Another critical step toward lowering costs is giving Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices. In December 2019, I helped pass the Lower Drug Costs Now Act with the support of both Democrats and Republicans. This commonsense bill would give Medicare Part D the power to negotiate directly with drug companies. Currently, Medicare is prohibited by law from negotiating for lower prices..Accelerate or postpone discretionary medical expenses when feasible. The new health law reduced the amount of unreimbursed medical expenses that you can claim when itemizing the deductions. Taxpayers under the age of 65 can claim deductions for expenses that exceed 10 percent of their adjusted gross income. If you are age 65 and older you may still deduct total medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross temporarily but that ends in 201If your expenses are right on the borderline, you may want to take care of any pending medical services and appointments now, so you can boost your deduction for 201If your expenses were too low to claim the medical expense deduction for 2014, consider postponing discretionary services a few weeks into the New Year..As always, TSCL will be working with members of Congress to ensure that the legislation we have been fighting for on behalf of TSCL supporters is introduced and then passed into law..Improving the disability program's integrity by prohibiting the use of medical evidence from health providers who have been convicted of a felony, when deciding whether an applicant qualifies for benefits. This would make it more difficult for criminals to game the system..To be best prepared, jot down some questions for which you would like answers. Below are six sample questions feel free to take them with you and share them with others at your next town hall..About 44 percent of TSCL Senior Survey respondents last year said that their Social Security benefit was lower in 2011 after deduction for Medicare premium payments. Another TSCL survey found that 44 percent of respondents also said they spent at least 0 a month on Medicare premiums and other out-of-pocket costs in 201"With the average benefit at ,100, about 17 million seniors are spending one-third of their Social Security benefit on Medicare costs, " Hyland observes..TSCL is pleased that lawmakers on the Senate Aging Committee are raising awareness of scams against seniors and we agree that more must be done to combat the growing issue. In the months ahead, we will advocate for legislation that would protect older Americans from financial abuse. In the meantime, we encourage our supporters to read the Aging Committee's updated Fraud Book by clicking HERE. As Chairman Collins said on Wednesday, "The more that seniors know about these scams, the less likely they are to fall victim.".The government negotiates prescription drug prices for veterans and Medicaid beneficiaries, but it is barred from negotiating lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries. As a result, seniors enrolled in Part D often pay much higher prices than other Americans for their prescription drugs. What are you doing to correct this unfair policy?.In January of 2021, bipartisan legislation, the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate the WEP and the GPO, was introduced by Rep. Rodney Davis. To date, the bill has 136 co-sponsors including BOTH Democrats and Republicans. TSCL strongly endorses this legislation and we encourage you to ask your Representative to support it. Public service employees deserve to get all the Social Security benefits they rightfully have paid for.

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Needless to say, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services still lacks the effective oversight to monitor the wasteful payments that continue to plague the system. The Obama administration has made efforts to increase Medicare's accountability and reign in the waste and fraud that remain at an all time high level. In an education initiative, President Obama recently announced an increased effort and funding for a "Senior Medicare Patrol" program designed to educate Medicare beneficiaries on fraudulent spending from healthcare providers. The goal is to bolster Medicare fraud education programs for seniors across the country, highlighting ways to spot and report suspicious fraudulent activity from healthcare providers..When you are ready to compare coverage and costs, get a copy of the most recent materials from your current health plan to have on hand. In addition to your current premium and deductible, you will need to know what your current coinsurance or copayments are, and your annual maximum out-of-pocket in order to calculate the "actuarial value" of your plan. To learn whether you qualify and how much credit you will get, contact your state's Health.Food: The cost of food has been rising faster in recent years and food prices have easily outpaced overall inflation for many other types of goods. Among other senior spending categories, only prices for oil-based products and medical care have risen faster than food prices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that meat prices, particularly beef and veal, are at record highs, and the USDA expects high prices for beef products through 201Poultry prices remain high but are falling. Try new recipes and plan menus. Use lower–cost cuts of meat and poultry and stretch your servings using less expensive sources of protein like beans, tofu, and high protein whole grains. Four chicken leg quarters that sell for under .49 per pound, for example, can yield 12 - one cup servings of home made chicken and whole grain rice soup, especially good made with white soup beans and fresh chopped mustard greens or endive. Freeze the extra and share with homebound friends. … Continued

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TSCL on the Hill.Yes, unfortunately this is correct. Under current law Social Security benefits are not payable for the month in which a beneficiary dies. This is so even when the beneficiary, like your husband, passes away on the last day of the month. However, according to the Social Security Administration the check that an individual receives in a given month is the payment for the preceding month. That means the check that your husband received during the month of March was his benefit for February, which you would be entitled to keep. It is the March payment that you would have received in April, and any thereafter that must be returned..This week, one new cosponsor Rep. Dennis Ross signed on to Rep. Ron Paul's Social Security Preservation Act. The cosponsor total is now up to eleven. … Continued

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