News

  • Cola Next Year May Be Zero Yet Your Housing And Medical Costs Are Jumping

    In 1977 Congress enacted changes to the Social Security benefit formula that affected seniors just two years from first entitlement to Social Security. A transitional formula supplied by Congress to phase in the changes, failed to prevent abrupt cuts and big disparities – as much as 1.80 per month in the well – publicized case of two sisters who worked for the same company. .The number of employees at your company determines whether you must enroll at age 65, or whether you can delay, and keep your employer insurance. Because you work for a company with fewer than 20 employees, Medicare pays first once you turn 6That means, if you miss your initial enrollment deadline, you would not be able to use your former employer coverage, even if you and your employer continued to pay the premiums. People who work for companies with more than 20 employees may delay enrollment and keep their current coverage as long as they meet certain rules. .First, in the spring, Members of Congress passed legislation to repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate (SGR) – a flawed formula that set payment rates for doctors who treated Medicare patients. Because of the quirks in the law, doctors were faced with double-digit cuts year after year. Some stopped seeing new Medicare patients, and some even stopped participating in Medicare altogether. TSCL advocated for the SGR's repeal for more than a decade, and we were ecstatic to see it replaced once and for all last April. The law took effect immediately and, in the coming years, it will bring increased stability to the Medicare program for both patients and their doctors. … Continued

  • Issues Medicare Prescription Drug Policies Faqs

    In a statement that was released shortly thereafter, White House spokesperson Brandi Hoffine said, "Today, two judges of the 5th Circuit chose to misinterpret the facts and the law in denying the government's request for a stay. As the powerful dissent from Judge Higginson recognizes, President Obama's immigration executive actions are fully consistent with the law." .To learn more and to participate in TSCL surveys and polls, visit . .The Scott bill passed the Education and Labor Committee on Tuesday of this week. It has a different approach for dealing with surprise bills that limits the arbitration process and sets forth a benchmark payment rate. Scott's bill would force doctors to accept a benchmark rate for bills under 0 and go through arbitration in disputes over bills higher than 0. … Continued

With the economy continuing to sputter, most seniors and Baby Boomers don't feel all that secure about their retirement finances. How realistic will my budget be for the New Year? Will Social Security and othe retirement income cover all my bills? Are my savings adequate to cover expensive chronic health costs? Seniors can find answers, practical tips and more in a special "Best Ways to Save" issue of The Social Security & Medicare Advisor newsletter free from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). .There is a misconception that all veterans can get health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. But that is not true. To get health care there a veteran must have a VA-rated disability. .The massive cost of both House and Senate tax bills, estimated to add .5 trillion to the deficit, will trigger automatic spending cuts in 2018 due to language in the Statutory Pay-as-You Go Act of 20The Act, commonly known as "pay-go", prevents legislation from adding too much money to the deficit. Because the .5 trillion cost of the bill is not adequately offset, the Medicare program will see billion in cuts in 2018, and other critical programs like Meals on Wheels would see their budgets slashed. Lawmakers have said they will pass legislation early next year to avert these cuts, but that remains uncertain. .At a time when Congress is deeply divided on many issues, we need to find a way to break through the gridlock to pass bipartisan, commonsense measures to support our nation's seniors. In that spirit, I introduced the bipartisan SAFE ID Act to ensure that seniors can retire without fear of having their identity stolen or losing their savings. With nine of the ten top cities for tax-ID fraud located in Florida, many seniors in my home state have fallen prey to identity theft and other forms of fraud. This bipartisan legislation will eliminate one big source of identity theft by allowing a shortened taxpayer identity number to be used in place of a social security number on taxpayer forms like W-2s. .You can receive Social Security benefits and unemployment benefits at the same time. But depending on the state where you live, the unemployment benefit amount might be reduced by receipt of a pension or other retirement income like Social Security. .Expands disability investigation units effective Feb 1, 2016. .TSCL believes this is good news for the Social Security and Medicare systems, but there is no doubt that if the deferred taxes are never re-paid, it will cause major damage to both programs. .In addition to overlooking Medicare premiums, the CPI-W also doesn't accurately measure the portion of income that retirees and disabled Social Security recipients spend on Medicare. Spending for medical care in the CPI for younger adults represents about 6.5 percent of household budgets, but surveys by TSCL suggest that retirees routinely send more than twice that amount. .The number of employees at your company determines whether you must enroll at age 65, or whether you can delay, and keep your employer insurance. Because you work for a company with fewer than 20 employees, Medicare pays first once you turn 6That means, if you miss your initial enrollment deadline, you would not be able to use your former employer coverage, even if you and your employer continued to pay the premiums. People who work for companies with more than 20 employees may delay enrollment and keep their current coverage as long as they meet certain rules.