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In addition, TSCL announced its support for legislation from Rep. Grace Meng that would address the Social Security Notch once and for all. It would allow Notch victims born between the years 1917 and 1926 to choose between a ,000 lump sum payment or an improved monthly benefit calculation. TSCL firmly believes that Congress must provide some compensation to victims of the Notch injustice, and we are hopeful that Congresswoman Meng's bill will be approved by the end of this year..TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 2575, H.R. 1205, and H.R. 242, and we were pleased to see support grow for each one this week. For more information about these and other bills, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website..In December of 2020, about 1.9 million people, or about 3% of all Social Security beneficiaries, were affected by WEP. This provision applies to workers who are entitled to both Social Security benefits as well as to pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. School teachers and firemen are two good examples. Before 1983, those whose primary employment wasn't covered by Social Security could still receive the full amount of any Social Security benefits they may have earned, assuming they had worked long enough to qualify. Today though, people affected by the WEP must have their benefits calculated using a different benefit formula. The WEP can reduce Social Security benefits by up to half the amount of the individual's pension from non-covered work..The Bipartisan Policy Center points out in a recent blog, that each of these sources of revenues is negatively impacted by high unemployment. When people are out of work, no payroll taxes are withheld from earnings. A portion of Social Security benefits is taxable when a Social Security recipient has an income higher than ,000 or ,000 for a couple filing jointly. But the coronavirus recession has impacted both earnings from jobs and the value of retirement accounts, so that fewer retirees will meet the income thresholds that make their benefits taxable this year. Finally, the Federal Reserve has responded to the recession by cutting interest rates, which means that the yields on the bonds held by the Social Security Trust Funds are smaller and will provide lower interest income. A recession also causes a higher number of new claims when older workers are forced to retire earlier than planned, raising costs in the short term..I'm diabetic and get my blood testing supplies via mail order. When I called to order my next shipment I was told I would have to pay the full cost of supplies and my credit card was charged. I thought Medicare covered the cost..You can use the Social Security Administration's earnings test calculator to see how earnings could affect your benefit payments..Possibly. A great deal will depend on how much of your 401 and IRA distributions are taxable. A quick way to check is to take one-half of your total Social Security benefits, add to that all taxable pensions, wages, interest, dividends and other taxable income. Then add any tax-exempt interest income. This is called your "provisional" income..Take a Monthly Poll!.The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that the standard Medicare Part B premium will be 8.50 in 2021, an increase of .90 per month from 4.60 in 2020. That increase, which I earlier feared would be considerably more, was restricted by legislation enacted last fall. But even with legislation to keep the Medicare Part B flat, the Part B premium still went up 2.6% over 2020, twice as much as the annual cost-of-living adjustment. This trend of Medicare costs increasing several times faster than Social Security benefits creates chronic headaches for retirees, as the Medicare Part B premium consumes a growing share of Social Security benefits.