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  • Q Septemberoctober 2017

    Sources: "Under New Cost-Cutting Medicare Rule, Same Surgery, Same Place, Different Bill," Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News, March 23, 2021. .I Thought My Co-pay Would Be Why Did I Have To Pay 3.45? ."The distinction between inpatient or outpatient can make a tremendous difference to what Medicare patients have to pay," says TSCL Executive Director, Shannon Benton. Inpatient stays are covered under Medicare Part A. Inpatients who are hospitalized for three days or more qualify for Medicare's limited nursing home stay coverage. Observation stays are considered outpatient services covered under Part B. Observation patients can have much higher copayments costs and sometimes get hit with huge bills for non-covered drugs. … Continued

  • Category Congressional Corner Page 8

    COLA Cuts .In a recent high profile Medicare fraud takedown, actor and entrepreneur Roberto F. Marrero, who played bits parts on Miami Vice, America's Most Wanted, and Unsolved Mysteries, was arrested for massive Medicare fraud. Marrero, who became a Medicare-licensed healthcare provider in 2007, is accused of submitting million in bogus bills for supplying purported home healthcare services for diabetic patients. .Although Social Security and Medicare need some changes to enable the programs to continue paying scheduled benefits in a timely manner, TSCL believes that benefit reductions should not be imposed on people who have already retired, or are close to retirement. Other deficit reduction options exist, and Congress needs to allow time for the public to more fully learn about the proposals, consider the choices, and have an opportunity to provide input to elected lawmakers. … Continued

You might be able to avoid doing so. Coronavirus stimulus legislation (CARES Act) that was signed into law in March waives required minimum distributions (RMDs) in 2020 for anyone who owns a 401(k), 403(b), or IRA. Instead of taking money from your retirement accounts this year, retirees can wait, or take less, to give investments time to recover. That's helpful, because most RMDs are based on the value of your retirement accounts on December 31st of the previous year. .Notes from Jessie Gibbons, TSCL Legislative Analyst .Source: "The 2018 Long-Term Budget Outlook," The Congressional Budget Office, June 2018. .Forty-eight percent (48%) have gone without essentials including food, disinfecting products, face masks, due to shortages, rationing or high prices. .(Washington, DC) – Older Americans are not to blame for an exploding federal budget deficit warns The Senior Citizens League. "Congress can't cut taxes by an estimated .7 trillion and then turn around and blame rising deficits on ‘entitlements' and aging," says Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League. .The 113th Congress: A New Opportunity for TSCL .Unlike the temporary payroll tax cuts, which wouldn't affect Social Security's finances, the diversion of Social Security contributions into private accounts would substantially reduce the amount of money available to pay current beneficiaries. This "privatization" of Social Security contributions would drain the Social Security Trust Fund in short order and require the transfer of TRILLIONS of dollars from the U.S. Treasury into the Social Security Trust Fund in the coming decades to continue paying current benefits. .TSCL is supportive of both of Rep. DeFazio's bills, and we were pleased to see support grow for them this week. .According to consumer price index data through August, ten of the biggest price jumps for Social Security recipients over the past 12 months are illustrated in the following chart: