Two Bills Gain Cosponsors.The Obama Administration recently opened the "illegals may apply" window at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Even before the government started accepting applications, estimates of those expected to qualify, more than doubled from the original government projections released just two months earlier. Nearly 1.8 million illegal immigrants under the age of 31 could become eligible. As details emerge, TSCL is concerned that the program is far broader than early announcements suggested..TSCL would like to thank Representatives Kristi Noem, Sean Duffy, and Mick Mulvaney for taking the time discuss the issues that matter the most to our members and supporters. TSCL also met with top staffers in the offices of the following Members of Congress: Jim Matheson, Linda Sanchez, Norm Dicks, Steve Stivers, William Keating, Janice Hahn, and Robert Hurt..There are special rules that allow you to delay sign up for Medicare Part B when you receive healthcare benefits through work. You need to satisfy these three requirements:.Despite receiving the largest Social Security cost of living adjustment in five years, the majority of retired and disabled beneficiaries will not see any increase in their net Social Security benefits in January, warns The Senior Citizens League. A big jump in Medicare Part B premiums is to blame. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that the Medicare Part B premium will be 4 for next year. That's the same amount that the Part B premium is today, but tens of millions of Medicare beneficiaries are paying less than that this year. Millions of beneficiaries pay roughly less - and their annual COLA may not be enough to cover the difference..For progress updates or for more information about these and other bills that would strengthen Social Security and Medicare programs, visit the our website at, follow TSCL on Twitter or Facebook..The House of Representatives, on the other hand, has passed 10 of the 12 funding bills that are needed, with only the Homeland Security and Legislative branch funding bills left. Because there is so little time left before the start of the new fiscal year there is the real possibility there could be a government shutdown right before the November election..In the months before the deal was reached, two Congressional Committees called upon organizations, advocates and other stakeholders to offer their ideas for strengthening the program's finances. TSCL submitted a set of recommendations in August, and then in September, we met with key aides on the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee to discuss our proposal in detail..Though the special deficit committee on deficit reduction failed to reach an agreement last week, it appears that the Super Committee was successful in shaping the discussion for future Medicare savings. "Premium support" refers to a plan in which Medicare would subsidize premiums charged by private insurers that care for beneficiaries under government contract. Experts suggest this plan is gaining support. "This is an idea that could easily resurface in the future as Congress seeks additional Medicare savings for deficit reduction," said Patricia Neuman, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
