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Medicare’s Role in Health-Care Payment Reform
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell announced a bold initiative Monday aimed at moving half of all Medicare payments away from traditional fee-for-service reimbursement by 2018 and replacing it with incentive-based payments encouraging higher quality and lower costs. The…
What People with Government Pensions Should Know about Social Security
As if the Social Security system weren’t complicated enough, additional complications arise for certain retirees receiving government or public sector pensions. These rules, known as the WEP, for Windfall Elimination Provision, and the GPO, for Government Pension Offset, can significantly…
Publication 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits
This publication explains the federal income tax rules for social security benefits and equivalent Tier 1 railroad retirement benefits. It is prepared through the joint efforts of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), and the U.S.…
89% of Older Americans Oppose Executive Action on Immigration, Says New Poll from The Senior Citizens League
Eighty-nine percent of people responding to a new poll by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) are opposed to President Obama’s executive action on immigration. The poll was conducted prior to the president’s announcement of executive action that would allow an…
Social Security Lump Sum Death Payment Overview
If you’re insured by Social Security and living with a spouse, your spouse is entitled to a lump-sum death payment of $255 when you die. If you don’t have a spouse or you’re not living with your spouse at the…
Social Security for All: Excerpt from ‘Social Security Works!’ by Nancy Altman Read Latest Breaking News from
AN EXPANDED SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM IS A SOLUTION TO a variety of challenges facing the nation, including the income insufficiency of today’s seniors; the retirement income crisis confronting today’s middle-aged and young workers; insufficient recognition of and public support for…
One-third of disability recipients cite mental disorder as reason for not working
A new breakdown of data from the Social Security Administration(SSA) reveals that more than one-third of federal disability recipients rely on diagnoses of mental disorders to qualify for the benefit. For the year ending in December 2013, 3,599,417 disability recipients cited…
How Are Social Security Benefits Affected During International Travel?
During long periods of international travel or residence, any social security payments you receive for a disability or medical condition may be affected. Internationally, your benefit payments through the SSA depend on: Read more… Notice: The “Read more…” link…
Budget Forecast Sees End to Sharp Deficit Declines
The federal budget deficit will continue to inch downward through next year, but even with the economy on an upward trajectory, the government’s red ink will begin to rise in 2017 and expand with an aging population, the Congressional Budget…
If You Like Your Medicare, You Can Keep Your Medicare
Not just Barack Obama, but all politicians promise to protect Medicare—even if they are robbing it to pay for ObamaCare. They don’t promise that you can keep your Medicare doctor, however. And they don’t address the question of what happens…