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This approach is unacceptable to me and reflects the wrong values and priorities. I'll never forget the elderly woman from Galesburg, Illinois who came up to me on the campaign trail last year to tell me how important Medicare is to her well-being. She pleaded with me to fight to protect Medicare because she couldn't afford even an extra in out-of-pocket costs for her healthcare, let alone the additional ,400 the Ryan Budget could put her back..The CMS announced new streamlined payment mechanisms for healthcare provider transactions this week. Doctors, hospitals, health plans, and states will all see reduced administrative costs under CMS' larger "administrative simplification" initiative..In 2014, your ,200 in earnings was slightly higher than the amount you are allowed to earn without reduction, which was ,480. Under the Social Security earnings test, if you are under your full retirement age the Social Security Administration will withhold in benefits for every in earnings in excess of the annual exempt amount. In your case ,200 is ,720 more than ,480 - the exempt amount. That means Social Security should only withhold ,360, not ,000..These three-decade-old policies have been proven to be harmful not helpful, which is why I introduced H.R. 141, the Social Security Fairness Act of 201This bill will completely eliminate these counterproductive policies and, while other members of Congress have their own ideas on how to improve our Social Security system, this legislation is the only one that completely repeals both harmful provisions..The Senior Citizens League believes Congress must address the loss of buying power by adopting the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act. If signed into law, H.R. 1251 would base the COLA on the more fair and adequate CPI-E. Currently, COLAs are based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners, and they fail to keep pace with the inflation experienced by older Americans since goods like gasoline and electronics are weighted more heavily than health care and housing costs..Because of the deficit projections some members of Congress have once again, raised the issue of balancing the federal budget on the backs of senior citizens..Like all things tax-related, it's important to estimate income accurately. Estimate too low and you may wind up having to repay those premium subsidies in higher taxes. Taking too low a subsidy may mean paying substantially more in premiums, but a bigger tax refund. If you take the tax credit in advance, changes to your income or family size could affect your health insurance subsidies and you will need to report those changes during the year. You can also opt to take a partial subsidy to both lower the premium and avoid repayments if your income fluctuates..Despite opposition to the AHCA from many in Washington including TSCL the House Budget Committee advanced the bill on Thursday with a vote of 19-1It now moves to the House Rules Committee, and leaders in Congress are predicting votes on the House floor could occur as early as next week. In the Senate, votes are expected before the holiday recess begins on April 7th..Of concern to Social Security recipients, however, are not only what categories and items are included in the CPI, but also whose market basket the government is surveying, and the fairness of the "weight" or estimate of the portion of income they represent that the Bureau of Labor Statistics assigns.