by the amendments to the Social Security Act that were signed into law in 1977, and it has compounded over time. … Continued

Medicare Reform – Protect beneficiaries from changes that would impose greater out-of-pocket costs to beneficiaries. .All in all, it's too early to determine how much person-to-person transmission has occurred on plane flights. .Second, two new cosponsors – Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) and Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) – signed on to the bipartisan Concentrating on High-Value Alzheimer's Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act (S. 2387), bringing the total up to eight. If adopted, it would direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to create programs that would promote early identification of Alzheimer's disease, improve support for family caregivers, and provide continuous care for those battling many forms of dementia. .House Adjourns for Five-Week Summer Recess .In yet a third judicial ruling, The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a rule by the Trump Administration that hospitals will have to publicly disclose the prices they negotiate with insurance companies. .Before the Affordable Care Act, seniors could deduct out-of-pocket medical costs that exceeded 7.5 percent of their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Starting in 2017, however, the law increases this threshold to 10% of a person's AGI – effectively lowering how much can be deducted at the end of the year and increasing how much seniors will pay in taxes. .Many states that were hit hard by the virus say they chose to provide protective gear to front-line health workers rather than inspectors, delaying in-person checks for weeks if not months. Some states chose to assess facilities remotely, conducting interviews over the phone and analyzing documentation, a process many experts consider inadequate. .This week, TSCL announced its support for the Delay until Fully Functional Act (S. 1592 and H.R. 3359), which was introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (FL) in the Senate and by Rep. Trey Radel (FL-19) in the House. The bill, if signed into law, would delay the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate for six months once the Government Accountability Office certifies that the exchange website is fully functional. .A number of vaccines, including those for flu and pneumonia, might be capable of improving immunity overall, according to one researcher. Scientists are looking at several other potential candidates, including vaccines against herpes viruses and tuberculosis.