Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 If you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562. THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times local representatives voted with their party’s leadership in the 2021 session through August 27. The votes of the 2021 membership of 29 Republicans were compared with those of GOP House Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading). The votes of the 2021 membership of 128 Democrats were compared to House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 66 votes from the 2021 House session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not quorum calls or votes on local issues. THE DEMOCRATS: A total of 101 (78.9 percent) of the 128 Democrats voted with Mariano 100 percent of the time. That means that nearly four-fifths of the Democrats always voted with Mariano. Another 13 Democrats (10.1 percent) voted against Mariano only once. Only fi ve Democrats (3.9 percent) voted with Mariano less than 90 percent of the time. The Democratic representative who voted the lowest percentage of times with Mariano is Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville) who voted with Mariano only 78.4 percent of the time. She is followed by Reps. Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge) 80.3 percent; Rep. Colleen Garry (DDracut) 83.3 percent; Tami Gouveia (D-Acton) 86.3 percent; and Nika Elugardo (D-Jamaica Plain) 89.3 percent. THE REPUBLICANS: None of the 29 GOP members voted with Jones 100 percent of the time. Sixteen Republicans (55.2 percent) voted with Jones at least 90 percent of the time. Thirteen Republicans (44.8 percent) voted with Jones less than 90 percent of the time. The Republican representative who voted the lowest percentage of times with Jones was Rep. Joseph McKenna (R-Webster) who voted with Jones only 81.8 percent of the time. He is followed by Reps. Alyson Sullivan (R-Abington) 83.0 percent; Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) 83.3 percent; Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick) 84.8 percent; and David DeCoste (R-Norwell) 86.1 percent. REPRESENTATIVES’ SUPPORT OF THEIR PARTY’S LEADERSHIP IN 2021 The percentage next to the representative’s name represents the percentage of times the representative supported his or her party’s leadership in 2021 through August 27. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the representative opposed his or her party’s leadership. Some representatives voted on all 66 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each representative is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted and does not count the roll calls for which he or she was absent. Rep. Jessica Giannino 100 percent (0) HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the BEACON | SEE Page 22 Dear Moving, Moving can indeed affect SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS R etirees have to decide when to collect their social security benefi ts. Widows or widowers can collect his or her benefits under their deceased spouse’s work history at age 60. Otherwise, you can collect benefi ts at age 62, at full retirement age which is age 66 if you were born in 1943-1954, age 66 and a certain number of months (based upon your year of birth between 1955 and 1959) or age 67 for those born in 1960, or at age 70. In 1983, Congress reduced Social Security Benefits by raising the retirement age and gradually increasing the monthly benefit available to you if you wait until age 70 to begin collecting. For individuals born after 1960, the Social Security Administration increases monthly benefi ts approximately by 7% per year between the ages of 62 and 70 if you wait to collect at age 70. Therefore, by waiting until age 70 to collect, your actual monthly benefi t will have been increased by approximately 76%. Furthermore, those highter monthly benefi ts are also indexed to infl ation. As an example, if someone were able to collect $1,125 per month at age 62, waiting until age 70 would result in a monthly benefi t of $1,980, for a $855/ month increase. One option is to withdraw from an existing retirement account such as a Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, 403 (b) or 401(k) plan for the years from age 62 to age 70. Then, you can begin collecting your social security at age 70. If you were to die with a surviving spouse, your surviving spouse would be able to collect your Medicare benefits depending on the type of coverage you have and where you move to. If you and your husband are enrolled in “original Medicare” Part A and Part B, you’ll be happy to know that you won’t need to change your plans when you move because they’re the same throughout the U.S. You will, however, need to notify the Social Security Administration of your change of address, which you can do at SSA.gov/ myaccount/change-of-address. html or by calling 800-772-1213. But, if you’re enrolled in a your monthly benefi t with cost of living increases each year based upon the higher age 70 benefi t. Your spouse would have to be married to you for at least 10 years. This would also help your minor children who would be able to collect based upon the higher age 70 monthly benefi t that you were receiving prior to your death. Another option is to continue working part time until age 70 in order to generate enough cash fl ow to meet your monthly living expenses. Of course, if these options are not feasible, you can certainly begin collecting at full retirement age, or even age 62 if your situation warrants it. If you have not done so already, go onto the Social Security Administration website at www.ssa.gov and establish a user id and password. You will have the ability to double check that all of your earnings have been posted to your account and you will be able to see what your monthly benefi t would be based upon the year you wish to begin collecting. Also keep in mind that up to 85% of your social security benefi t can be taxable depending upon your other taxable income. Joseph D. Cataldo is an Estate Planning/Elder Law Attorney, Certifi ed Public Accountant, Certifi ed Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a Master’s Degree in Taxation. Medicare (Part D) prescription drug plan, or a Medicare (Part C) Advantage plan and you move out of your plan’s service area, you’ll need to choose a new plan that serves your new area. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need to do depending on the type of coverage you have. If you have a Part D plan: If you’re in rolled in original Medicare and have a stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, you’ll need to contact your Part D plan to fi nd out if it will work in the area you’re moving to. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to enroll in a new plan that provides coverage in your new location. You can make this switch the month before you move and up to two months after the move. Otherwise, you’ll need to wait until the next open enrollment (in the fall) and could be penalized for having no acceptable prescription drug coverage. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan: If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, again, contact your plan to fi nd out if it will serve your new area. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to enroll in a new plan that does. To shop for new Advantage and/or Part D prescription drug plans in your new location, see Medicare.gov/plan-compare. How to Handle Your Medicare Coverage if You Move Dear Savvy Senior, My husband and I are moving to a diff erent area of the country to be near our daughter. Will this aff ect our Medicare benefi ts? Will we need to adjust our coverage or re-enroll in a new plan? Moving Away You can switch Advantage plans the month before you move and up to two months after you move. But be aware that if you relocate out of your Medicare Advantage plan’s service area and fail to enroll in a new plan in your new area, you’ll automatically be switched to original Medicare. This will happen when your old Medicare Advantage plan is forced to disenroll you because you don’t live within its service area anymore. If you have a Medigap policy: If you’re enrolled in original Medicare and have a supplemental (Medigap) policy, you’ll need to notify your provider that you’re moving, but you should not need to change insurance companies or plans. (Note: there also are Medicare Select plans, which are Medigap plans that are network-based and are available in a few states. These plans may require you to change.) Medigap plans are standardized across the country; for example, Medigap Plan F offers the same coverage in one state as it does in another state (Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have waivers from the federal government allowing them to standardize Medigap plans diff erently, so plan designs are diff erent in those three states). But be aware that Medigap costs vary by location, so your monthly Medigap policy premium may be higher or lower depending on the cost of medical care in your new area. Call your provider and tell them the new ZIP code, and they’ll let you know the cost. Sometimes you’ll be pleasantly surprised that it’s lower. If it’s not, you could look for a cheaper policy. However, you may have to undergo medical underwriting. Medigap policies come with their own rules for enrolling, and some states have diff erent enrollment standards than others. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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