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    The prices that insurers pay for in-network services are typically much lower than the provider list prices. .Critics of the new immigration policy, including the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Representative Lamar Smith (TX- 21), recently said in an opinion piece: "this massive backdoor amnesty to illegal immigrants could allow illegal immigrants to receive work authorization and could put even more U.S. citizens on the unemployment rolls." .Nonetheless, several Senators at Tuesday's hearing urged CMS to consider withdrawing the proposed payment changes. Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (UT) expressed concerns about the rule's potential unintended consequences. He said: "I believe this experiment is ill-conceived and likely to harm beneficiaries. It is an overreach on the part of CMS that, in my opinion, goes beyond the agency's statutory authority, extends nationwide, and requires all Medicare Part B providers to participate." … Continued

  • Government Turns Over Copy Of Totalization Agreement With Mexico

    My ex-wife passed away last year at 62, and recently my job ended. She had a good job with a pharmaceutical company for about 20 years. Can I file a claim for widower's benefits based on her account and still get my own retirement benefit later? I'll be 64 in December and I'm looking for new employment. I have not re-married. .Indeed, the Social Security Administration does not "promise" a specific amount of benefits, but they do not promise to replace a specific percentage of pre-retirement earnings either. Both benefit amounts and "replacement rates" can change at any time if Congress and the Social Security Administration deem it necessary. Prior to the 1977 changes, the replacement rate was not a stable percentage. For people who retired under the 1972-73 flawed formula (those born 1913 through 1916), replacement rates grew from 39% to a high of 54%. The new benefit formula led to a lower, more stable replacement rate of about 43%, as well as lower benefits. .Guarantee a minimum COLA of no less than 3 percent. … Continued

May Signal Zero COLA for 2016 .I care deeply about guaranteeing that all Americans have access to food, regardless of their income. That is why I introduced this bill. .When working Social Security recipients who are younger than full retirement age earn more than the annual earnings limit amount, their benefits will be reduced. The Social Security Administration likes to point out that these benefit reductions are "not truly lost because your benefit will be increased at your full retirement age to account for benefits withheld due to earlier earnings." But as you have discovered, you can sometimes wind up owing money to Social Security that was not withheld properly. ."The group of Democrats blocked one committee from advancing their party's drug-pricing legislation, with two members arguing it was too far-reaching and could stymie innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. Some of those Democrats also want to rein in a proposal to expand Medicare to include dental coverage, a high priority for progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)." .My ex-wife passed away last year at 62, and recently my job ended. She had a good job with a pharmaceutical company for about 20 years. Can I file a claim for widower's benefits based on her account and still get my own retirement benefit later? I'll be 64 in December and I'm looking for new employment. I have not re-married. .Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-2) introduced H.R. 4998 on June 26, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. .Negotiations on how to fund the Social Security payroll tax cut and the Medicare physician "doc fix" continued this week. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (MI-4) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (MT) led the 20 congressional conference committee members in talks aimed at producing a bill by the February 29th deadline. .Many observers believe the plan will likely include a combination of tax increases and benefit cuts for Social Security. Some of the most commonly mentioned proposals are: (1) switching to the chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) to calculate Social Security COLAs; (2) lifting or raising the cap on income which is subject to Social Security taxes; and (3) raising the Social Security retirement age. Switching to the chained CPI alone would both reduce initial benefits and cut lifetime Social Security benefits by more than 10%. .For more information, or to see if your Members of Congress have scheduled town halls before the November elections, call their local offices.