News
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Social Security Medicare Questions August 2011 Advisor Feed
In addition, the budget proposal includes more than 0 billion in cuts to Medicare providers, including hospitals, post-acute care providers, skilled nursing facilities, and pharmaceutical companies. According to the White House, these cuts would add five years to the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund, but TSCL has concerns about how they would affect seniors' access to quality medical care. .Passing a short-term funding bill to keep the government operating past September 30th is the last major hurdle lawmakers must tackle before the November elections. It remains to be seen whether or not they will successfully negotiate a CR before the quickly approaching deadline. In the days ahead, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) will keep a close eye on the talks since failing to pass a CR would likely impact Social Security beneficiaries and Medicare doctors negatively. For updates, visit the Legislative News section of our website. .If the threshold is raised, many seniors who have saved for their entire lives and have carefully planned for retirement will suddenly be faced with hundreds of dollars in extra taxes—on top of the out-of-pocket medical costs they already pay. That's simply unacceptable. … Continued
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Benefit Bulletin September 2012
Both bills are now awaiting the signature of President Donald Trump. He is expected to sign them into law in the very near future. The Senior Citizens League is pleased that lawmakers successfully advanced legislation that will protect the American public from "gag clauses" that result in higher out-of-pocket costs at pharmacies. .Alexandria, VEighty-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 estimated 4.9 million unauthorized immigrants to avoid deportation. It asked, "Should President Obama bypass Congress to halt deportations of illegal immigrants?" Only 11 percent of those responding said "yes." .Changes are looming for Medicare and Social Security. Make your opinion count. Visit TSCL online at and take our monthly poll. We'll announce the results in upcoming issues of this newsletter. … Continued
The Senior Citizens League is proud to have endorsed the BENES Act, and we hope the Senate Aging Committee will work to enact this legislation by the end of this year. To stay updated on the progress of the BENES Act, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. .All in all, it's too early to determine how much person-to-person transmission has occurred on plane flights. .Another Broken Obamacare Promise – This One Hits Medicare .Married living with spouse — annual income is less than ,360 (,030) and resources less than ,600 per year. . Paula chose to take the employer-provided Medicare supplement, dental and vision coverage at 6 per month, but "opted out" of the expensive Part D. Instead we found more reasonably priced drug coverage at .90 per month, and covering the prescriptions she currently took with no deductible, using the Medicare Drug Plan Finder at www.medicare.gov. .In April, lawmakers on the Republican Study Committee proposed a budget blueprint that would have reformed the Medicare program and cut Social Security benefits by adopting the "chained" CPI, eliminating the COLA for some seniors, and raising the eligibility age. Did you support this budget blueprint, and if so, why? .According to Bloomberg News, "Budget officials analyzed prices of 176 popular brand name drugs and found the price for a 30-day supply of medication was 8 on average through Medicaid and 3 through Medicare Part D, which pays for prescription drugs in retail pharmacies. The government also paid twice as much on the same drugs through Medicare versus the Veterans Affairs program." .What are the waiting periods and exclusions? You can find dental plans that cover two cleanings and check-ups a year, but it's not uncommon for dental plans to require a year or two waiting period before covering basic fillings, or crowns and implants. Some plans will not cover pre-existing conditions, so if you are switching dentists and you are in the middle of getting bridge work done, the new dental plan may not cover prior dental work in progress. .It's important to compare your prescription drug costs based on the drugs you actually take under Part D and Medicare Advantage plans since that expense for most people is their most significant cost, next to premiums. You can compare Medicare Part D drug plans and Medicare Advantage online at www.Medicare.gov by clicking on the link for "find drug and health plans." You can do a general search based on your zip code, and the drugs you input.
