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As always, TSCL will be working with members of Congress to ensure that the legislation we have been fighting for on behalf of TSCL supporters is introduced and then passed into law..Higher out-of-pocket costs: The drawback to MA plans is higher out-of-pocket costs. Where Medigap supplements pay most or almost all of your covered out-of-pocket costs, there are co-pays and deductibles for most services received through MA plans. Depending on the type of MA plan you are considering you may be required to use a narrower network of healthcare providers in order to get the lowest costs. If you are considering an HMO you will be required to use only the doctors, hospitals and providers in the HMO network, or neither the MA plan nor Medicare will reimburse your bills..Deaths related to COVID-19 were higher among American Indian and Alaskan Native persons, Hispanics, Blacks and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander persons than whites. Among nearly all these ethnic and racial minority groups, the COVID-19 related deaths were more than double the death rate of non-Hispanic white persons..Several times in the hearing, repeal of the Windfall Elimination was mentioned as a priority issue. The Windfall Elimination Provision is simply a recalculation of Social Security benefit for individuals who also have a pension from "non-covered" work. The normal Social Security calculation formula is substituted with a new calculation that usually results in a lower benefit amount. H.R. 141 and S. 521 would repeal this provision..Is this fair? Should Congress change the indexing of the Social Security COLA to strengthen Social Security benefits? Click here to take our new 2019 Social Security survey..TSCL believes this offensive policy is long overdue for a change. Social Security provides monthly income to retirees and we believe retirees are entitled to every last dime, including benefits for the month in which they die. Payment for the final month is especially important as you point out because medical and funeral expenses can be significant..A report about the memo, which was published in Politico, a Washington, D.C., based news service, also stated that the lawyer "and his office late last week instructed administration officials to seek guidance from the DOJ's public integrity section, which deals with election crimes, before moving forward with the drug-discount plan. That has further stalled the plan as the health department waits for DOJ review, said two officials.".The inequities don't stop at the different eligibility rules. The new Medicaid benefits aren't available in every state. In 25 states and Washington D.C., Medicaid will for the first time be open to anyone younger than age 65 whose income is no more than 133% of the federal poverty level, ,856 a year. But people living in one of the twenty-five states that have decided not to expand their Medicaid programs will be left out. Younger seniors in those states aren't receiving the same benefit opportunities because the Supreme Court ruled that Obamacare could not compel states to expand their Medicaid programs.."New Generic Drugs Can Save You Money," Consumer Reports magazine, May 2012.

After Death Panel Nonsense Medicare Adopts Improved Hospice Policy
"At the same time Social Security payroll taxes have taken a huge hit due to tens of millions of people out of work, claims for Social Security will grow faster in 2020 than anticipated, as older adults lose their jobs," says Johnson. Before the start of the coronavirus recession, many older workers may have delayed claiming Social Security to allow their benefits to grow. "But those who lose their jobs may have to go ahead and claim Social Security benefits now because they can't afford to wait - especially if their retirement accounts have gone down significantly in value as well," Johnson says..After passing The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act late last month, Congressional leaders quickly began selecting conferees to be named on the payroll tax conference committee. The bi-partisan panel will negotiate details beyond the 60-day payroll tax holiday extension and "doc fix" that will expire March 1st..If you didn't sign up with Medicare for Part A and/or Part B when you first turned 65, because you were covered by your own or your wife's company's plan, you may need to sign up during the 8-month period that began after your wife's employment ended in order to avoid a late enrollment penalty. … Continued

The Best Jobs Of My Life Legislative Staff Reflect Oas Episode 23
While a compromise was not reached, some consider the automatic budget cuts as a silver lining. "The good news, if there is no agreement, the nation is going to end up with what Republicans said, there will be a dollar spending reduction for every dollar increase in the debt ceiling" said Hensarling. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney echoed the same optimism: "It's important to remember, however, that because of the Budget Control Act, the 1.2 trillion dollars that the Super Committee was supposed to achieve in deficit reduction will happen regardless.".One way to strengthen Social Security is to do what's known as "scrapping the cap." Americans only contribute to Social Security on the first 7,200 in income earned every year. That makes no sense. Why should the very wealthiest get a tax break, when nurses, electricians, and grocery store clerks pay into the system on 100 percent of their earnings? Closing this loophole would extend the program for at least another generation..The hold harmless provision kicks in when the dollar amount of an individual's Medicare Part B premium rises more than the dollar amount of an individual's COLA adjustment to prevent a reduction in Social Security benefits. The provision applies to individuals with incomes below ,000, and whose Medicare Part B premium is automatically deducted from their Social Security benefits. Johnson estimates that about 35.5 million Social Security recipients were held harmless in 2016 and 201"People who have been held harmless in both those years are paying premiums that are roughly 8 per month in 2017 on average, a difference of about from the current 4 premium. However, for many of those people, especially those with below - average Social Security benefits, the 2018 COLA won't be high enough to cover the full 4 Part B premium. … Continued

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