News

  • Update For April 3 2021

    Now Congressional Democrats, while only having a razor-thin majority in the Senate, are planning a major push to include in measures to lower drug prices in upcoming legislation meant to rebuild the U.S. infrastructure. .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. .I Thought My Co-pay Would Be Why Did I Have To Pay 3.45? … Continued

  • March 2014 Virtual Strategy Magazine

    Please join us in our drive to gather 100,000 signatures on a petition to the White House by clicking Here to sign our petition or by pasting this into your address bar: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-calling-payroll-tax-cuts-and-preserve-social-security-and-medicare .On the other hand, Bloomberg News has reported that, "The White House is backing away from a plan to send 0 prescription drug discount cards to American seniors before Election Day after widespread criticism the effort could violate election laws. .She had a very tempting decision. If she "opted out" and decided not to take supplemental coverage through her former employer, she could join a new Medicare Advantage plan and pay 2014 Annual Survey of Senior Costs, Mary Johnson, The Senior Citizens League, March 2014. .Seniors wanting to learn how much a COLA cut would cost in Social Security income should visit the TSCL Chained COLA calculator. .The Guaranteed 3% COLA Act — Like the CPI-E Act, this critical bill would base Social Security COLAs on an inflation index for seniors. However, it would also provide much-needed financial relief to older Americans by ensuring that beneficiaries never receive an annual benefit increase that is less than 3%. TSCL was disappointed that this essential bill did not gain the support it needed to win passage in the 115th Congress, but TSCL is working to get Members of Congress onboard and the legislation moving in 2019. premiums for her hospitalization, doctors' and outpatient coverage. In addition, the plan also offered hearing, vision, dental and Part D drug coverage. … Continued

Recently I read about a stimulus proposal that would allow people who are out of work to access ,000 of Social Security benefits in advance, in exchange for waiting a few months longer to get benefits when. Ask the Advisor: April/May 2020 I'm Entitled to a Pension for Work as a City Cop… .COLAs Reach All Time Lows At Same Time Seniors Report Expenses Higher Than Ever .In January, one-third of all Medicare beneficiaries will see a Part B premium increase of 22 percent – the highest increase in 27 years. Do you believe Congress should take action like it did last year to prevent the dramatic increase? .Before doing anything else make sure you have a realistic budget, and think long term. You want your income and savings to be adequate as long as possible, 30 years or even longer is not unrealistic for someone your age. In developing a budget, look back over at least three years to include large expenditures for periodic home maintenance and repairs, transportation, medical costs and other large costs. Include what you pay in taxes. Once you get an expense figure, allow for at least 3% per year for inflation. Then tally up your income and assets, including the value and expected income from retirement accounts and pensions, if any. .These laws affect state or local government workers in twenty-six states and teachers in fifteen states, because their employers do not withhold Social Security taxes from their salaries. The GPO affects public servants who are entitled to Social Security spousal or survivors benefits based on the work history of a husband or wife. Often, the benefits to which they are entitled are eliminated altogether. The WEP affects those public servants who have earned pensions from their state or local government, but have also paid into Social Security through previous employment. Their earned Social Security benefits are often unfairly reduced by one-half or more. .Misconceptions about Medicare coverage are very widespread. New beneficiaries and their families are frequently surprised when they learn what Medicare doesn't cover. Routine eye examinations, eyeglasses and lenses, hearing exams and hearing aids are among the services generally excluded from the core benefits covered by original Medicare. .Pressure politicians. "Candidates who don't take a stand on Social Security in this important election year choose to put the program's strength at risk in the long-term," AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins said in a statement. "Though people of all ages rely on it, its importance to older Americans — already under tremendous pressure from wage stagnation and shrinking pensions — is only likely to grow." .TSCL believes that the Delay until Fully Functional Act represents a fair solution to the technical problems that the HealthCare.gov website has been experiencing for the past month. Millions of Americans – including seniors under the age of sixty-five – have been unable to purchase insurance coverage through the new marketplace due to the technical glitches. According to the law, those who fail to enroll before March 31st will be faced with a tax penalty of either or 1 percent of income, whichever is higher. .The CBO said earlier this year that if the Congress did not take action to address the shortfalls, the balances in the two trust funds would be exhausted within the next 10 years: Medicare's Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund (in fiscal year 2024), and Social Security's Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund (in fiscal year 2026)