For a big eye-opener on how illegal immigrants can become entitled to Social Security under current law and for information on Social Security's totalization agreement with Mexico, read Social Security Benefits For Noncitizens, from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, Publication No. RL32004..According to Rep. Valadao, approximately 13 million Americans experienced some form of identity theft in 2014, resulting in a loss of billion. Upon introducing it, he said: "The fact that this crime affects children, seniors, and veterans makes it even more imperative that the federal government does everything in its power to prevent identity theft.".However, concern is growing that the Medicare Part B premium increase, which the Social Security Administration deducts directly from Social Security benefits, could consume a substantial amount of any COLA increase next year. Legislation enacted by Congress last year restricted the 2021 Medicare Part B premium from increasing more than .90 per month due to the very low COLA increase of just 1.3 percent, a result of extremely low inflation due to the COVID-19 recession. The basic Part B premium is 8.50 per month in 202"With a high COLA increase in 2022, Part B premiums might make a catch-up jump, especially as people make up visits to get healthcare services that were postponed due to the pandemic," Johnson says..That's changing this year due to new Medicare rules that require suppliers to engage in competitive bidding to supply seniors with this equipment. A two-year pilot of competitive bidding in nine cities succeeded in lowering Medicare's durable medical equipment costs by a third. Lower costs for Medicare should also mean lower co-pays for seniors..Once lawmakers return from next week's holiday break, they will have just a few days to pass a continuing resolution to keep most of the federal government operating past December 7th. Should they fail to reach an agreement before then, part of the federal government will shut down like it did earlier this year. The Senior Citizens League is hopeful that lawmakers will act responsibly to keep the federal government fully funded so that essential programs like Social Security and Medicare can operate as smoothly as possible..TSCL Expects COLA Will Be About 1.4%.Month after month, year after year, unbeknownst to most of the public, thousands of people with no Social Security number are receiving Social Security benefits. The beneficiaries don't qualify for benefits based on their own work record. Eighty-three percent of them don't even reside in this country. A few of those receiving benefits are even dead..TSCL knows how crucial they are, and we pledge to keep fighting on your behalf. But your calls and emails to your Senators and Representatives on these issues that we write about are very important and can make a real difference..Ranking Member Senator Murray and several witnesses on Wednesday including Tennessee Health Commissioner Julie McPeak and Pennsylvania Secretary of Health and Human Services Theresa Miller agreed that CSR payments are critical to improving the marketplace and that vulnerable populations must continue to receive the same level of coverage through state waiver programs.
