The prospects for an adequate Cost-of-Living Adjustment boost for 2013 are dimming. The rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, is decelerating at the fastest pace in three years. A low COLA would leave the seniors, especially those with the lowest Social Security benefits, with less money to cover Medicare premiums that are automatically deducted from monthly payments..In 2017, you are allowed to earn ,880 or in the months prior to full retirement age without any reduction to your benefits. If you earn more than that, Social Security will withhold in benefits for every over that amount...According to AARP, about 94% of widely-used brand-name drugs that were on the market between 2005 and 2017 nearly doubled in price. And in 2017, the average annual cost of specialty drugs - which treat complex conditions like cancer - was about ,800. In contrast, the average Social Security benefit in 2017 was just ,800..Gradually Raising the Payroll Tax Cap: The payroll tax cap has not kept pace with changing income patterns over the past few decades, so it makes sense to adjust the maximum taxable wages to realign them with the originally intended level. Gradually raising the cap to cover 90 percent of the nation's taxable earnings by 2050 would allow it to once again represent the same percentage of that figure that it did as recently as the early 1980s..Selling a home to move to lower-cost housing, or as part of a move to assisted living, involves plenty of cleaning, repairs, and maybe some renovations. To get the most money, and to recover your repair and renovation investment, focus on improvements that are either necessary to sell your home, or those that will help get you a higher price. While every home is different, here are six home improvements that tend to get the best return:.This week, TSCL announced its support for the Improving Care for Vulnerable Older Citizens through Workforce Advancement Act, which was introduced by Sen. Bob Casey in the Senate, and by Rep. Matt Cartwright in the House. If signed into law, the bill would create six different demonstration projects that would focus on the coordination of care for elderly patients with multiple chronic illnesses. It would put Direct Care Workers such as nursing assistants, home health aides, or personal care aides in advanced roles, and it would test and evaluate different models of care coordination..2020 Social Security Trustees Report, April 22, 2020. "COVID-19 May Deplete Social Security Trust Funds This Decade," Nicko Gladstone, Shai Akabas, Bipartisan Policy Center, April 22, 2020.."No Limit: Medicare Part D Enrollees Exposed to High Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs Without a Hard Cap On Spending," Kaiser Family Foundation, November 201"Summary of Recent and Proposed Changes to Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage and Reimbursement," Kaiser Family Foundation, February 2018.
