This week, the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees released their highly anticipated annual reports on the financial status of the two programs. In addition, lawmakers remained in their home states and districts to continue the two-week spring recess..Will Social Security Changes Affect Our Plans?.According to a recent nation-wide survey conducted by The Senior Citizens League, almost one-third of older taxpayers, 30 percent, say they itemize deductions for healthcare costs, and about 56 percent say that a portion of their Social Security benefits are taxable. "Taxpayers who may be postponing needed medical or dental services, getting glasses, or filling expensive prescriptions may want to consider doing so before the end of the year, in order to maximum the medical expense deduction in 2018," Johnson says..This creates problems especially in emergency room visits when the patient may require pricey services such as those from an air ambulance, doctor or other provider that does not have a contract with the patient's Medicare Advantage plan. When health plans get such bills, they can reject the claim and patients wind up on the hook for the "balance bill." While the average emergency room visit is just above 0, some patients have received surprise bills greater than 0,000 from out-of-network providers..TSCL opposes the BCRA since it would undermine the health and financial stability of older Americans if signed into law. In the days ahead, we will continue to advocate against its passage on Capitol Hill. In the meantime, we encourage our members and supporters to contact their Senators to request their opposition to the bill. Calls from constituents have already made a significant difference in slowing down the movement of the bill through the Senate. Leaders originally hoped to hold a vote on the BCRA by Friday, June 30th, but because they could not secure the fifty votes needed, they have decided to postpone the vote until they return from the week-long holiday recess..Those include pharmacy benefit managers, insurers, hospitals and others in the biopharmaceutical supply chain. Meanwhile, a greater share of the cost of medicine has shifted onto patients..According to Congressional Quarterly, appropriators will begin conference negotiations to reconcile their fiscal 2015 bills this summer, leaving plenty of time before the mid-term elections and the October 1st start of the fiscal year. In the meantime, TSCL will continue to keep a close eye on the Labor-HHS-Education measure, since significant funding decreases could negatively impact the Social Security and Medicare programs..This week, Members of the Senate voted to confirm Sylvia Mathews Burwell as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, The Senior Citizens League saw two key bills gain support..The high dose vaccine contains four times the amount of antigen as a regular flu shot. It is associated with a stronger immune response following vaccination. Results from a clinical trial of more than 30,000 participants showed that adults 65 years and older who received the high dose vaccine had 24% fewer influenza illnesses as compared to those who received the standard dose flu vaccine. The high dose vaccine has been approved for use in the United States since 200Learn more about high dose flu vaccine here.

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But when you work, there's a limit to how much you can earn and still keep your benefits. When you are under full retirement age, your Social Security benefit will be reduced for every you are over the earnings limit..Because just one Senator can stall legislation through what is known as a filibuster, it takes 60 votes to pass any bill unless it is through a process called "reconciliation," which then requires only a simple majority of 51..While you should check with a professional financial advisor, you and your husband still have the right to claim spousal benefits only, when you turn 6Under the new law changes, while you couldn't apply for spousal benefits, based on a suspended application, your husband can apply for spousal benefits based on your full retirement age benefit, using a restricted application while his own benefit continues to grow. He would receive half of your benefit, or about 5 per month, until he claims his own retirement benefit. Together the two of you would receive ,215 per month, which is better than the ,150 you alone were hoping to get as a spousal benefit. Then, when he turns 70, he can claim his full benefit of about ,100 per month. … Continued

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Not only has our government changed the way inflation is measured, and thus reduced Social Security benefits, they accomplished this without a single vote by our elected lawmakers. Congress has ducked their responsibility by leaving the job of tinkering with the math to unelected economists, leaving voters with no opportunity to hold anyone accountable..Lawmakers Adjourn for Holiday Recess.If you own a pet and have been to the vet lately, the bill may have taken a big bite out of your budget. Like human healthcare, the cost of vet services is growing several times faster than inflation. But unlike human healthcare, the cost of vet services has been growing even faster than the cost of medical services from your doctor 68% faster in 2013 alone. And although you may have Medicare or some other type of health insurance for yourself, chances are you don't have health insurance for your pet meaning you foot 100% of the vet bills. … Continued

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