If your year has been like mine, you've had a number of Medicare aggravations during which you promised yourself to look into different health and drug plan options at your first opportunity. Medicare's Fall Open Enrollment is underway, and this is your opportunity to compare plans make changes to your coverage..While your Members of Congress are in their home states and districts, it is the perfect time to approach them at local events and request their support for a fair Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and other key issues.."Relief From Deportation: Demographic Profile Of The DREAMers Potentially Eligible Under The Deferred Action Policy, Migration Policy Institute, August 2012..During debate on the bill, it was proposed that Washington's Birthday be renamed Presidents' Day to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln ; although Lincoln's birthday was celebrated in many states, it was never an official federal holiday. Following much discussion, Congress rejected the name change. After the bill went into effect in 1971, however, Presidents' Day became the commonly accepted name, due in part to retailers' use of that name to promote sales and the holiday's proximity to Lincoln's birthday. Presidents' Day is usually marked by public ceremonies in Washington, D.C., and throughout the country..TSCL agrees, and we fear that if triggered, the IPAB's recommendations could lead to higher costs for seniors or decreased access to quality medical care. We are enthusiastic supporters of Rep. Roe's bill, and we were pleased to see it win passage in the House this week..The Obama Administration recently opened the "illegals may apply" window at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Even before the government started accepting applications, estimates of those expected to qualify, more than doubled from the original government projections released just two months earlier. Nearly 1.8 million illegal immigrants under the age of 31 could become eligible. As details emerge, TSCL is concerned that the program is far broader than early announcements suggested..Travel expenses to and from medical treatments. In 2018, the standard mileage rate for tax purposes is.18 cents per mile for medical purposes. Keep a travel log for documentation..This week, one new cosponsor Rep. John Tierney signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act, bringing the total up fifty-seven. If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers, resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments, and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. H.R. 3118 would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors..A senior with the average Social Security benefit in 2000 received 6 per month, a figure that rose to ,129.80 by 201However, that senior would require a Social Security benefit of ,477.00 per month in 2013 just to maintain his or her 2000 buying power.
