Before we get into the rules for your wife, let's double-check your situation. If your wife recently stopped working, you should check your enrollment in Medicare Part B right away in order to avoid a Part B late enrollment penalty..TSCL encourages you to stay informed and ask questions about any and all issues that matter to you! Our site offers information on how to contact your Member of Congress, weekly and monthly legislative updates, petitions, and congressional responses to our petitions. Simply click on the links on the right-hand side of your screen..Automatic renewals are supposed to make this fall's Open Enrollment under the new health law run more smoothly for consumers like you. But analysts are warning to only do so as a last resort - especially if you qualified for a lower premium. The lower premiums are made possible through premium subsidies, which are actually an advance tax credit based on your income. According to analysts, health insurance exchange customers who like the convenience of automatically renewing are likely to receive outdated and inaccurate premium subsidy amounts that could result in big tax bills later.."My husband passed away September 5, 200What will happen to his lump-sum if they ever decide to pass Notch Reform? What would happen to my lump-sum if I should die now? Would my daughter get it? It seems they are waiting for us all to die.".High premiums don't necessarily purchase better coverage. The generic blood pressure medication, Lisinopril, is one of the most commonly used prescriptions by Medicare beneficiaries. The least expensive Part D plan charges The Senior Citizens League supports legislation that would provide a more fair and adequate COLA and is seeking input from the public. To participate in a survey about Social Security and Medicare, visit..In contrast, the Social Security benefits of American workers, are not guaranteed by law. In the Supreme Court decision, Fleming vs. Nestor, the court found that Congress can make adjustments when conditions of the Social Security systems demand and that American workers who have paid their employment taxes have no legal recourse to any of the money deposited in the Social Security Trust Fund..Just years before they retired these individuals learned they would have significantly lower benefits than they expected because of amendments to the Social Security Act that were signed into law in 1977 and which have compounded over time..Senior meals: Agencies on Aging often have congregate meal programs and act to coordinate with home delivered meal programs in your area..In a separate report from Bloomberg News it stated that "Medicare seniors are skipping needed care and struggling emotionally as the Covid-19 pandemic alters their lifestyles..Either way, you will need to consider how well your income, including Social Security, retirement savings, pension and other income will allow you to sustain mortgage payments over the refinancing periods. It's also helpful to use realistic budget expenses. That means estimating how taxes will reduce your Social Security and retirement income, and factoring in a realistic growth rate for medical expenses of at least 10% or more each year, to account for both rising prices and the greater need for services as we age..Covid-19 displaced suicide as one of the top 10 causes of death..Senate leaders were already having a hard time pushing through their priorities, including drug pricing legislation. In fact, Sen. Roy Blunt, head of the Republican Policy Committee, said some bills -- including drug pricing legislation -- are far from ready to move to the floor, which is what we have been reporting to you for the last few weeks..While Part D costs are not capped, there is a "catastrophic level" of coverage that kicks in once Part D enrollees spend ,000 of their own money out-of-pocket. Five thousand dollars is just the threshold in 201That threshold is forecast to rise to more than ,000 per year in just eight years. Even worse, the ,000 threshold is just for your covered drugs under Part D. It does not include other out-of-pocket spending for Medicare, such drugs you may receive through Medicare Part B, and all other out-of-pocket costs. copay for the drug, and the plan's monthly premium is just .50 in the zip code used in the analysis. The most expensive plan charges a co-pay of .19, and the plan has a monthly premium of .30. Counting premiums, that's a difference of ,055.88 for the entire year..The billion could be financed without taking money from the Social Security Trust Fund. One way is through reduction of pork barrel spending and government waste. In the fiscal year 2001 budget alone, pork "watch-dog" Senator John McCain estimated that the government would spend a record billion in pork-barrel projects..One TSCL concern remains regarding the possibility of some seniors losing their prescription drug coverage from their former employers. Therefore, we supported incentives to help businesses continue to cover their former employees. We will continue to monitor this development to help ensure that retirees are given the option to maintain coverage that they are used to and prefer..Recently we received the following example:.Just days remain before voters across the country will elect 435 lawmakers to the U.S. House, 34 to the U.S. Senate, and one new president to the White House. By now, most registered voters have a good idea who they will vote for on November 8th. But how much do you really know about the party positions? Before heading to the polls on election day, TSCL recommends taking one last look at the platforms that were adopted by the Democrats and the Republicans earlier this year. Here are the Social Security reform positions laid out by the two major political parties at their conventions back in July.
