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In 2019, there are a total of ten different Medigap plans, "A" through "N." Congress closed Plans "F" and "C" because they cover the Medicare Part B deductible. The thinking is that deductibles prevent "over utilization" of Medicare benefits. The Part B deductible is 5.50 this year and it rises at the same pace as the Part B premium. According to research by Johnson, Part B premiums have increased about 10 percent per year since 2000, making it one of the fastest growing costs in retirement. "Requiring retirees to pay deductibles, or higher deductibles, has the biggest financial and health impact on middle-income Medicare beneficiaries with modest means," says Johnson. "Many put off medically necessary care if they can't afford the deductible, and their health can get worse when they do," she says..That's why I introduced the Seniors and Veterans Emergency Benefits Act to give seniors on Social Security, veterans, and people with disabilities a one-time payment of 1 to help cover this gap. The bill is fully paid for by closing a tax loophole that allows corporations to write off obscene bonuses to top executives as business expenses for their taxes..Instead of the sweeping legislation supported by the House Democratic leadership they have indicated supported for more modest measures that already have some Republican support. Those include things like capping Medicare enrollees' out-of-pocket drug costs..While neither platform outlines a comprehensive path forward for Social Security, they do offer two dramatically different stances on the program's future. The Democrats adopted a platform that prioritizes an expansion of Social Security, while the Republicans committed to reforming the program in a way that improves the program's financial outlook without using revenue increases to do so..In short, the Social Security disability trust fund would become insolvent by mid-2021 and the retirement trust fund would become permanently depleted by 2023, just two short years from now..To even meet the statutory test of disability, the disabled worker must be unable to work or engage in any "substantial gainful activity." To qualify, disabled workers must have worked in the past, and be unable to work because of a medical condition that is expected to last more than one year or result in death..How Social Security Can Be Fixed Without Deep Cuts.TSCL also supports a second Notch Baby bill that Representative Emerson has introduced in the past - the Notch Baby Health Care Relief Act. That bill would provide a tax credit for the Part B premiums paid by Notch Babies born 1917 through 1926..Millions of seniors are scammed each year just like Mr. and Mrs. Shiman. In her opening statement, Chairman Susan Collins said: "According to the Government Accountability Office, America's seniors lose a staggering .9 billion a year to an ever-growing array of financial exploitation schemes and scams … Today we are putting criminals on notice that they will be stopped and they will be brought to justice."

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Social Security beneficiaries are receiving a cost-of-living adjustment of just 1.6% this year. For many, that won't be enough to keep up with healthcare costs, let alone items like homeowners and auto insurance or rising real estate taxes. That leaves retirees digging deeper into savings - if they have any, or - going deeper into debt.."We do have vaccines and therapeutics coming down the pike," Osterholm said. "But when you actually look at the time period for that, the next six to 12 weeks are going to be the darkest of the entire pandemic.".TSCL encourages all readers concerned about the future of their Social Security and Medicare benefits to Contact your Member of Congress. Let's tell Congress not to pay Social Security based on unauthorized work! Work under invalid and fraudulent Social Security numbers should be invalid for entitlement to Social Security benefits. To learn more, track bills that are in congress. … Continued

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A sixty-four billion dollar budget cut does nothing to prevent fraud to begin with, especially when investigators and stronger oversight through the judicial system during the determination process are critically needed. TSCL believes that funding should be appropriated for the Cooperative Disability Investigations Program. The CDI program continues to be one of the Social Security Administration's most successful initiatives to prevent fraud, returning an estimated for every spent in fighting fraud..The Bipartisan Policy Center points out in a recent blog, that each of these sources of revenues is negatively impacted by high unemployment. When people are out of work, no payroll taxes are withheld from earnings. A portion of Social Security benefits is taxable when a Social Security recipient has an income higher than ,000 or ,000 for a couple filing jointly. But the coronavirus recession has impacted both earnings from jobs and the value of retirement accounts, so that fewer retirees will meet the income thresholds that make their benefits taxable this year. Finally, the Federal Reserve has responded to the recession by cutting interest rates, which means that the yields on the bonds held by the Social Security Trust Funds are smaller and will provide lower interest income. A recession also causes a higher number of new claims when older workers are forced to retire earlier than planned, raising costs in the short term..This week, one new cosponsor Rep. John Tierney signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act, bringing the total up fifty-seven. If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers, resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments, and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. H.R. 3118 would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. … Continued