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  • Ask Advisor December 2018

    Medicare pays the plans a pre-determined monthly amount for each enrollee. Higher rates are paid for sicker patients, and lower amounts for people in good health. The "risk adjustment" policy is intended to avoid the problem of plans cutting corners on healthcare to boost profits. But the audits found pervasive problems with many plans overstating the severity of enrollees' medical conditions, with little documentation of the medical conditions being claimed. .To quickly determine whether a portion of benefits is taxable, taxpayers should take their adjusted gross income, and add any nontaxable interest, plus one - half of Social Security income. If the amount is over the thresholds shown then a portion of benefits are taxable. (For more information, see IRS publication 915 Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits for worksheet and help in preparing tax returns). .The amount you get from Social Security may surprise you. While the amount you receive depends on how many years you worked, your earnings, and the age at which you start benefits, the average monthly Social Security payment today is about ,100. People who retire with average benefits will receive about ,200 in 2011 prior to Medicare premium deductions. With people spending as much as 25 years in retirement, people who retire today with an initial benefit of ,100 can expect to receive more than 6,800 in Social Security over 25 years. But that assumes no changes to cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). … Continued

  • Legislative Update November 2012

    The Senior Citizens League enthusiastically supports S. 2553, S. 2387, and S. 974, and we will continue to advocate for their passage on Capitol Hill in the months ahead. For more information about these and other bills that have been backed by The Senior Citizens League, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. For frequent progress updates, follow TSCL on Twitter. .Over the past nine years, COLAs have averaged just 1.4%, so it comes as a frustrating surprise to retirees to learn that, in the decade prior to 2000, COLAs averaged 3% per year, more than twice the average today. Because COLAs compound, and the monthly benefit grows over time, lower COLAs mean less Social Security income than retirees might have planned for. That in turn means spending through retirement savings more quickly than planned. .SGR Repeal Unlikely This Month … Continued

Use call block technology. If you have a smart phone, you can block calls from unknown numbers. Some land line phones also have similar technology. .How do you envision your perfect day in retirement? Are you the type that needs to be busy with work and projects to feel fulfilled, or do you look forward to spending time puttering around on your own, traveling or just enjoying leisure? Note how you like to spend your time. .In the weeks ahead, TSCL will keep a close eye on the issue, and we will advocate for solutions that will improve access without jeopardizing online security. For progress updates, visit the Legislative News section of our website or follow us on Twitter. .On Thursday evening, lawmakers in the House and Senate voted to pass a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the federal government until Friday, December 22nd. TSCL is pleased that lawmakers successfully averted a government shutdown since failing to do so could have impacted the timely delivery of Social Security benefits. Physicians and other medical providers also could have seen delays in their reimbursements from the Medicare program if the federal government had shut down. .What To Do When You Can't Afford Your Drug Costs .Unlike many other organizations TSCL accepts no government funding -- this leaves us free to truly represent the interests of supporters like you. .In the days and weeks ahead, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) will closely monitor the movement of S. Con. Res. 3 since a repeal of the Affordable Care Act will impact older Americans in several ways. For instance, progress that has been made to close the Medicare Part D prescription drug "doughnut hole" will be reversed, and the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund that finances Medicare Part A will lose a critical stream of funding created by the law. Throughout the 115th Congress, TSCL's legislative team will continue to advocate on Capitol Hill for legislation that would reduce any negative impacts on the Medicare program. .In places where state officials claimed that in-person inspections have taken place, the reports found no issues in most cases, even as Covid-19 claimed more than 31,000 deaths in nursing homes. Less than 3 percent of the more than 5,700 inspection surveys the federal government released this month had any infection control deficiencies, according to a report on Thursday by the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a nonprofit patient activist group. .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."