Customer Service Billing And Insurance Understanding Health ReformWhile Congress was busy debating the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, the federal government hit the debt ceiling on March 15th. Since then, the Treasury Department has been using "extraordinary measures" like postponing contributions to retirement accounts for federal employees to buy time and prevent a default on federal debts, including the money that the U.S. Treasury owes to the Social Security Trust Fund..Key Prescription Drug Bill Gains Support.While some view Social Security's retirement program as relatively easy to reform, Social Security's disability program is a very complex operation which has been notoriously difficult to change. Past efforts to reform the disability program have led to vast administrative difficulties as well as public outcries. On the other hand, the retirement program's reform efforts have faced fewer administrative difficulties. Part of the problem is determining what constitutes a disability. For that reason, and others, reform of the retirement program is discussed on Capitol Hill more often, while reform of the disability program seems to fly under the radar. … Continued
Minnesota Reports Four New Measles Cases As Hospitals Issue PrecautionsOn Wednesday, TSCL announced its support for the Strengthening Social Security Act. Sen. Tom Harkin introduced the bill in the Senate, and Reps. Linda Sanchez and Rush Holt introduced the companion in the House. If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt a Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments; and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. According to Rep. Sanchez, these three changes would preserve the Social Security Trust Fund through 2049, reducing the seventy-five year actuarial deficit by approximately 50 percent..CBO Scores BCRA, Leaders Postpone Vote.TSCL Endorses Two Medicare Bills … Continued