What do you think about expanding the role of Medicare Advantage plans? Visit us at and send us your comments..Seniors born from 1917 through 1926, known as "Notch Babies" receive lower Social Security benefits than other retirees with almost identical earnings histories. Do you support Notch Reform legislation that would provide a choice of ,000 payable in four annual installments or an improved monthly benefit?.More than 5 million Social Security recipients with the lowest benefits are unlikely to see any net growth in their monthly checks after deduction of the Medicare Part B premium in 2019, according to a new analysis released by The Senior Citizens League. This will occur despite their receiving the highest cost-of-living adjustment in seven years. Those affected have a gross Social Security benefit of about 5 per month or less before deduction of the Part B premium. According to the analysis, the dollar amount of their Part B premium increase will be more than the dollar amount of their COLA. "This would make the fourth year in a row that this particular group has not seen a boost in their net Social Security benefits after the deduction for Medicare Part B premiums," says Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for the League.\.The rate of growth in the number of older Americans who receive Social Security has slowed sharply recently, and the drop may be due in large part to the large number of deaths from COVID-19 among people age 65 and up. In March of 2021, the number of people receiving retirement benefits from the Social Security Administration rose 900,000 to 46.5 million, the smallest year - over - year gain since April 2009..Senior advocates are concerned that all of Medicare's 60 million beneficiaries will likely see their premiums for Medicare Part B, and Medigap supplements, rise significantly to cover this one new medication. Because the drug is administered in a physician's office, it would be covered under Medicare Part B, not part D plans which pay for drugs purchased from pharmacies. Medicare typically reimburses doctors 103% of the list price of drugs administered in their office..Meanwhile, the House of Representatives announced they will also be taking the usual August recess if they get needed legislation passed before then..In a rare holiday session, Members of the House and Senate voted to pass the American Taxpayer Relief Act in order to avert the Fiscal Cliff. With votes of 89-8 in the Senate and 257-167 in the House, the bill was approved in the first hours of the New Year, and it was signed into law by the President on Wednesday. The measure permanently extends the Bush-era tax rates for individuals making less than 0,000 and couples making less than 0,000, and it allows rates to increase for those making more. The law also temporarily prevents a 27 percent pay cut for physicians who treat Medicare patients, and it includes a two-month postponement of the automatic spending cuts that were scheduled to take effect on January 1st..Are benefit cuts inevitable when Social Security's financing runs low in a few years? Your participation in this November's presidential election will play a critical role in how this question will be answered..Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in El Paso, Texas, May 10, 201"Senate Democrats Reintroduce Dream Act," Jennifer Steinhauer, The New York Times, May 11, 201"Green Card for a Family Member of a U.S. Citizen," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as of May 11, 2011.
