Thrive Massage For LaborThis year, Medicare Part B premiums are completely offsetting COLAs for many. TSCL recently delivered letters to Congress sharing concerns from supporters around the country who saw no increase in their net benefit in 2018 despite the fact that they are receiving the largest COLA in five years. For example, one supporter of The Senior Citizens League Roland R. of Rockwall, TX was quoted in the letter, saying: "My wife and I were frustrated to see that our Medicare premium increases for Part B and Part D would be greater than the 2% COLA … Medicare is managing to reduce our 'take home' benefits for the third straight year.".To learn more about what you may itemize and how much you can deduct, visit and download instructions for Schedule A Form 1040 Itemized Deductions..You would be FAR better off waiting until after you turn 66 to start benefits at your full retirement age. After reaching full retirement age, you can receive benefits and earn as much as you want with no reduction to your benefits. … Continued
Cancer Patient Marries His Bride In Mercy Hospital ChapelThe Senior Citizens League is relieved that Members of Congress were able to avert the Fiscal Cliff and provide a "doc fix" without enacting harsh benefit cuts. However, topics like "chaining" the Social Security COLA and increasing means testing measures within Medicare will likely resurface next month, when Congress will be required to raise the debt ceiling address the spending cuts once again. In the meantime, TSCL will continue to inform Members of Congress about the consequences of cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website..The COLA is intended to protect the purchasing power of the benefits received by older and disabled Americans. A 30 percent loss in buying power over a 20 - year retirement period indicates the COLA is failing to provide that protection. The Social Security COLA, as currently calculated, is a poor match to the price changes actually experienced by the people it is intended to protect..Calculating the COLA in this manner would remove more of the uncertainty in years of economic recession and high unemployment and it would reflect inflation two ways - the growth in average wages which determine the average benefit, as well as the growth in prices. The national average Social Security benefit tends to rise most years, because new people coming onto the rolls tend to have higher wages than people who retired ahead of them. Indexing using this method would still tend to ensure a small boost to benefits even in years when inflation is so low that no COLA is payable. … Continued