Channel 4 Nashville acted on my press release and came down and interviewed me for the evening news. Here’s the link. The story is about how the Social Security Administration (SSA) deducted three months’ Medicare premiums from October social security benefits of hundreds of Tennesseans—because the state of Tennessee was three months late in informing the SSA it would no longer pay those premiums (generally because the social security recipient was no longer eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare).

I thought the reporter did a great job as far as it went. But when he talked to TennCare (who were paying the Medicare premium) for input to the story, they apparently made it sound like it was all my fault—since Tenncare apparently notified me they weren’t going to pay the premium after a certain point (although I can’t recall it). Anyway, the reporter apparently lost interest, and I felt like he thought I was lying, which I was not, and I felt that he missed the whole point, after he talked to TennCare.

The point is that the state of TN may have told ME they were going to stop paying Medicare premiums, but they didn’t tell the Social Security Administration; they MADE A MISTAKE by telling the SSA several months late.

And it’s the SSA who are in charge of letting me know about medicare deductions that are going to be withheld from my social security payment. And the SSA DID NOT GIVE PROPER NOTICE TO ME BY LAW. They were three months late with the notice (they blame the state for not telling them sooner that they were going to stop paying–HOW IS THAT MY FAULT?), and they are charging us three months of premiums at once, which is crippling.

I was worn out by the experience, and have been slowly girding my loins to take back up where the reporter dropped the ball and actually find out who’s responsible for this outrage. My resolve took a big step forward today when I discovered that this Social Security screw-over apparently was not just a one-month thing, but it is apparently being done to some people’s DECEMBER BENEFITS. Did they do it to people’s November benefits, too?

Listen to this poor lady’s story:

I just got my letter!!!!! So my Dec. check will be cut! So how in the world can my kids have christmas…288.80 is the amount,my husbend is a contractor need I say more…in our refig…we have a pack of chicken and some lunch meat. He trying to get on at the coal mines. Thanks uncel Sam…you got your stimulus money back!!! Now go bell out the banks that are charing us the poor 27% for a long on are cars and house payment have gone up cause of the ballon rate…we too will be homeless my enter net will be turned off. I have cut back on so much what next…Now no ins. no meds. I hope the rich sleep well tonight! my brother keeper yeah have a great christmas! I have no money for sure now!

I can remember a time we went on two vac. a year…not in five years have we know the word vac.
My son has two pears of pants my other son is trying to get through collage…but his pale grants have not kicked in thank you God…for the help of kind family members to help with this! My kids will go to collage It was never a option for me no car no family to help and not walking distance…Plus I never had any resorces and I have dislexic…just started reading not long ago…My children don’t miss a day of school unless running a fevor!!! the poor uneducated and disabled have no hope!—original here

If this is being done to hundreds or thousands of people, it should be easy to find an attorney to file a class-action lawsuit on our behalf. I hope anyone who has suffered as a result of this mistreatment by the Social Security Administration will let me know.