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But the promise of Medicare is in jeopardy today because some in Washington have misguided priorities. A proposal put forth by Congressman Paul Ryan that I was proud to vote against earlier this year, would end the Medicare guarantee by turning the traditional program into a handout for private insurance companies..For information on upcoming town hall meetings, click HERE. For updates on the progress of the BCRA in the coming days, follow TSCL on Twitter or visit the Legislative News section of our website..Congress Passes Defense Bill but President Trump says He Will Veto.Now Medicare Part A is facing insolvency once again, this time around 202Health policy experts are now proposing that the revenues raised by the 3.8% net investment income tax should be "re-directed" to the Part A Trust Fund rather than the federal government's general revenue..too..The stakes are high for retirees, who want Congressional action. Eighty eight percent of those of you who took our 2021 Senior Survey want Congress to reduce prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices. Congressional inaction would cost all of us dearly, if lawmakers fail to take action to boost Social Security benefits and enact reforms that would strengthen Social Security's financing for decades to come..A balanced budget amendment to the constitution, like the one that was considered this year, would prohibit the federal government from spending more than it collects in revenues each year. It's a budget gimmick that would essentially make it unconstitutional for Social Security and Medicare to use the trust fund reserves they currently have to pay out benefits, because it would prohibit "borrowing" even when new revenues are insufficient to pay out benefits. Additionally, the federal government would be prohibited from repaying the .7 trillion it currently owes to the Social Security trust funds..This week, seven new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security 2100 Act, bringing the total up to eighty-four. The new cosponsors are: Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Marc Veasey, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Chellie Pingree, Joyce Beatty, and Peter DeFazio..low - income Medicare beneficiaries whose Part B is paid for by state Medicaid programs, and,

Information Technology Letter From The Chair

The main point is that this program would be limited in scale, and only available in certain types of plans, which means only in certain areas of the country. The premiums of these plans would be higher for all enrollees due to the capping of the cost of insulin to the patient, but not actually lowering the cost of insulin overall. That means the supplemental insurance plan would still be paying the full cost of insulin that is charged by the drug companies. To pay for that, the insurance companies would likely increase the costs of their Medicare supplement plans to all who are covered, not just those who are diabetic..There were reports recently that Republicans in the House of Representatives are insisting that stemming the growth of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid costs is necessary. Bloomberg news reported on a House Budget Committee hearing about a new Congressional Budget Office report that projects trillion-dollar deficits for the next decade..I put the soda on the window ledge and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. … Continued

Services And Security

First, the Social Security 2100 Act gained one new cosponsor in Representative Diana DeGette, bringing the cosponsor total to 17If signed into law, H.R. 1902 would strengthen Social Security benefits by make cost-of-living adjustments more adequate, increasing monthly benefits by 2%, creating a new Special Minimum Benefit equal to 125% of the poverty line, providing a tax cut to Social Security beneficiaries, applying the payroll tax to annual income over 0,000, and gradually increasing the payroll tax rate by 0.25%..TSCL believes this would make no sense. It would rewards people for breaking our workplace laws at the same time Congress is considering major changes that would reduce benefits of those who paid into the system legally. TSCL supports legislation that would ban earnings made while in the U.S. illegally, from being counted toward entitlement to Social Security, including H.R. 787 the "No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act," introduced by Representative Dana Rohrabacher, and S. 95 introduced by Senator David Vitter..The poll raises questions about both the adequacy of Social Security benefits, and proposals that would make seniors pay an even bigger share of their healthcare costs in the future. According to the Social Security Administration, the median income for retirees aged 65 and older is just ,056.[1] In 2010, the most recent year for which data is available, Medicare beneficiaries spent ,734 on out-of-pocket costs on average, including premiums for Medicare and other supplemental insurance or health plans.[2] … Continued