A few weeks after a 90-year old woman was moved into an assisted living facility, her daughter was surprised to be told that her mother was a good candidate for hospice. The move to assisted living was only intended for help with her mother's daily care, and her. Another Banner Year For Medicare Fraud? , editor .Now, allergy season has arrived and in the United States as many as 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of kids have seasonal allergies. .In January as my specialist told me goodbye, he gave me a 10-day prescription for a simple .16 antibiotic. Did I get better? Yes, at least for now. While the antibiotic treatment was inexpensive and seems effective at curing the cough, the CT scan and bronchoscopy he ordered last year cost about ,000 before insurance. Would I have done just as well getting that prescription from my primary care doctor and skipping all the rest? Maybe, but how does the patient make that judgment? .If you've ever had a doctor or other health care provider who you've gone to for many years and who you really liked, but then who either retired or moved away, you can understand how upsetting this prospect is for many military retirees and military families. .The Part B and Part D deductible period starts on January 1 of each year and ends on December 3If you were healthy during the year, but require doctor's services in November for the first time and the charge is 0, then you (or possibly your supplemental insurance plan) will have to pay that charge. If you don't see the doctor again until January, you start a whole new deductible period. If he charges you 0 again, then you or your insurer will pay the 0 again. .Now, with the massive amounts of money being spent by Congress to deal with the coronavirus, which is all borrowed money, we cannot help but wonder what Congress will do when the trust funds for Social Security and Medicare become insolvent. There is still time to fix the programs if the trust funds remain as they are now but cutting the payroll would be devastating and would create a new crisis for seniors that we do not need and should not have to face. .On housing, the President instructed key officials to "consider" whether there should be a ban on evictions. He also insists that state governments pick up the tab for some of the unemployment aid. But there are serious questions about whether states have the finances to pay the additional amount. .Insurers make major changes in their plans every year, like increasing premiums, co-pays, dropping coverage and even closing plans altogether. But according to a survey conducted by TSCL earlier this year, less than 18 percent of respondents said they switched their Part D or Medicare Advantage health plan for 201Medicare's annual Open Enrollment period starts earlier this year -- on October 15th -- and ends December 7th. Medicare beneficiaries should start the process now to find out what their choices are and how much they could save with a new Part D or Medicare Advantage plan. .As the coronavirus continues to be among the major news stories each day, attention has turned to the drug supply in the U.S., not because of the cost but because of the vulnerability of the supply of prescription drugs for use in the nation.