News

  • How Long After Passage Will It Take To Award Notch Benefits

    In shopping for housing you will find that many senior living communities have medical criteria for acceptance. Since your sister has no children, she may need a facility that provides a continuum of care. As her health declines, she would move from independent living to assisted living, and finally nursing or memory care as her health declines. If her income is limited, all the more reason to start looking for affordable facilities ahead of time. It's not uncommon to encounter waiting lists at the most desirable facilities. .Senior housing experts say they frequently hear clients say they want to live in their own homes. But over time, it can become a great burden, especially when people don't have family that lives close by. Health and physical changes can make it difficult to climb stairs, keep the home clean, and keep up with paying bills. There may be a growing need for help with simple chores like driving to the pharmacy or grocery store. Home maintenance and repairs can even become a source of exploitation from unscrupulous vendors. .When no, or a very low, COLA occurs, a provision of law known as "hold harmless" is triggered. Under the provision, when an individual's Social Security COLA is insufficient to cover the increase in the Medicare Part B premium, the Part B premium is adjusted so that one's Social Security benefit isn't reduced from one year to the next. About 70% of Medicare beneficiaries are protected by hold harmless from rising premiums. … Continued

  • Legislative Update June 2011 Advisor Feed

    President Trump also said this last weekend that over the next 2 weeks he will pursue an executive order requiring health insurers to cover pre-existing conditions. "We will be pursuing a major executive order" on pre-existing conditions, Trump said during a news conference in N.J. .Raising Medicare Age Would Save 500 Billion Dollars .The real danger of traveling isn't the flight itself. However, going through security and waiting at the gate for your plane to dock are both likely to put you in close contact with people and increase your chances of contracting the virus. In addition, boarding — when the plane's ventilation system is not running and people are unable to stay distanced from one another — is one of the riskiest parts of the travel process. "Minimizing this time period is important to reduce exposure," wrote Corsi. "Get to your seat with your mask on and sit down as quickly as possible." … Continued

While the policy will mean that Medicare would spend less, patients will spend more— often, a lot more, and the charges would broadside most beneficiaries, coming as a complete surprise. TSCL is strongly opposed to this type of backdoor benefit cut, and has written a letter to President Biden urging him to rescind this CMS rule. Please sign our petition! .TSCL's Endorsement Sought for Social Security Bill .In addition, one new cosponsor – Rep. John Duncan, Jr. (TN-2) – signed on to the Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures (PRIME) Act (H.R. 2305). The total is now up to sixty-three. If signed into law, the PRIME Act would take a number of steps to comprehensively prevent fraud, waste, and abuse within the two programs – a problem that TSCL believes must be addressed in order to ensure that scarce program dollars are being spent properly. .Since passage of Medicare in 1965 all seniors received the same benefits for the same standard premium. But in 2003, Congress took the unprecedented step of passing legislation that required "upper-income" seniors to pay increased premiums for Medicare Part B. Forcing these seniors to pay more for the same Medicare benefits is known as the "means test." .Congress Adjourns for Thanksgiving Break .How Can My Sister's Son-In-Law Work And Claim Disability? ."The last thing struggling Americans need right now is a secret panel designed to slash their earned benefits and further undermine their economic security," House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said in a statement. "I wholeheartedly object to the TRUST Act and will fight against its nefarious inclusion in any upcoming relief package." .Congresswoman Gloria Negrete McLeod represents California's 35th Congressional District encompassing the communities of Bloomington, Chino, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, and portions of Fontana and Rialto. .Despite increased efforts by SSA, Mr. Bagdoyan emphasized the need for better program evaluation. He said: "SSA has taken some steps to establish an organizational culture and structure conducive to fraud risk management in its disability programs … But it has yet to comprehensively assess these risks or develop a strategic approach to ensure its anti-fraud activities effectively mitigate these risks."