Many of you agree with Joe. About 74% of survey participants in TSCL's Senior Survey support applying the 12.4% Social Security payroll tax to all wages above the annual maximum which is 2,900 in 201This one fix alone is estimated to close roughly three - quarters of the Social Security financing gap. Let's ask our Members of Congress to get on board. Read more about sustainable solvency for Social Security in our latest Benefit Bulletin, "Social Security Legislation Would Provide 75 Years of Solvency To Social Security.".When the COLA does not accurately or adequately reflect the costs that retired and disabled people actually have, the buying power of Social Security benefits erodes over time. A study by TSCL has found that Social Security benefits have lost 30 percent of their buying power since 2000.."Medicare is also in the cross - hairs for massive changes," Johnson says. The budget resolution stipulates major changes that would focus Medicare on a system of private insurers, and provide beneficiaries with premium subsidies to shop for their own health insurance. A Congressional Budget Office report has found that similar proposals in the past would shift a growing portion of costs to older Americans. In that 2013 report, the CBO estimated that Medicare beneficiaries' premiums would be about 30 percent higher by 2020 than under current law..A newly approved drug to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease is drawing criticism for it's ,000 price tag, especially given its lack of proven effectiveness. Aduhelm stirred controversy when the Food and Drug Administration's own expert advisory panel was nearly unanimous in opposing the drug's approval due to mixed results in studies of effectiveness..Despite opposition to the AHCA from many in Washington including TSCL the House Budget Committee advanced the bill on Thursday with a vote of 19-1It now moves to the House Rules Committee, and leaders in Congress are predicting votes on the House floor could occur as early as next week. In the Senate, votes are expected before the holiday recess begins on April 7th..If you receive a call claiming to be your utility company and feel pressured for immediate payment or personal information, hang up the phone and call the customer service number on your utility bill..But while FICA taxes and the revenues paid by older taxpayers on Social Security benefits are real cash, the "interest" earned by the I.O.U.s is a "paper" accounting entry. There's no dedicated source of revenue for that money. The money to repay the Social Security Trust Fund comes from general revenues, and Congress borrows more money by lifting the debt limit..A majority of the 54 million senior and disabled Americans who receive Social Security depend on it for at least 50 percent of their total income, and one in three beneficiaries rely on it for 90 percent or more of their total income..TSCL opposes the BCRA since it would undermine the health and financial stability of older Americans if signed into law. In the days ahead, we will continue to advocate against its passage on Capitol Hill. In the meantime, we encourage our members and supporters to contact their Senators to request their opposition to the bill. Calls from constituents have already made a significant difference in slowing down the movement of the bill through the Senate. Leaders originally hoped to hold a vote on the BCRA by Friday, June 30th, but because they could not secure the fifty votes needed, they have decided to postpone the vote until they return from the week-long holiday recess.
