Minneapolis Heart Institute Patient Stories When It Comes To Heart Disease Family History MattersBut our fight to protect seniors doesn't stop there. My bill also ends the nonsensical practice of "double taxation" on Social Security benefits for middle class seniors. Currently, many seniors pay taxes when they receive their Social Security benefits, even though they were taxed to create those benefits throughout their working lives. That's wrong! Providing a tax cut to middle class seniors while increasing the sustainability of Social Security is something everyone in Congress can and should agree on..The Republican platform assures current beneficiaries and those nearing retirement that their benefits will remain untouched, and that all changes to the program will aim to preserve the solvency of the Social Security trust funds. It explicitly states that all plans to increase tax revenues like the increase in the payroll tax cap that the Democrats proposed will not be supported. It states, "As Republicans, we oppose tax increases and believe in the power of markets to create wealth and to help secure the future of our Social Security system."."But all bets would be off if the current payroll tax system is eliminated, or changed to something else," Johnson says. Getting rid of the payroll tax raises a great many questions as to how benefits would be calculated. Currently, retirement benefits are calculated on the 35 years of highest earnings. "Because wages tend to grow over time, replacing the current system with something else could mean lower benefits," Johnson points out. … Continued
Care Feeling Anxious About A Post Pandemic World Youre Not AloneThis week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill to begin the "lame duck" session of Congress. Those in the Senate plus Republicans in the House held leadership elections for the 116th Congress. In the Senate, key leadership positions will remain largely unchanged in 201Senator Mitch McConnell will once again serve as the Senate Majority Leader, while Senator Chuck Schumer will remain the Minority Leader in the 116th Congress..Several provisions within the H-CARE act include; increasing payments to Rural Health Clinics, authorizing to million annually for grants to rural providers to help with the cost of implementing health information technology, requiring prompt payment to rural pharmacies by Medicare prescription drug plans and ensuring that rural Americans are appropriately represented on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission..This year, Social Security beneficiaries are receiving a COLA of just 0.3 percent, and in 2016, they received no COLA at all. Since 2012, COLAs have averaged 1 percent less than half of the 3 percent average during the decade prior but most beneficiaries have seen no benefit increase at all in several years due to rising Medicare Part B premiums. … Continued