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In 2017, you are allowed to earn ,880 or in the months prior to full retirement age without any reduction to your benefits. If you earn more than that, Social Security will withhold in benefits for every over that amount..Congress should enact legislation that would require greater Congressional review and approval of future totalization agreements..For details, or to see if your Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings before the November elections, call their local offices. You can find contact information HERE. For more sample town hall questions, click HERE..One of the biggest traps to determining Medicare premiums based on income is how the government defines "high income." Social Security's rules can snag even modest-income people. This can happen when a home is sold or when converting retirement accounts. One-time capital gains can put seniors over the Medicare income thresholds. The higher Medicare premiums reduce monthly Social Security benefits for an entire year. Should your mother's income in 2010 return to more modest levels she won't have to pay the means test premium surcharges and her Social Security benefit should return to more normal levels next year..Spanberger Bill Aims to Shed Light on Prescription Drug Pricing.The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program is part of the healthcare overhaul law and would allow workers to pay into a fund that would provide a daily cash benefit for long-term care services. The program has been delayed since October after officials failed to meet the law's provisions of being voluntary, solvent, and self-sustaining for 75 years..Regardless of when you decide to start benefits, you should enroll in Medicare when you turn age 6Failure to enroll by your Medicare deadline may result in permanent enrollment penalties that you would add to the cost of your Medicare Part B premiums for the rest of the time you have Medicare..At the celebratory event, the President told his audience, "This got done because of you; because you called, you emailed, you tweeted your representatives and you demanded action. You made it clear that you wanted to see some common sense in Washington.".Two Ways and Means Subcommittees held hearings on reforming Medicare and Social Security this week. On Tuesday, the Health Subcommittee heard from a panel of experts on Medicare reform, and on Thursday, the Social Security Subcommittee met to discuss potential changes to the program.

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According to the Senior Citizens League, recipients of Social Security have seen a 30 percent decrease in their buying power since 2000. Additionally, seniors who are enrolled in Medicare Part B programs or own homes have faced particularly large cost increases. This is because COLAs have not kept up with the increase in seniors' expenses and it is simply unacceptable. This needs to change..Annual cuts to healthcare providers. The Affordable Care Act provided for a number of cost-cutting mechanisms that cut government spending on hospitals and other healthcare providers. Medicare's Chief Actuary and the Congressional Budget Office have raised doubts that the savings targets can be achieved over a prolonged period of time, without providers dropping out of Medicare. Media reports already suggest that a growing number of Medicare beneficiaries are left with significant uncovered costs as hospitals keep patients listed as outpatients rather than inpatients due to new rules that penalize hospitals for frequent readmissions. TSCL is concerned that these sorts of problems may escalate as provisions of the Affordable Care Act are implemented..Republicans, so far, have been unwilling to go along with any Democratic proposals although there is still bi-partisan work going on in the Senate to try and come up with legislation to lower drug prices. … Continued

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In addition, according to the CBO's analysis, around 15 million fewer individuals would receive coverage through the Medicaid program, which currently covers the cost of long-term care for one in five Medicare beneficiaries. The BCRA would do away with the current Medicaid reimbursement system where the federal government matches state Medicaid expenditures and replace it with a new formula that would be tied to inflation. If costs grow more quickly than reimbursements as they are expected to, states would likely need to cut benefits, increase taxes, or restrict Medicaid eligibility..In January, one-third of all Medicare beneficiaries will see a Part B premium increase of 22 percent the highest increase in 27 years. Do you believe Congress should take action like it did last year to prevent the dramatic increase?.In recent years a growing number of Medicare beneficiaries are entering hospitals for observation care rather than as inpatients. The number rose 69% in five years according to the most recent national statistics, but over the same period Medicare hospital admissions have declined. … Continued