News

  • Whats The Most Important Priority For Congress In Coming Months

    For more information about town hall meetings near you, click HERE. You can also call the local offices of your Members of Congress to request information about upcoming town halls. For contact information, click HERE. .When there's a COLA as low as 1.3%, a provision of law known as "hold harmless" ensures that an individual's net Social Security benefit will not decrease from December of one year to January of the next, because of an increase in the Part B premium. That's an important protection, but it doesn't go far enough. .Even though I'm not on Medicare yet, these new quality initiatives will, one way or another will affect most patients, even those like me who are still under the age of 65 as doctors reorganize. I felt dumped. … Continued

  • Social Security Medicare Questions August 2015

    Medicare first began offering beneficiaries the chance to enroll in private Medicare HMOs' in the mid 1980's. That program was absorbed and expanded under the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, creating Medicare+Choice. To cut federal spending on Medicare, the Balanced Budget Act set payments to the private plans at 5% below the fee-for-service rates of traditional Medicare. But by 1999, Medicare+Choice plans were not renewing their contracts with Medicare and there was a widespread exodus, leaving more than 2 million seniors scrambling to find other coverage. .Calculate the annual COLA using the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). TSCL studies indicate that using the CPI-E would provide a very modestly - higher COLA in most years. .This is good news. While we have disagreements with some doctors over things like surprise medical billings, this year has taught us how critical and valuable to us all are our medical personnel. This certainly was no time to try to balance the budget on the backs of those who have borne the weight of so many of us this year. … Continued

But that's not the case for about 12 million employees with the highest salaries in the country. Unlike the Medicare payroll tax, which applies to all earnings, Social Security payroll taxes apply only to the first 8,400 in earnings. Neither the employees who earn more than 8,400, nor their employers, pay Social Security taxes on earnings in excess of that amount. "That's a problem for Social Security's financing," says Johnson. .Survivor claims are increasing due to recent violence in Mexico. .The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that spending for Social Security, Medicare, other major healthcare programs, defense, and interest payments alone would require every dollar of revenue in about eight years, leaving nothing left over for the rest of the federal budget. The CBO further says that federal debt cannot grow faster than the nation's output indefinitely without causing long-term damage to the government's finances and broader economy. .House Postpones Thursday AHCA Vote .If you have questions about your coverage, Medicare beneficiaries can get free one-on-one counseling from State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) counselors by contacting your local Area Agency on Aging or senior center. The programs go by different names depending on your location, but SHIP contact info can be found at https://www.shiptacenter.org. .This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for four key bills that would improve the Social Security and Medicare programs if adopted. .Chairman Johnson said: "I know that fixing Social Security will require tough choices that will affect the lives of millions of Americans. Congress has a responsibility to the American people to make these choices. And the longer we wait, the harder it gets. If we wait until the Trust Funds are exhausted, some options won't even be available anymore. We must take this responsibility seriously. Americans want, need, and deserve nothing less." .Key Bill Gains Cosponsor .It's unknown whether or not Congress will tackle the SGR before the end of the year, but most Subcommittee Members at Wednesday's hearing did seem set on providing extensions for the other payment provisions that are nearing expiration.