News

  • Government Forecast_three More Years Of Historically Low Colas

    Dental Coverage Under Medicare .Should Congress hand over accountability for decisions about Medicare cuts to an unelected board? That's what lawmakers did in 2010 when they passed the Affordable Care Act. The law included a controversial provision to create a Medicare cost-cutting board, known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). .In April, more than 150 House lawmakers 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? … Continued

  • The Seniors Citizens League Weekly Update

    Should seniors with Medigap supplements that provide "first dollar coverage" be required to pay more up-front? Should Medicare continue to pay for services based on medical necessity, or should the government change to a system "based on evidence of the value of services?" Congress may be debating these questions this month when the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issues its June report to Congress. The idea is to make Medicare beneficiaries "think twice" before scheduling doctor, outpatient services, or hospital stays in order to reduce government spending on Medicare. .Two bills that would provide for coverage of dental services under the Medicare program were introduced in Congress last week. H.R.502, authored by Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-Calif.) has been introduced in the House of Representatives, while S.97, authored by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) has been introduced in the Senate. .In some hard-hit states, inspectors conducted remote surveys rather than going into nursing homes, a process that involved speaking to staff by phone and reviewing records. In Pennsylvania, for example, inspectors conducted interviews and reviewed documents for 657 facilities from March 13 to May 15 — most of which was done remotely. … Continued

TSCL Supports Bill To Kill The Medicare Cutting Board .How accurate is it? .These laws affect state or local government workers in twenty-six states and teachers in fifteen states, because their employers do not withhold Social Security taxes from their salaries. The GPO affects public servants who are entitled to Social Security spousal or survivors benefits based on the work history of a husband or wife. Often, the benefits to which they are entitled are eliminated altogether. The WEP affects those public servants who have earned pensions from their state or local government, but have also paid into Social Security through previous employment. Their earned Social Security benefits are often unfairly reduced by one-half or more. .The announcement comes as the Super-Committee members consider how much savings should come from tax cuts versus spending cuts. If the committee cannot come to an agreement by the November 23rd deadline, across-the-board budget cuts will occur. .Use BenefitsCheckup.org to screen for programs in your area. If you don't have a computer, ask a friend or family member to help you do an online Benefits Checkup. The service asks you a series of questions about where you live, your income, and a number of other qualifications, and matches you up with programs that can provide help with medications among a menu of other valuable benefits. .Reports are coming in across the country of a new Social Security scam. Scammers use a threatening tone saying that due to illegal activity (such as an "account breach") your Social Security account has been "compromised" and will be closed unless you call a phone number to address the issue. .The Notch Fairness Act, which was introduced by Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC-7) in March, would provide compensation to Notch babies, or those born between the years 1917 and 192Just years before they were set to retire, these individuals learned that they would have significantly lower benefits than they originally anticipated. TSCL feels that this is an inequity that was brought about because of the Social Security Act Amendments enacted and signed into law in 1977. ."Even though Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket drug costs are the fastest growing and biggest financial challenge in retirement, that growth is not accounted for in the annual COLA," Johnson says. The consumer price index used to calculate the COLA for retirees reflects the spending pattern of young urban workers, and explicitly excludes people over the age 6But younger workers don't get Medicare, and spend a much lower portion of their incomes on healthcare. .Premium support by itself is no shoo-in for cutting federal spending. In fact, the track record is pretty messy. The costs for Medicare Part D have been lower than originally projected. Competition between Part D drug plans seems to be working, for now, to keep costs down both for the government and for some seniors — particularly those who carefully shop and compare drug plans each year.