" The new Obama Administration policy is opening Social Security to as many as 1.2 million non-citizens who won't even have legal status, " Hyland says. This is occurring at the same time Congress and the President are debating major reforms that would cut the Social Security and Medicare benefits of U.S. senior citizens who paid into the system the legal way," he adds. TSCL supports the "No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act", introduced by Representative Dana Rohrabacher, which would ban the use of earnings for jobs worked while illegal to be used to determine entitlement..How to Hold That Thought."Hospitals Struggle to Restart Lucrative Care After Coronavirus Shutdowns," Reed Abelson, The New York Times, May 17, 2020..However, for many retirees age 65 and up, most or even all their COLA was offset by rising Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket costs. A recent survey conducted by TSCL found that 48 percent of survey participants reported that, after the deduction for just the Part B premium, their COLA increased their Social Security benefit by less than Another 6 percent of survey respondents reported no increase to their net benefits at all..The Medicare Part A outlook has worsened due to both the financial impacts of COVID-19 and the high levels of people out of work. Nationwide business closures, layoffs and salary cuts, have significantly reduced the amount of revenues received by the Medicare HI trust fund over the past year, while payments to hospitals were increased 20% by emergency legislation for COVID-related care, and the elimination of cost sharing associated with COVID treatments..An intense battle over Social Security is brewing and TSCL is gearing up for major Congressional action. Recently retired Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan waded back into the fray to tell Congress "Our choices right now are not between good and better; they're between bad and worse. The problem we now face is the most extraordinary financial crisis that I have ever seen or read about. Irrespective of what you say should be done on the tax side, you still have to cut some benefits on the expenditure side." The statement is chilling considering Greenspan oversaw the largest single overhaul of the program in history, chairing the National Commission on Social Security Reform in the early 1980's..After passing the so-called "cromnibus" late last week, Members of Congress returned to their home states and districts for the remainder of the year. They will return to Capitol Hill in January to begin the 114th Congress..If your company has less than 20 employees, you can sign up for Medicare now during the General Enrollment Period between January 1 March 31 each year. Your coverage will begin July 1, 2013..While some patients may have used video conferencing or telephone calls with their doctors during the coronavirus shut down, at some point a physical exam and lab work usually is needed.
