At the same time that Social Security and Medicare rolls are increasing, the funding for Social Security and Medicare, which depend on payroll taxes withheld from wages, has fallen. Payroll taxes are not withheld from people who have no earnings. .Throughout the remainder of the 113th Congress, TSCL will continue to urge Members of Congress to pass the Social Security Fairness Act since we believe strongly that it would go far in ensuring the retirement security of millions of seniors. To aid us in our efforts, we encourage you to contact your elected officials to request their support for S. 896 and H.R. 1795. .Ultimately, seniors aren't just a class of individuals who are a certain age — they are our mothers and fathers, grandparents, teachers, pastors, and public servants. They are each of us, either today or tomorrow. As a nation, it is incumbent upon us to prioritize safeguarding the futures of our senior citizens and addressing some of the obstacles to saving that exist both in our system and in our society. It is not just "their" future, it is our future. We're in this together. Let's secure our futures. . Basing a decision on amenities and features. Just because the facility markets itself like a five - star hotel or is located near a great golf course does not equate to five - star standards of care. Look around and get a feel for the number of staff to residents. Try to meet a few residents. Are they happy? Does the staff look like they get satisfaction from their work? The office of your local Long Term Care Ombudsman can tell you about documented issues and problems that facilities have had in the past. .Earnings from work could cause Social Security to withhold your benefits. Should you be successful in your job search, your earnings could affect what you receive in Social Security benefits. Social Security will deduct in benefits for every you earn above the annual limit, which is adjusted annually and is ,720 in 201If for example, you started a job and earn ,000 in 2017, you would earn ,280 more than the exempt ,720. That means Social Security with withhold about ,140 in benefits. If you are receiving a reduced survivors monthly benefit of 5, or ,100 annually, then you would receive only 0 in benefits for the entire year of 201You would receive no benefits at all for 10 months out of the year. .The transition has set off dozens of new Medicare scams. To protect yourself from scam here's what to remember. There is nothing you need to do to get your card, and it does not cost anything. It will be shipped to you automatically. Scammers try to call beneficiaries on the phone and falsely claim that to get the new card you must provide Social Security, credit card, or bank account information, or Medicare benefits will be canceled. All of these claims are false. If you get a call like this or if anyone calls unsolicited, and claiming to be from Medicare, HANG UP. This is a scam. Once you get your new Medicare number, don't toss your old Medicare card in the trash — shred or cut it up into small pieces. .One of TSCL's goals this year was to end "surprise billing" – the situation that happens when some types of medical providers, including anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists, and labs may not be contracted with your health insurer even though they provide services at a hospital or facility that is in your health plan's provider network. So, in addition to your expected out-of-pocket costs, you also get a bill for the difference between what your insurer has agreed to pay that provider and the amount the provider billed for their services. .GOP offers Super-Committee concession while seniors see increased poverty levels. .Analysts are warning about potential drug shortages, but there is a system for checking whether there really is a shortage, using reported shortage tools on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. You can look up current drug shortages at :https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/drugshortages/dsp_SearchResults.cfm