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This week, one new cosponsor Rep. Glenn Thompson signed on to the Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures Act, bringing the total up to forty-nine. If signed into law, the PRIME Act would take a number of steps to comprehensively prevent fraud, waste, and abuse within the two programs a problem that TSCL believes must be addressed in order to ensure that scarce program dollars are being spent properly..People age 65 and older who have not started Social Security benefits, and who pay by check. Most of this group includes people who are still working or those who may recently have lost jobs but not yet started Social Security benefits..The age at which individuals become eligible for full, un-reduced Social Security benefits is rising. Your full retirement age is based on the year when you were born and, for people born in 1960 and later, the full retirement age is 6The earliest age at which you can claim a retirement benefit is 6However, claiming benefits prior to your full retirement age comes with expensive trade-offs. It's unlikely to be your best choice if your aim is to maximize your retirement income over the long haul..My Social Security benefits are reduced because I receive a government pension. I started benefits at age 70. My wife worked in a private sector job and started Social Security at 6If I pass on would her Social Security survivors benefit based on my account be reduced because of my government pension? She is not eligible for benefits from my pension. My current benefit is ,320.00 versus about ,842.00 without the penalty..Despite the coronavirus emergency, TSCL is continuing its fight for you to protect your Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits. We have had to make some adjustments in the way we carry on our work, but we have not, and will not stop our work on your behalf..The Super Committee failed to come to agreement last week, resulting in a mandated sequestration of cuts in defense and domestic spending. The sequester was intended to urge lawmakers on the committee to come to an agreement, however the stalemate will result in automatic 1.2 trillion dollar budget cuts over the next decade..Given the importance, changes to Social Security should ideally be made only after a full and open debate, separate from the debt limit negotiations. Any changes should be kept as small as possible and phased in over the longest possible period, and they should not affect people who are currently over 50 years of age..Finally, one new cosponsor signed on to Rep. Allyson Schwartz's Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act this week. Rep. Bob Filner announced his support, bringing the total up to twenty-eight..Late last week, lawmakers in the House passed a budget resolution that lays the groundwork for a repeal of the ACA. Now that both chambers of Congress have adopted the resolution, four committees the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the Senate HELP Committee will begin drafting legislation to repeal the health care law.

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Congress has the ability to prevent these reductions before they take effect, but the questions is - will it do so? Legislation proposed in 2020 would protect the retirement benefits of individuals who were born in 1960 from declining. But TSCL is concerned that some Members of Congress may balk at taking timely action. To prevent lawmakers from looking the other way, they need to hear from as many constituents as possible to take action to protect retirement benefits. "These are benefit cuts that are directly caused by COVID-19 and should be addressed by emergency legislation, or in a comprehensive bill that would correct this problem. In addition, Social Security benefits still need to be boosted for all retirees," says TSCL's Executive Director, Shannon Benton..This cost shift hits includes retirees with the lowest incomes. Specifically it hits their state Medicaid budgets that pay Part B premiums for low-income Medicare beneficiaries - about 19% of all Medicare recipients. If Medicare Part B premiums go up by more than .40 per month in 2021, that would add yet another fiscal shock to state budgets that are already strained to the limit due to the coronavirus pandemic..CLASS Program Closer to Being Repealed … Continued

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If you are under full retirement age for all of 2009, the Social Security Administration will withhold in benefits for every in earnings over ,160 for the year or ,180 per month. People who turn full retirement age in 2009 may earn more. The Social Security Administration will deduct in benefits for every over ,680 for the year or ,140 per month. The amount that you are allowed to earn is adjusted annually. Once you reach full retirement age, you may receive your benefits with no limit on the amount you can earn..Doug Osborne served in the US Air Force for 20 years. After retiring, he continued his career in the technology field using the knowledge gained during his enlistment. Doug is a lifetime member of TREThe Enlisted Association and has served on multiple committees, such as; Awards, IT, and the 5-year plan. He routinely donates his time, effort and money to the missions of TREA and The Senior Citizens League and encourages using technology to a greater degree. As the Legislative Liaison for TSCL's Board of Directors, he helps to educate seniors on various issues that strike close to home. He meets quarterly with Members of Congress and/or their staff to ensure they are aware of the concerns of TSCL supporters in their specific districts and to encourage them to support legislation that benefits senior citizens. Doug is also involved with The American Legion and, when able, Doug supports Team Rubicon on deployments. He lives in Parker, Colorado with his wife, Debbie..Currently, Social Security COLAs are based on the CPI-W, which tracks the spending patterns of young, urban workers. This index underestimates the inflation that seniors experience since it fails to capture the medical and housing costs that many spend most of their incomes on. TSCL estimates that a CPI for seniors would put the annual COLA at two-tenths of a percentage point higher than the CPI-W. Over the course of a retirement, this would amount to several thousands of dollars more in Social Security benefits. … Continued