News

Last week the CDC announced that the COVID-19 pandemic pushed total U.S. deaths in 2020 beyond 3.3 million, the nation's highest annual death toll..The bill would provide critical savings to millions of older taxpayers with modest incomes below the new threshold amounts. But, as frequently can happen when legislation is under deliberation, progress on the bill was recently put on hold. Lawmakers are considering how the revenues to the Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund would be allocated, and from where replacement revenues lost due to the tax cut would come..Information and referral: Depending on her income your mom may qualify for other assistance programs, like Medicare Extra Help, and you can get contact information for other types of programs..To ensure the solvency of Social Security for retirees and disabled who live in the U.S. and pay into the system legally, the study makes the following recommendations:.Possibly. A great deal will depend on how much of your 401 and IRA distributions are taxable. A quick way to check is to take one-half of your total Social Security benefits, add to that all taxable pensions, wages, interest, dividends and other taxable income. Then add any tax-exempt interest income. This is called your "provisional" income..TSCL supports H.R. 4012 enthusiastically, and we were pleased to see two new cosponsors sign on to it this week. We will be advocating for the passage of H.R. 4012 and S. 2251 Sen. Elizabeth Warren's companion bill tirelessly in the coming months because we know that a 3.9 percent COLA would provide much-needed relief to our members and supporters next year..Upon introducing the bill back in 2015, Congressman John Larson said: "Social Security remains the nation's bedrock retirement program and provides vital protection … Many Americans, however, do not believe it will be there for them when they retire. I am proud to announce a common sense path forward today that not only strengthens benefits now, but ensures Social Security will be here through the next century.".The "Gang of Eight's" proposal is now in the hands of the full Senate, and Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he will bring the bill to the floor in June. Until then, TSCL will continue to monitor the evolving negotiations, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website..Prescription Drug Re-Importation Making safe, secure re-importation a reality.

Civil And Criminal Justice

Another initiative announced on Monday will improve the quality and safety requirements for nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities. The new rule proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will update the standards that have been in place for nearly twenty-five years. According to the administration, it will "improve quality of life, enhance person-centered care and services for residents in nursing homes, improve resident safety, and bring these regulatory requirements into closer alignment with current professional standards.".For more information about town hall meetings near you during this week's holiday recess, call the local offices of your Members of Congress. For contact information, click HERE..In fact, the fastest growing cost for seniors Medicare Part B premiums is not accounted for at all in the CPI-W since young workers are not enrolled in the Medicare program. Since 2000, Medicare Part B premiums have increased by 195 percent and prescription drug spending has increased by 184 percent. However, COLAs have increased Social Security benefits by just 43 percent since 2000. … Continued

State Legislatures Magazine Kenyan Delegation Learns About State Government From Oldest Democracy Magazine2021

The Trustees estimated that Social Security's Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund, which funds the retirement program, will be able to pay out full benefits until 2035 one year longer than last year's projection. They also found that Medicare's Hospital Insurance trust fund will remain solvent until 2030 the same as last year's projection and that enrollee costs are growing at historically low levels, especially for Parts A and D..In their 2016 platform, Democrats committed to adopting a more fair and accurate Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, saying, "The Democratic Party recognizes that the way Social Security COLAs are calculated may not always reflect the spending patterns of seniors, particularly the disproportionate amount they spend on healthcare expenses." To cover the cost of providing a more accurate COLA and to increase the solvency of the trust funds, Democrats voted to support policies that would apply the payroll tax cap to income above 0,000 so that wealthier individuals pay the same Social Security tax rate as everyone else..Will income thresholds that subject Social Security benefits to taxation be adjusted so that fewer beneficiaries will be subject to taxes on their Social Security in the future? … Continued