TSCL is hopeful that lawmakers will find a solution before the end of this month, since a government shutdown could negatively impact Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries. We will continue to keep an eye on the evolving negotiations, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website..After passing new tax legislation that's projected to increase the federal deficit by more than .5 trillion over the next ten years, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell recently blamed Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for the rapidly increasing deficit. McConnell said the only way to lower the deficit would be to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid..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..home care after a certain length of time in the hospital..If adopted, the Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act would expand Medicare coverage to include essential hearing, vision, and dental care. Under current law, the traditional Medicare program is prohibited from covering these basic health care services, and millions of seniors living on fixed incomes cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket for routine care or assistive technologies like hearing aids..The program was designed to address the needs of low–income seniors, who receive both Medicare and Medicaid. The group includes the oldest, sickest and poorest of seniors, including many Notch Babies, who tend to have multiple health problems, including the need for long term care. Although they make up only 15 percent of all Medicaid beneficiaries, they account for almost 40 percent of Medicaid expenditures, according to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured..This week, one new cosponsor Rep. Alcee Hastings signed on to Rep. Grace Meng's Notch Fairness Act. The bill now has ten cosponsors. If signed into law, it would provide modest compensation to victims of the Social Security Notch, or those who were born between 1917 and 192Just years before they were set to retire, these individuals learned that they would have significantly lower benefits than originally anticipated. The problem has grown and compounded over time, and TSCL believes that in order to make the program more equitable, some compensation for the injustice should be provided. We enthusiastically support Rep. Meng's Notch Fairness Act, and we were pleased to see one more lawmaker sign on as a cosponsor this week..Some states have passed laws that would allow their state to import drugs from Canada. National Public Radio recently reported that the state of Florida wants to establish a pilot program to buy medications from Canada in bulk. The state would contract with a wholesaler in Canada, who would provide certain high cost drugs that the state identifies. Patients in Florida who have a prescription for one of those drugs would just go to their pharmacy to pick up their medication.."At the time of enactment, The Congressional Quarterly referred to this revenue change as 'taxing the benefits of high-income recipients'" says Johnson, citing the publication's summaries of major Social Security changes from 1983-198Social Security's archives state that "Congress intended that the taxation of benefits should not affect 'lower income' individuals." The revenues from the tax on Social Security benefits are credited to the Social Security and Medicare trust funds and provide a growing share of the programs' financing.
