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56 Percent Social Security Recipients Paid Tax Benefits New Survey Senior Citizens League
Providing Medicare services is not simple, but it is critical that we continue to make efficient investments in the healthcare expenses of 48 million people and develop an adequate workforce to provide those services. I proudly voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which expanded access for Medicare beneficiaries and increased investment in healthcare provider training. I also remain a staunch opponent of attempts to increase costs to beneficiaries and privatize this valuable program. .The Senior Citizens League enthusiastically supports H.R. 1205, H.R. 6251, H.R. 4957, and H.R. 2212, and we were pleased to see support grow for them this week. For more information about these and other TSCL-backed bills, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. .Under current law, employers withhold 6.2% in Social Security taxes from workers' earnings — an amount that employers match for a total of 12.4%. That money goes to the U.S. Treasury and is used to pay benefits to today's retirees. About 85 percent of all employees, pay Social Security taxes on every dollar earned. … Continued
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Older Voters Rank Members U S House Medicare
With about 1 million supporters, The Senior Citizens League is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups. Located just outside Washington, D.C., its mission is to promote and assist members and supporters, to educate and alert senior citizens about their rights and freedoms as U.S. Citizens, and to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and paid for. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of TREA The Enlisted Association. Please visi more at or call 1-800-333-8725 for more information. .For more information about these and other bills that would reduce prescription drug prices, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. For progress updates, follow The Senior Citizens League on Twitter. .This week, three new cosponsors – Reps. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Alcee Hastings (FL-20), and Robert Scott (VA-3) – signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3118). The cosponsor total is now up to thirty-three. If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt a Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments; and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. TSCL enthusiastically supports the Strengthening Social Security Act since it would extend the solvency of the Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits. We were pleased to see support grow for it this week, and we look forward to helping build support for it in the coming months. … Continued
Sen. Mazie Hirono (HI) introduced S. 960 on April 15, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Finance. .Enrollees in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans should take a careful look at changes in their health plan for 201These Medicare health plans have new leeway to offer new supplemental benefits. While some of the new benefits may be valuable to some families, other changes, which give plans greater leeway to "tier" the co-pay structure for healthcare providers, may mean higher out-of-pocket costs when non-preferred or out-of-network providers are used. .As we've found out in our meetings with Congressional staff members, Congress is hearing thousands of complaints from voters who want surprise billing stopped. But, they are also hearing from the health care providers who are making a lot of money from surprise billings and they are fighting back to try and stop or modify legislation. Because of the pressure Congress is receiving from opposing sides, getting legislation to fix the problem is more complicated than you might expect. There are four bills in the Senate to deal with the issue and five in the House. .Senate Subcommittee Considers Family Leave Proposal .Last July 24 President Trump announced his intention to sign four executive orders regarding prescription drugs, including one that would tie the cost of drugs in the US to drug prices in other countries. At the same time, he said he would delay signing the order and give pharmaceutical companies, which have vigorously opposed such a move, time to come up with their own plan to lower drug prices. ."Anything that puts you in contact with more people is going to increase your risk," said Cindy Prins, a clinical associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions. "If you compare it to just staying at home and quick trips to the grocery store, you'd have to put it above" that level of risk. .The approach taken in the Scott bill is also the approach favored in the Senate bills. Ways and Means Chairman Neal said they will start negotiating a compromise between the two House bills that will also be agreeable to the Senate and he is optimistic they can reach a solution soon. This approach is opposed by conservative groups such as the National Taxpayers Union, which have opposed what they call "rate-setting." .According to the IRS, advance payments of the Child Tax Credit will be made from July through December to eligible taxpayers and will be up to 50% of the credit. Advance payments will be estimated from your 2020 tax returns, or 2019 returns if the 2020 returns are not filed and processed yet. .When it comes to generic drugs, a "substantial portion" of U.S. imports come either directly from China or third countries such as India, which use active ingredients sourced from China.