Ncsl in dc publications and resources capitol to capitol oct 21 2019 data image png base64 iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAHsAAAAVCAYAAABmOZFVAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAARnQU1BAACxjwv8YQUAAAAJcEhZcwAAEnQAABJ0Ad5mH3gAAABPSURBVGhD7dExAcAwDMCwdPxZBVj7jIWsxwB8dvdOCN fAJoNaTak2ZBmQ5oNaTak2ZBmQ5oNaTak2ZBmQ5oNaTak2ZBmQ5oNaTak2YyZByvoA3Lay1 oAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC

When people file a claim for benefits, Social Security determines both entitlement to, and the amount of, benefits based on earnings history, NOT the amount of taxes paid in. Under current law, all earnings for which there is evidence are used to determine an individual's benefits, even if the earnings were for jobs worked under invalid and fraudulent Social Security numbers. Thus executive action on immigration could open Social Security and Medicare to significant long-term costs based on work performed while illegal..The report's most critical finding was that Social Security's Disability Insurance trust fund remains in serious financial trouble. It is projected to become insolvent in 2016, and if Congress fails to take action, beneficiaries will see a 19 percent benefit cut next December. For the average disabled enrollee, that would amount to almost 0 less in monthly benefits. Each of the six Trustees urged lawmakers to reallocate the payroll tax immediately to address the program's insolvency, and to begin considering long-term solutions that will strengthen both of Social Security's trust funds..Two Bills Gain Support.If signed into law, the bill would take several steps to strengthen the Social Security program. It would make the cost-of-living adjustment more accurate by adopting an inflation index specifically for seniors, increase the minimum Social Security benefit to 125 percent of the poverty line, and enact an across-the-board benefit increase of approximately 2 percent, among other things. It would also responsibly strengthen the program's finances and ensure that the trust fund is fully solvent through the year 2100..Petition to Congress in Support of Social Security Notch Reform.In 1988, a report by the former U. S. General Accounting Office, now the Government Accountability Office, cited an example of two sisters who started working at the same book bindery, on the same day, in October 195Audrey was born in March 1916, and Edith in June of 191The two had almost identical lifetime earnings. The younger sister Edith received a monthly benefit of 2.60, 1.80 less than her older sister Audrey, who received 4.40 per month..Thus the new formula went into effect almost immediately for most people and is one reason why retirees born over the ten-year period of 1917 through 1926 were affected, not only those covered by the five-year phase-in. In addition, the economy did not perform the way Congress and the Social Security Administration assumed it would under the new benefit formula. Slower than anticipated wage growth, and higher than expected price inflation, resulted in even greater benefit reductions than under original assumptions. These economic conditions persisted for a decade, thus affecting those born over a ten-year period..Despite known challenges ahead for seniors, the COLA may be the next victim of the fiscal cliff. Leading deficit reduction plans under discussion would significantly whittle the Social Security benefits that the majority of seniors count on for more than half of their income..Fall Congressional Recess Continues

Medicaid Report Getting Into Gear For 2014 Shifting New Medicaid Eligibility And Enrollment Policies Into Drive
"The FDA's action came despite a 10-0 vote in November against approval by its panel of expert advisers, who were dubious that data from two clinical trials showed the drug was effective in early Alzheimer's patients with mild cognitive impairment; three members resigned in protest from the panel last week. The surprising decision leaves doctors turning back to data from those trials, which had conflicting results: One barely met its primary endpoint, and the other did not. As if that is not confusing enough, the mental decline that is considered an early sign of Alzheimer's disease is also present in other age-related disorders, which makes it hard to discern which patients have the disease.".President Trump recently signed an executive order intended to change Medicare by expanding the role of Medicare Advantage - the private insurance alternative to Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans have been growing in popularity in recent years enrolling about one third of the nation's 61 million Medicare enrollees..2017 TSCL Senior Survey, "5th Annual Consumer Survey on Social Security," Nationwide Retirement Institute, April 201"25% of High Earners Have a Huge Misunderstanding About Social Security," Retire With Money newsletter, Elizabeth O'Brien, Time.com, Money, April 25, 2018. … Continued

Medicaid Issue Brief Implications Of The Medicaid Fiscal Cliff For The Us Territories
For details, or to see if your Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings during the summer recess, call their local offices. You can find contact information HERE.."Given that conditions like Alzheimer's disease are defined mainly by memory problems, our results may lead to further insight into what causes symptoms and the development of new interventions for prevention. Since silent strokes and the volume of the hippocampus appeared to be associated with memory loss separately in our study, our results also support stroke prevention as a means for staving off memory problems," said Brickman..While the Social Security hold harmless provision provides important protection from Social Security reductions, more money is required to catch up to Medicare Part B levels in following years. If COLAs continue to remain low, premiums would adjusted again due to low COLAs. COLAs would have to be substantially higher in following years or the whole process would happen all over again. … Continued

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