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In late December of last year, the federal government reluctantly turned over to TSCL the first public copy of the controversial Totalization Agreement with Mexico after TSCL was forced to file two federal lawsuits under the Freedom of Information Act to gain access to the documents. The agreement has not yet been signed by the President or sent to Congress for final review..Fifty-six percent of all Social Security households pay taxes on their benefits. Many of them have very modest middle incomes and didn't adequately understand or plan for these taxes, which take about 6% on average of Social Security income..By US Representative Dennis A. Ross.TSCL questions whether the more widespread use of subjective criteria in disability determinations may be contributing to disability fraud. Recently, 134 people, including retired New York City police officers and firefighters, were charged in one of the largest disability frauds on record. Those indicted were charged with faking mental disabilities, like post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from responding to the 911 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in disability benefits..Highlights of this week in Congress include: fallout from the Super Committee's indecision; leadership changes at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and a new co-sponsor added to a key bill..TSCL Expects COLA Will Be About 1.4%.For information on upcoming town hall meetings, click HERE. For updates on the progress of the BCRA in the coming days, follow TSCL on Twitter or visit the Legislative News section of our website..This year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Medicare. Signed into law by President Johnson on July 30, 1965, Medicare has proven itself to be an American success story. At the time of enactment, only half of America's seniors had health insurance, leaving an already vulnerable population one illness away from financial ruin. Medicare ensures that seniors will get the health coverage they worked a lifetime for. It provides seniors and their families with peace of mind and allows all Americans to age with dignity. In my home state of Pennsylvania alone, over 2.3 million seniors rely on Medicare for their health coverage..However, waiting until your full retirement age qualifies you to receive 100% of the amount your ex-spouse received when he died. The amount you receive is based on your ex-spouse's basic benefit and depends on the age at which you file a claim. If you file for a survivor's benefit prior to your full retirement age, the amount of the survivors benefit you receive would be reduced, but your own retirement benefit would be delayed and continue to grow to its maximum until you reach age 70. You could switch if it is higher than your survivors benefits.

The Possibility Of A Second Covid 19 Wave
The concern is well justified. The Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services has reported that Medicare Advantage plans deny care inappropriately at high rates. When the Office of the Inspector General collected data, it found that when beneficiaries and providers appealed pre-authorization and payment denials, Medicare Advantage Organizations over-turned 75% of their own denials over the 2014-2016 period. The OIG noted "This is especially concerning because beneficiaries and providers rarely use the appeals process, which is designed to ensure access to care and payment." Only 1 percent of beneficiaries and providers appealed denials..With work authorization, and if she starts a job under her valid Social Security number, her employers are required to withhold taxes and report earnings into the system. Under this situation Social Security will receive new taxes and the mother would become eligible for retirement benefits based on her own account with about ten years of covered work. She could file a claim for benefits once she meets age requirements..It would: require Medicare to negotiate lower Part D drug prices, allow individuals to import prescription drugs from Canada, require greater price transparency from drug manufacturers, accelerate the closing of the Part D "doughnut hole," restore drug rebates for low-income seniors, and put a 0 monthly cap on prescription drug spending for individuals. Together, these changes would dramatically reduce drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. In the coming months, TSCL will continue to work towards its passage in Congress. … Continued

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Focuses On Screening
[1] Combined Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Trust Funds February 2014 Baseline, Congressional Budget Office..Starting a new medication can sometimes take you by surprise when drug plans don't cover the drug or charge higher co-pays than you can afford. If you're having trouble covering the cost of your medicine, here are some things to try:.Medicare costs take a significant portion of retirees' Social Security benefits. A survey conducted by The Senior Citizens League found that more than 51 percent of survey participants report spending at least 6 per month on total healthcare costs and more than one in- five spend ,000 or more per month. … Continued