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..The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that the standard Medicare Part B premium will be 8.50 in 2021, an increase of .90 per month from 4.60 in 2020. That increase, which I earlier feared would be considerably more, was restricted by legislation enacted last fall. But even with legislation to keep the Medicare Part B flat, the Part B premium still went up 2.6% over 2020, twice as much as the annual cost-of-living adjustment. This trend of Medicare costs increasing several times faster than Social Security benefits creates chronic headaches for retirees, as the Medicare Part B premium consumes a growing share of Social Security benefits..Government economists not only changed the math, they changed the underlying concept of the consumer price index itself. While the CPI formerly measured price changes of a fixed market basket of items from one period to the next, today the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses formulas more consistent with a theoretical cost-of-living concept. And because it is theoretical, it uses estimates and produces data that is subject to two revisions..Following the vote, Congressman Phil Roe the bill's sponsor said: "After practicing medicine for more than 30 years, I can tell you that no two patients are the same; that different approaches are required for different needs. IPAB is blind to this fact and will ration seniors' access to care through one-size-fits-all payment policies. We can do better, and it's time to go back to the drawing board.".In a statement released by TSCL on Thursday, Social Security and Medicare policy analyst Mary Johnson said: "Older middle-income Americans could shoulder a disproportionate share of taxes under these changes, and get pushed more quickly into higher tax brackets than they are today … The changes under consideration may provide some modestly lower federal income taxes at first, but the benefits for many people would be short-lived.".This week, TSCL announced its support for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher's No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act. The bill, if signed into law, would prohibit unauthorized workers from receiving Social Security benefits based on work done while in the country illegally, using stolen, fake, or fraudulent Social Security numbers..Even more surprising is what isn't showing up on the list - medical costs. The cost of medical care services still increased 2.5 times faster than the COLA, rising by 3.2 percent. That's nothing new. In many years medical costs have increased more rapidly than in 2020. Emergency coronavirus legislation last spring restricted what providers could charge for many COVID-19 related services, and large numbers of patients and their doctors postponed non-urgent care..For those planning retirement however, it is the estimated dollar amount in Social Security benefits, not the replacement rate, that what one uses to determine a retirement budget, or how much more one will need to save for retirement. When one retires, it is the actual benefit amount, not the replacement rate that one must live on. One of the most frequent requests for services received by Social Security Administration is for an estimate of benefits. While no promises of benefits are made, millions of estimates are made annually. If the rules are changed abruptly, as they were for those born during the Notch period, this leaves no time to save for the shortfalls in benefits..In advocating for emergency COLAs TSCL has in the past, recommended that legislation contain wording that such COLA increases and Social Security benefits boosts be disregarded or not counted, in determining eligibility for SNAP, rental assistance, and other low - income benefits. In addition, TSCL is calling on Congress to pass a ,400 stimulus payment for Social Security recipients, to help offset potential reductions or loss of low-income benefits.

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This week, lawmakers in the House remained in their home districts to continue the summer recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill next Tuesday, September 4th. In the days ahead, many Members of Congress will be attending local events and hosting town hall meetings in their home districts. The Senior Citizens League encourages its supporters to attend these events and to ask important questions of their elected officials, like the following five..If enacted, this bill will make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible to American families. It will encourage drug companies to put people before profits, not the other way around..House Appropriations Committee Chair Hal Rogers has said he hopes to wrap up negotiations on policy riders by the end of Friday, so that a final version can be brought to the House floor early next week. He said, "My goal is Monday to be able to file the bill, to start the clock." … Continued

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Some 13% of the people who receive both Medicare and Medicaid are 85 and older. The youngest Notch Babies turned 85 last year, while the oldest turned 9With over four million Notch Babies and their widows, TSCL believes that roughly one-quarter of Notch Babies receive both Medicaid, as well as Medicare..According to Senator Thune, there is likely to be another major bill providing more money for businesses and others to keep the economy afloat. However, that may not happen until later in June or sometime in July. Obviously, that will use up time that would otherwise have been spent dealing with the other important issues Congress must address..Under traditional Medicare with Medigap, you have greater freedom to select providers and to travel and still get coverage. Medigap is the better choice for people who divide their time between homes in two different states, or who like to travel outside the U.S. Several Medigap plans cover foreign travel emergencies. On the other hand under many Medicare Advantage plans, you would need to follow your plan rules to get in-network care and would be more limited to specific geographic areas. If you join a Medicare HMO and then have a medical emergency in other part of the country where your plan does not operate you would foot 100% of the medical bill. … Continued

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