2013 Medicare & You, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, October, 2012..Here are some other deductions you might be able to itemize:.Since you were born in 1954, however, you qualify to use a "restricted application" strategy to maximize your benefits at full retirement age. Waiting just two more years could significantly boost lifetime Social Security income. People born after 1954 may no longer use this strategy, so consider this:.Your employer has more than 20 employees..The legislation prevents a 19% Social Security disability benefit cut by a short-term reallocation of payroll tax revenue in 2016 through 201This would be sufficient to pay benefits until 2022 and would not affect the 2034 depletion date of the Social Security retirement trust fund, according to Social Security's Chief Actuary..The annual COLA is tied to the rise in inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation has been at record lows in most of the seven years since 2009, averaging just 1.2 percent. In the decade prior to 2009, COLAs averaged more than 3 percent. And although low inflation can be helpful to younger wage earners and workers, "it's not always a boon for people receiving Social Security benefits," says Ed Cates, Chairman of TSCL..Several lawmakers at Wednesday's hearing also asked Congressman Price whether he supports legislation like the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, which would allow HHS to negotiate prescription drug prices on behalf of Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Doing so would save the Medicare program billions of dollars annually and would reduce drug costs for older Americans. TSCL was disappointed that Congressman Price refused to answer these inquiries directly, instead expressing his commitment to ensuring that "drug pricing is reasonable.".Under current law, the federal government matches state Medicaid spending for everyone whose income is low enough to qualify, which is tied to the federal poverty level of ,060 or ,240. Under current law, as Medicaid spending increases due to rising program costs there are no caps on what the federal government contributes. Under the House and Senate health care bills, the federal government would switch to reimbursing states using a capped amount, regardless of the actual growth in costs in a state. If costs grow faster states would have to make up the difference.."Nearly half of beneficiaries said they avoided care because they didn't want to risk being in a medical facility, while 35% said they didn't want to leave their home. And 23% reported feeling more lonely or sad."
