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"The Social Security Notch: An Economic Analysis," John Haldi, The Senior Citizens League, October 2002..Individuals with incomes above ,000, or couples with incomes above 0,000..Through 2012, annual COLA increases have been tied to the increase in the consumer price index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Deficit reduction plans would switch to a more slowly-growing CPI known as the "chained" CPI to determine COLAs. Traditional CPIs measure the increase in prices. But the chained CPI doesn't. It measures consumer spending when prices go up. For example if the price of beef goes up, it assumes people switch to less costly choices, like chicken. The chained CPI measures inflation as growing less slowly than traditional indexes..This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill to begin the "lame duck" session of Congress. Those in the Senate plus Republicans in the House held leadership elections for the 116th Congress. In the Senate, key leadership positions will remain largely unchanged in 201Senator Mitch McConnell will once again serve as the Senate Majority Leader, while Senator Chuck Schumer will remain the Minority Leader in the 116th Congress..Spanberger Bill Aims to Shed Light on Prescription Drug Pricing.In 2012, the GPO reduced the Social Security benefits of nearly 600,000 surviving spouses, who also collect a government pensions, by nearly two-thirds. Nine out of 10 public employees affected by the GPO lost their entire spousal benefit, even though their spouse paid Social Security taxes..Last week President Trump announced he will once again ask Congress to pass more economic stimulus legislation that he insists must include a payroll tax cut. In other words, he wants to cut the amount of money that is paid into Social Security and Medicare by today's workers the money that funds the checks sent out to those who receive payments and pays for the health care of seniors each month..TSCL was pleased to see support grow for H.R. 1251 and S. 427 this week, and we will continue to advocate for them tirelessly in the months ahead. For more information, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website..TSCL hopes that most of these people who lost SNAP benefits at least received emergency stimulus payments in 2020 and 2021 to help cover the loss of these benefits. But we are highly concerned that a high COLA could have similar unintended consequences for low income retirees in 2022.

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On Monday, the CBO released its highly anticipated analysis of the BCRA health reform legislation released late last week by Republican leaders in the Senate. The report shows that if signed into law, the bill would leave 22 million more individuals uninsured than current law, and it would hit older, poorer people the hardest especially those between the ages of fifty and sixty-four with less than ,200 in annual income. Those individuals would see health insurance premium increases of 200 percent or more under the BCRA..Open enrollment for the exchanges begins October 1, 2013 for coverage starting January 1, 201To learn more, visit the new website. To get an idea about whether you qualify for a government subsidy visit the Kaiser Family Foundation's Subsidy Calculator..In 2016, seniors who depend on Social Security to make ends meet received no annual cost of living increase. Social Security is supposed to be indexed to inflation so that when prices go up, benefits go up too. But Congress's formula isn't geared to what older Americans actually spend. So even though the cost of core goods and services has gone up, seniors who are already struggling to scrape by to cover rent and exploding prescription drug prices, are scrambling. … Continued

Medicaid Report Medicaid Home And Community Based Services Programs 2013 Data Update

With the insolvency of the Social Security Disability program imminent, TSCL believes that lawmakers will be forced to take action, and soon, to enable the program to continue to pay benefits on time. "Don't let anyone lull you into thinking your benefits are safe," warns TSCL's Executive Director, Shannon Benton. "Congress has no plan in place to ensure that they are." To learn more about how you can join TSCL's efforts to protect your COLA and Social Security benefits, visit online at. or call toll free.."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.".Does your anesthesiologist have your correct Medicare number and your health plan or supplement information? Patients often meet the anesthesiologist just minutes before surgery, but it's better to learn ahead of time whether the anesthesiologist who will provide your care accepts Medicare and is in your plan's network. Hopefully your anesthesiologist has the paperwork correct, but before they knock you out the next time, make sure. … Continued