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It required a mix of financial incentives, unprecedented world-wide need, and government prodding. But drug companies stepped up, and based on their performance in the stock market, they appear to be prospering. The federal government negotiated not only prices, but also it purchased hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines, made the vaccines available to the public at no charge, and has overseen the distribution of the vaccines to states. Those vaccines are saving lives, helping to get workers back on the job, and allowing those of us who are fully vaccinated to carefully start to resume pre-pandemic activities, such as visits with friends, family and grandchildren..You have a face-to-face meeting with a doctor within 90 days before starting home healthcare, or 30 days after the first day you receive care..Many in Congress talk about the need to "strengthen Social Security," but few offer proposals that would both improve program financing and at the same time improve retirement income. We encourage you to attend town halls this summer and to tell your Members of Congress that Social Security's solvency doesn't require benefit cuts. What Social Security needs is greater tax fairness and requiring all to pay their fair share..Here are some tips to help you budget:.This week, TSCL announced its support for new legislation from Congressman Walter Jones that would create a Social Security guarantee for all eligible recipients. The Social Security Guarantee Act, if adopted, would guarantee by law the right of individuals to receive Social Security benefits in full and with accurate annual cost-of-living adjustments..The IRS is warning retirees to get an idea of how much income tax you may owe for 2018, and determine whether you need to make an estimated payment by January 15th, 201Recent changes to the tax law lowered individual rates and tax brackets slightly. The standard deduction almost doubled from ,350 to ,000, and single taxpayers older than 65 can deduct an additional ,600. On the other hand, personal exemptions have been eliminated. Tax advisors say that on average, most retirees will likely see a decrease in the taxes they owe, but individual circumstances vary greatly..Shannon Benton, Executive Director.[v] Social Security Administration email, February 24, 2013..Increasing the payroll tax rate gradually by around 1 percent for both workers and employers. Doing so would amount to an additional 50 cents per week for the average American worker an amount that TSCL feels is reasonable.