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  • Category Issues Social Security Faqs Page 7

    (Washington, DC) – Sixty - five percent of retirees participating in a new survey by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) report that their monthly household expenses in 2020 rose by more than . That includes 40 percent of survey participants who reported that their monthly household expenses are up by 0 or more. Yet the same survey also found that 63 percent of participants indicated that their 2021 COLA, which was 1.3 percent, raised their net monthly Social Security benefit by less than after the deduction for the Part B premium. .Early Efforts to Hold Congress to Its Promise Leads to a Notch Commission .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. … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending March 29 2013

    This week, HHS announced several important numbers that will affect Social Security and Medicare benefits beginning in January. On Monday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Medicare Part B monthly premium will be left unchanged in 2014, and it will be set at 4.90. The Part B deductible will also be left unchanged, and it will remain at CMS officials noted on Monday that the past five years have been among the slowest-growing for Part B premiums in the Medicare program's history. .TSCL is registered as a 501(c)(4) citizens action organization. Open to anyone concerned about protecting earned benefits, TSCL is registered to conduct grass roots lobbying, public education, and fundraising activities in nearly every state. No government moneys are accepted or utilized by TSCL. .This week, TSCL endorsed one new bill sponsored by Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-16) – the Guaranteed 3 Percent COLA for Seniors Act (H.R. 3588). If signed into law, the bill would base Social Security cost-of-living adjustments on an inflation index specifically for seniors, and it would guarantee a minimum increase of 3 percent each year. … Continued

TSCL strongly supports quick passage of the urgently needed legislation to stop the cuts. .Source: "The 2018 Long-Term Budget Outlook," The Congressional Budget Office, June 2018. .According to a report in The Hill, a Washington, D.C., newspaper, "There are further administrative steps that need to happen before the proposal will actually take effect and result in lower drug prices. The secretary of Health and Human Services will have to issue the details of the proposal, and there will be an array of questions as to how the policy will work in practice. .Apply for Extra Help. Extra Help is the Medicare program for low-income seniors that can help with most or all of the cost of your drug plan premium, deductibles and co-pays. You also get valuable coverage in the Part D coverage gap. If you qualify, you would pay between $ for each drug. Apply even if you aren't sure, because the income requirements are not as stringent as those for State Pharmacy assistance programs. ."If the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and Congress take no action to lower the Part B premium, most of those who were protected by "hold harmless" will need a hefty COLA in order to raise their benefit just to cover the cost of Medicare Part B premiums in 2018," Johnson says. .Sources: Earnings Suspense File Data For 2008 and 2009, Social Security Administration, March 2, 201"The Growing Cost Of Illegal Immigration To Social Security," Mary Johnson, TSCL, June 2010. ."Our health care system is a symbol of our national identity and we are committed to defending it. The actions we are taking today will help protect Canadians' access to the medication they rely on," said Patty Hajdu, Canada's minister of health. .Last month, the Health and Human Services' watchdog agency announced plans to review the pace of inspections in nursing homes and barriers to completing them — referring to such checks as a "fundamental safeguard to ensure that nursing home residents are safe and receive high-quality care." .Can You Tell Me What to Expect in The Part D Doughnut Hole?