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The legislation prevents a 19% Social Security disability benefit cut by a short-term reallocation of payroll tax revenue in 2016 through 201This would be sufficient to pay benefits until 2022 and would not affect the 2034 depletion date of the Social Security retirement trust fund, according to Social Security's Chief Actuary..Some say that if workers pay into the system, then they should be entitled to benefits. But TSCL and the overwhelming majority of seniors who have responded to TSCL's surveys believe that Social Security benefits should not be based on illegal earnings and work credits. Congress is considering big changes to both Social Security and Medicare that will result in reducing benefits and higher costs for retirees in the future. TSCL supports measures that would prohibit Social Security from using earnings for jobs worked without legal authorization to be counted towards entitlement to benefits..This is a tough decision, for which you need independent advice from someone other than the marketing agent of a MA plan. TSCL strongly recommends that you contact your area agency on aging or senior services department and ask for one-on-one counseling available through your State Health Insurance Assistance Program. The service is available at no charge..The pharmacy benefit management company Express Scripts/Medco has one of the most comprehensive lists of the estimated dates in which brand drugs patents are ending. To learn more about your drug plan options, visit and look on the homepage for the link to "Compare health and drug plans.".In 2017, you are allowed to earn ,880 or in the months prior to full retirement age without any reduction to your benefits. If you earn more than that, Social Security will withhold in benefits for every over that amount..This week, TSCL was pleased to lend its support to Rep. Scott Rigell's H.Res. 66The resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that any changes made to Medicare should not affect those over the age of fifty-five. It also states that any Medicare reform package should provide a detailed plan to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse within the program..Estimate your costs and when you may risk hitting the doughnut hole: Based on the prescriptions you enter, the Medicare Drug Plan Finder can estimate your annual costs and when you potentially may hit the doughnut hole..And remember, there is no plan anywhere on how to shore up Social Security, even if the Payroll tax deferment is not made permanent..TSCL has been monitoring the case closely in recent months because if implemented, the executive orders would have provided millions of undocumented immigrants with controversial access to Social Security and Medicare benefits. In a press release, Ed Cates TSCL's Chairman said: "Concern is high that undocumented immigrants who were illegally present and who worked under fake, invalid, or fraudulent Social Security numbers may benefit based on such work, potentially at the expense of others who paid into the system the legal way."