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Gradually Raising the Payroll Tax Cap: The payroll tax cap has not kept pace with changing income patterns over the past few decades, so it makes sense to adjust the maximum taxable wages to realign them with the originally intended level. Gradually raising the cap to cover 90 percent of the nation's taxable earnings by 2050 would allow it to once again represent the same percentage of that figure that it did as recently as the early 1980s..In addition, one new cosponsor Rep. Steve Cohen signed on to the bipartisan CPI for Seniors Act. The cosponsor total is now at three in the House. If adopted, it would mandate the monthly formulation and publication of a consumer price index specifically for seniors. Currently, Social Security cost-of-living adjustments are based on the inflation experienced by young, urban workers, but H.R. 2016 would establish a more accurate index for beneficiaries..Even before the coronavirus pandemic Congress was facing tough decisions on how to strengthen the Medicare's Part A Hospital Insurance trust fund. But Congress is now running out of time and will need to move soon on a plan to prolong program solvency..Starting January 1, 2014, all Americans are required to have health insurance. People who can afford it, but don't purchase health insurance by that date, may have to pay a fee, and must also pay the entire cost of all medical care they may later require. The fee in 2014 is 1% of your yearly income, or per person for the year, whichever is higher and that fee increases every year. By 2016, it is 2.5% of income, or 5 per person, whichever is higher..Check My or your last "Medicare Summary Notice" to see if you've met your deductibles. Deductibles are the amount you must pay before the service is covered, and vary widely depending on the type of coverage you have in addition to Medicare Part A and Part B..Notch Reform is far from being over though. Officially there are more co-sponsors of "The Notch Fairness Act" than ever before at the end of the first year of a session of Congress and support is ahead of last-sessions record-breaking numbers. With enough co-sponsors signed on, TSCL and the grass roots can help force the bill to the floor for a straight up and down vote. We urge you, and the families of all Notch Babies, to contact your Members of Congress. Ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 615, and enact "The Notch Fairness Act.".If you or a family member have limited income and have trouble paying Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket costs, Medicare Savings Programs may help. If you qualify, you may get help paying for your Medicare premiums and deductibles and coinsurance if your income and savings meet the limits. In addition, you automatically qualify for Extra Help paying the costs of Medicare prescription drug coverage..The twenty-nine member budget conference seemed to reach a standstill this week. Three weeks remain before the official December 13th deadline, but House and Senate appropriators requested a top-line spending number before November 22nd the start of the week-long Thanksgiving recess and the conferees failed to deliver..New IRS medical expense rules for people age 65 and over reduce the amount of medical expenses you can deduct for the 2017 tax year. In 2017, you or - you and your spouse - can deduct the amount of unreimbursed allowable medical expenses that is more than 10% of your adjusted gross income. Last year people over the age of 65 were allowed to deduct medical expenses that were over 7.5% of the AGI.