Report Section Medicare Advantage Hospital Networks How Much Do They Vary DiscussionThe switch to the chained CPI was seriously considered in the closed-door debt limit meetings by Congressional leaders and President Obama earlier this summer. It forms the basis of not just one, but several, of the most prominent debt reduction plans currently under debate. Chaining the CPI has won support from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and most deficit reduction proposals call for putting it into effect relatively soon..With President Obama pushing for an immigration bill "by the end of the summer," Congress is rapidly moving major immigration reform legislation. Under the bill passed in the Senate, an estimated 8-11 million unauthorized immigrants would receive work authorization, giving them access to Social Security numbers and with it entitlement to Social Security and Medicare benefits with ten years of earnings..TSCL 2017 Senior Survey indicates there's widespread support for proposals that would improve benefits, particularly for older women. A majority, 55%, said they support giving credits to people who take time off from their job to provide care for children or older family members. Under the proposal women would receive wage credits up to a certain amount - ,000 per year is one proposal - to help fill in years when there are no earnings. … Continued
Does New Mask Policy Make SenseThe tax cut, which reduced the Social Security payroll tax for employees from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent, makes the Social Security trust funds reliant on general revenues and undermines the self-funding nature of the program. Social Security is funded by payroll taxes, and currently faces a billion cash-flow deficit. Extending the tax cut could exacerbate the program's funding issues..Watch this video to learn more about prescription drug pricing:.The problem is well known, but so far Congress has taken no action to address it. The Medicare Trustees have for years described in their annual report how rising Medicare costs will take an ever-growing portion of Social Security benefits. They estimate that Medicare Part B and Part D premiums, as well as cost sharing for both programs, currently equals just 24 percent of the level of the average Social Security benefit. But that estimate does not include many of the typical Medicare costs that most retirees actually have, and thus understates the scope of the problem. The findings based on your participation in TSCL's annual Senior Survey is proof of that. … Continued
