Newsroom statement from health on the shooting at our buffalo clinic

According to TSCL's Senior Surveys, more than half of retiree households pay taxes on Social Security benefits. The new tax law did not change the income thresholds that subject Social Security benefits to taxation. Taxpayers with incomes in excess of ,000 or ,000 pay taxes on as much as 50% of Social Security benefits. For taxpayers with income exceeding ,000 and ,000, up to 85% of Social Security benefits may be taxed. Rather than paying quarterly estimates, taxpayers may use Form W-4V to withhold a flat rate from Social Security checks: 7%, 10%, 12%, or 22%..Accelerate or postpone discretionary medical expenses when feasible. The new health law reduced the amount of unreimbursed medical expenses that you can claim when itemizing the deductions. Taxpayers under the age of 65 can claim deductions for expenses that exceed 10 percent of their adjusted gross income. If you are age 65 and older you may still deduct total medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross temporarily but that ends in 201If your expenses are right on the borderline, you may want to take care of any pending medical services and appointments now, so you can boost your deduction for 201If your expenses were too low to claim the medical expense deduction for 2014, consider postponing discretionary services a few weeks into the New Year..TSCL Mounts Nationwide Effort Fighting COLA Cuts.Adopting a more accurate and adequate COLA that protects seniors against inflation;.We've heard stories about cutting back on prescriptions over the years, but recently I heard one about a diabetic who was forced to cut back on the amount of insulin that she needed to control blood sugar. She was going into debt to buy Lantus insulin. Cutting back, and not taking the recommended dosage to control her blood sugar, triggered severe nerve pain and sent the woman back to her doctor..Without changes to the current law, disabled beneficiaries face cuts of about 20%[i] by 201"The Senior Citizens League is calling on Congress to put forth its plan to ensure that the disability program can continue to pay promised," states TSCL Chairman Ed Cates..Questions To Ask At Your Next Town Hall.The hold-harmless provision was again triggered on a nation-wide basis in 2016, when the COLA was zero, and again in 2017, when it was just 0.03 percent. In the meantime the Part B premium rose to 4.00 per month. In 2018, the COLA finally boosted benefits by 2 percent, but even so, roughly half of all beneficiaries reported that the increase in Part B premiums offset their entire COLA this year..New legislation before the House and Senate would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset so that public servants receive the Social Security benefits they have earned and deserve. Will you cosponsor the Social Security Fairness Act when you return to Washington on Monday?

Health Reform Issue Brief How Are Hospitals Faring Under The Affordable Care Act Early Experiences From Ascension Health
Recently a journalist, familiar with my estimates of cost-of-living adjustments, contacted me for my thoughts on the topic. Did I think we were staring down rising inflation? I told him that I needed to see more data..Check periodic costs: Next check for periodic costs like blood tests, X-rays, CT scans, dental and eye exams. These are the expenses you have once or twice annually, or every few years. When a new test is ordered, ask your doctor whether it's a one-time test, or whether it's likely you will be taking that test again periodically. Ask the recommended frequency for that test. Once you have a list of tests and the frequency and what it cost, you can start to develop a long-term contingency healthcare budget, at least based on your current health status..On the heels of Greenspan's recent statement, President Obama's Fiscal Commission is due to release itsplan to solve the growing U.S. deficit by December 1st of this year. The Commission is eyeing major cuts to Social Security - including cost-of-living adjustments cuts that would affect 53 million current beneficiaries. … Continued

Medicaid Event Low Income And Uninsured The Challenge For
According to Politico, "At least 10 caucus moderates are signaling opposition to Democrats' drug pricing negotiation bill - more than enough to potentially force House Speaker Nancy Pelosi into dropping the reforms from [President Biden's] infrastructure legislation Democrats hope to pass along party lines. Pelosi can only spare two Democratic defections on partisan legislation because of the party's slim House majority.".This week, Members of Congress continued to focus on a series of fiscal 2015 appropriations bills including one that would provide funding for the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In addition, The Senior Citizens League announced its support for a new piece of legislation, and two key bills gained cosponsors..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. … Continued