Health Reform Poll Finding Kff Health Tracking Poll March 2019 View FootnotesThe recent battle in Congress over lifting the debt limit contained mostly good news and some not so good news, for disabled and retired Americans. The legislation rolled back an unprecedented 52% spike in Medicare Part B premiums due to affect about 15.6 million Medicare recipients, and it prevented a 19% cut in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits due to occur later this year. But the legislation contained no Cost-of-Living Adjustment relief for 2016, and closed off one of the few claiming strategies that some Americans have to boost their Social Security payouts..For the past two years, nearly 160 million Americans have enjoyed a two percent Social Security payroll tax holiday, which has resulted in approximately 0 in annual tax relief in the form of higher paychecks for the average worker. The measure was passed in 2010 in an effort to stimulate the sluggish economy, and it has been extended twice since then. But the popular tax cut is set to expire on the first of January, and for four key reasons, The Senior Citizens League is urging Congress to let the tax holiday come to an end..At the hearing the top Republican on the committee, Steve Womack of Arkansas and other Republican lawmakers said that Congress will need to limit the growth of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which they referred to as "major mandatory programs." … Continued
Patient Education Giving Birth Timing ContractionsAccording to ModernHealthcare.com, "Congressional Democrats are hoping to pass a slew of healthcare priorities later this year aimed at expanding access to coverage and making it more affordable for patients..Preventing the "double-dipping" of disability and unemployment benefits, since eligibility for the two programs should be mutually exclusive the DI program is for individuals who are unable to work, and the unemployment program is for individuals who can..Rep. Bill Pascrell has urged President Biden to fire the entire USPS Board of Governors. "The continued challenges in preserving our Postal Service to survive and endure are gargantuan, and so demand bold solutions to meet them. To begin that work, we must have a governing body that can be trusted to represent the public interest," Pascrell wrote. … Continued
