Would it Be Advantageous for Me to Take a Divorced Spouse Benefit?.As a result, the highest-risk patients were not filling their medication after prices jumped. Those most vulnerable to a heart attack and stroke cut back more on statins and anti-hypertensives than lower-risk patients - irrespective of socioeconomic status..Only last year the Comptroller General of the United States, David Walker, warned Congress about this very thing saying, "Doing nothing, means that we are going to head to a precipitous decline in benefits. Remember the Notch Baby problem? This would be a Notch Baby problem magnified multiple times and it should not be allowed to happen.".If you do return to work, it is possible that your earnings could subject a portion of your Social Security benefits to taxation. If this happens, you could wind up with only a small gain, or even lose money after paying the increased tax on earnings and Social Security benefits. Before taking on work to earn extra income, calculate the tax cost. A good tax guide like J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax contains worksheets to help you do this. Tax guides can often be found in many public libraries, or visit for more information..The "Medicare Notch" could affect a growing number of people if inflation remains unusually low while Medicare premium increases are relatively high. With no COLA in 2011 as the Social Security Trustees predict, people protected by the hold harmless provision in 2009 would continue to pay .40 per month, people who enrolled in 2010 would continue to pay 4 because now they would be protected by hold harmless, but new enrollees in 2011 would pay an estimated 0 per month..Some seniors may also experience income tax hikes this year particularly those who rely on investment income. Taxpayers with total incomes greater than 0,000 for individuals or 0,000 for joint filers will face a new 3.8 percent surtax on investment income. The Senior Citizens League fears that this new tax will disproportionately affect seniors at a time when they are struggling to keep up with rising costs. According to the Tax Foundation, reliance on investment income tends to increase with age, and 36 percent of taxpayers with dividend income and 38 percent with capital gains income are seniors..In recent years a growing number of Medicare beneficiaries are entering hospitals for observation care rather than as inpatients. The number rose 69% in five years according to the most recent national statistics, but over the same period Medicare hospital admissions have declined..Second, every two years, the Taskforce will submit a report to Congress outlining trends and innovations that are impacting the investment for senior investors. This will keep a cop on the beat to make sure we keep up with changes in financial scams. The report will also include recommendations for changes to rules of the SEC or other organizations, and any legislative actions needed to resolve senior investors' problems..To help make the right saving and distribution decisions, get professional advice from professional financial advisors.
