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Wrong answer, Mr. Mulvaney..As part of efforts to strengthen the Social Security system, Congress included the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset in the Social Security Act of 198While its intentions were noble, these changes did little to secure the Social Security system, and have instead unfairly penalized millions of public sector employees..Seniors have earned their Social Security benefits. It is our duty as elected representatives to protect them, which strengthens the fabric of our nation, making our society healthier and our communities stronger..Better access to quality, cheaper generic prescription drugs will provide real relief for many seniors and their families. With building bipartisan support, I'm very hopeful we can push this important reform through Congress..While most prescription drugs are paid for by beneficiaries and their Medicare Part D plans, Medicare Part B spends about billion on pricey drugs that must be given intravenously or by injection by trained healthcare professionals. Medicare pays the healthcare provider the average sales price, plus 6% for the costs associated with the purchase and storage of the medications. For example, if a drug costs ,000, the doctor would receive an additional 6% payment, or , but if a similar drug costing ,000 were used instead, the doctor would receive 0 instead..If enacted, this bill would address one of the key areas currently missing from our prescription drug market - competition. Just as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is already able to negotiate lower drug prices for its patients, Medicare should be given the freedom to do the same..Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at Wednesday's hearing expressed their strong interest in addressing the growing DI backlog. In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson said: "Today, over one million people are waiting for a hearing with a Social Security Administrative Law Judge, and on average these folks will wait around 600 days to get that hearing. That's nearly two years!" He continued, saying: "While not all of them will qualify for DI benefits, all of these people deserve an answer in a timely fashion. And for those who don't qualify for benefits, these long wait times make getting back to work even harder.".Here is why we say that..Alexandria, VA deadline is looming for more than 8.9 million disabled Social Security beneficiaries as well as 1.8 million of their children, warns The Senior Citizens League. So far Congress has not made public any long-term plan to head off a 20% cut of Social Security disability benefits that would occur in about two years. "All Social Security beneficiaries are waiting to learn how our newly elected lawmakers intend to remedy the situation," says TSCL Chairman, Ed Cates.

Medicare For All And Public Plan Buy In Proposals Overview And Key Issues

This week, one new cosponsor Rep. Matt Cartwright signed on to Rep. Peter DeFazio's No Loopholes in Social Security Taxes Act. The cosponsor total is now up to twenty-seven. If signed into law, Rep. DeFazio's bill would subject all income over 0,000 to the Social Security payroll tax. Currently, the payroll tax is capped at 3,700 and no income over that amount is taxed. H.R. 1029 would reportedly add another fifty years to the solvency of the Trust Fund in a responsible way, without reducing benefits for seniors..A new analysis by The Senior Citizens League, one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups, indicates that changes the government has already made in the late 1990s to how it calculates the CPI have resulted in cutting the Social Security benefits of today's seniors by about 7 percent since 2000. Social Security recipients, who retired with average monthly benefits of about 6 in 2000, lost 7 this year alone, and about ,293 in COLA growth over the past twelve years. According to the analysis, the CPI changes that became effective by 2000 will cut more than ,000 of Social Security income from individuals who retired with average benefits over a 25-year retirement. "Chaining the COLA would further deepen the loss of benefits," says Larry Hyland, Chairman of TSC.Cook big batches of soups, stews and casseroles, and freeze extrMake big batches of soups, stews and casseroles, then freeze servings for one or two. All use less expensive cuts of meats, poultry, and fish. Many can be stretched and made all the more delicious with the addition of vegetables and cooked dry beans. Save the most by making your own stocks, rather than buying the heavily sodium-laden variety off the shelf. A simple stock or stew base requires only carrots, onion, and celery, perhaps some garlic, water, and a small amount of salt. Try growing your own parsley and thyme to add year round. Recycle yogurt, cottage cheese and other small plastic containers for freezer containers. Mark with contents and date. … Continued

State Indicator Adults Reporting Unmet Need For Mental Health Treatment In The Past Year

Congress should enact legislation that would require greater Congressional review and approval of future totalization agreements..In 2006, Johnson first forecast that the hold-harmless provision - which at the time was virtually unknown by the public - would begin to be triggered more often by the year 2012, due to rapid growth in Medicare Part B premiums and weak growth in COLAs. Indeed that provision was first triggered on a nation-wide basis in 2010, and triggered again in 2011, when inflation was too low for a COLA to be payable, and the Medicare Part B premium subsequently soared..This years study of retiree costs found that between January of 2000 and January of 2019, Social Security COLAs increased Social Security benefits by 50 percent, but the costs of goods and services purchased by typical retirees rose more than twice as fast - 100.3 percent. Food and medical costs - particularly for fresh fruits and vegetables, and prescription drugs - were among the most rapidly - rising costs over the past year. The study examines the growth since 2000 in price of goods and services that are typical for retired and disabled households, and, compares them to the growth in Social Security benefits due to annual COLAs. … Continued