To make matters worse for them, the Democrats are divided on how to proceed with those bills and unless they can come to an agreement those measures will go nowhere..While your Members of Congress are in their home states and districts, it is the perfect time to approach them at local events and request their support for a fair Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and other key issues..The .5 billion for VA health care improvements will now be paid for with savings elsewhere in the budget. However, one Democratic aide said the funds used to pay for the program were gimmicks that do not harm spending in vital programs..This year, for the sixth straight year, the Trustees issued a "Medicare funding warning." Marilyn Tavenner, CMS Administrator, stated: "While Medicare is stable for now, we have a lot of work ahead of us to guarantee its future." Expenditures by the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund have exceeded income since 2008 and are expected to do so for the foreseeable future. The Trust Fund is expected to cover only 87 percent of costs in 2024 and 67 percent of projected costs in 2050..Another issue known as "balance billing" arises when patients are billed the difference between what a doctor charges for a service and what an insurer is willing to pay for it..Neighborhood, and safety concerns. Does your friend still feel safe living alone? Are there suspicious strangers stopping by asking for jobs like yard work or repaving her driveway? People who live alone are frequent targets of scam and thieves..In addition, one new cosponsor Sen. Christopher Murphy signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act this week, bringing the total up to fourteen in the Senate. If signed into law, S. 896 would repeal two provisions of the Social Security Act that unfairly reduce the earned benefits of millions of state and local government employees each year. TSCL believes that the two provisions the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset must be repealed before the end of this year so that dedicated public servants receive the retirement security they have earned..People frequently overestimate the amount of money they will receive from Social Security benefits. Lifespans are growing longer, and ideally you will want your savings to last over the length of your retirement that could be as much as 25 to 30 years long. At the same time life expectancy is rising, so are healthcare costs. If you talk to folks who have already retired, you will learn that almost 6-in-10 retirees will report that healthcare costs take one-fourth to one-third of their Social Security benefits..On Monday, with a vote mostly along party lines of 55-43, lawmakers in the Senate confirmed the nomination of Seema Verma, who now serves as the administrator of the trillion agency that has jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid. Previously, Verma worked as a health care consultant, and she played a leading role in redesigning Indiana's Medicaid program under then-Governor Mike Pence.
