News

  • Benefit Bulletin October 2020

    With So Much At Stake It's Time to Challenge Elected Lawmakers! .Understand how sales commissions affect your payout. Sales commissions come out of your investment. The higher the commission the less monthly income for you. Make sure the amount of monthly income quoted is net of sales charges. .Prior to 1984, Social Security benefits were excluded from taxation. Today, from 50 to 85 percent of Social Security income can be subject to taxation depending on two income thresholds. For taxpayers with incomes between ,000 and ,000 (individual) or ,000 and ,000 (filing jointly), up to 50 percent of Social Security benefits may be taxable. For individuals with incomes above ,000 or couples filing jointly with incomes above ,000, up to 85 percent of benefits may be taxable. … Continued

  • Fraud Concerns Grow About Obamas Illegal Immigration Policy

    I retired seven years ago at age 65 when I started Social Security and Medicare. I have difficulty budgeting my healthcare costs. I never seem to learn what they will be until I start getting the bills. Can you help? .Medicare Reform – Protect beneficiaries from changes that would impose greater out-of-pocket costs on beneficiaries. .58% Of Seniors Worried Their Health Plan Could Be Cancelled … Continued

Prescription Drug Re-Importation – Making safe, secure re-importation a reality. .One important factor to consider is the ability to receive benefits and work at the same time without reduction once you have reached full retirement age. The additional income could mean you would pay somewhat more taxes, but it may also be a way to save more earnings for retirement, or, for major investments like repairs and maintenance to retrofit a home for retirement or to replace an aging car. .TSCL agrees that doing away with the payroll tax cap would be a fair and responsible solution to the Social Security program's solvency issues. As the negotiations evolve over the coming months, we will continue to monitor them closely, and we will provide updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .Married living with spouse — annual income is less than ,360 (,030) and resources less than ,600 per year. .Gathering support for the legislation, which would cap drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries and force drug manufacturers to provide Medicare inflation rebates, has been an uphill battle for Grassley over the past year. .There is one trend that of particular concern for all consumers. "There's a relentless march upward in the cost of foods, especially sources of protein, (meats, poultry, seafood), dairy, as well as fruits and vegetables, Johnson says. Some categories of food prices especially for fresh fruits and vegetables have climbed in recent years due to widespread damage from severe weather and wild fires. "COVID-19 simply added another layer of disaster cost due to loss of restaurant and school lunch markets, labor shortages for growing, harvesting and food processing, and transportation disruptions," Johnson says. "This is the year to plant a vegetable garden," Johnson says. .At Thursday's hearing, Mr. Mathur updated the subcommittee members on the progress the administration is making to modernize the program's information technology. The administration is in the process of implementing a five-year plan that will result in improved service, stronger cyber security, and lower operating costs. Mr. Mathur reported that SSA's IT modernization efforts are currently on schedule and on budget, and that the outdated system should be fully replaced by 2022. .According to the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation, the average Medicare Part D plan premium increase for 2016 is likely to be the largest since 200In addition, Medicare Part B premiums will increase more than 16 percent, from 4.90 to 1.80 per month, for about one in three beneficiaries next year, and that's after legislation that reduced the increase. .TSCL strongly supports legislation that would allow Medicare negotiation of drug costs.