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  • Free Special Issue 3

    The Senior Citizens League and the Alliance for Retired Americans endorse my Seniors' Security Act because they know what I do – that our seniors should be enjoying their golden years, not worrying about how they'll pay their bills and stay in their homes. .Mary Katherine was 90 when a stroke left her paralyzed on one side of her body and unable to speak. It was 1996 and at the time Medicare had a cap on physical and speech therapy services, which only allowed for a limited number of therapy sessions to help Mary Katherine regain the ability to walk, feed herself, and speak. The paltry coverage of therapy sessions from Medicare did not provide Mary Katherine with enough time or therapy to make much of an improvement in her physical health. Mary Katherine, who received a Social Security benefit of less than 0, couldn't afford more therapy and never recovered her speech. She remained paralyzed for the rest of her life, which she spent as a Medicaid patient in a nursing home. .During the pandemic, non-emergency elective hospital procedures were temporarily stopped to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission, to preserve scarce personal protective equipment and to keep hospital beds available for COVID care. According to JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, hospitals across the country have taken a major hit to their normal operating income. The American Hospital Association recently reported the average loss of revenues to U.S. hospitals of .7 billion per month from March 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020. We don't yet know how much more hospitals have lost through the end of 2020. … Continued

  • Congressional Corner The Promise Behind Medicare

    But it turns out the Democrats are not quite as united as that statement makes it sound. Ten members recently sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) expressing concerns about the drug pricing legislation as written. .Shoring up the Medicare Part A Trust Fund will be more difficult. Simply cutting payments to hospitals would not be in the best interests of patients or hospitals, because many medical centers are already faltering financially. .On Tuesday, Senators on the influential Finance Committee held a hearing titled "Examining the Proposed Medicare Part B Drug Demonstration." Dr. Patrick Conway testified before the full committee on the status of the controversial demonstration program, which was proposed by CMS earlier this year and has not yet been implemented. The program will test new payment strategies for hospitals and physicians who administer prescription drugs to Medicare beneficiaries receiving outpatient care. It is a new attempt by the Obama Administration to move away from a medical system that rewards volume of care and towards one that values high-quality care. … Continued

Initial Coverage Period: During this stage of coverage you pay a co-pay or co-insurance of 25% of the cost of covered drugs, and the plan pays 75%, up to a total of ,005 (beneficiary) and ,015 (plan). This includes any applicable deductible. Your plan's full retail drug cost, not your co-pay, is what counts toward entering the coverage gap. Your co-pays or True Out-of-Pocket costs (TrOOP) count toward exiting the coverage gap and qualifying for catastrophic coverage. .The Obama administration recently proposed new regulations to deny Medicare to illegal immigrants and remove them from Medicare rolls. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are proposing U.S. citizenship or lawful presence in the United States as a new requirement for getting Medicare. .But changes to illegal immigration enforcement can have long-term financial implications for federal benefit programs, including Social Security and Medicare. With work-authorization and valid Social Security numbers, even noncitizens can potentially become entitled to Social Security benefits with enough years of earnings or a change of legal status. At issue is whether work prior to obtaining legal status and valid Social Security numbers would count toward entitlement to Social Security and Medicare benefits — under current law it does. .The ,400 stimulus checks will help millions of retirees to cope at a time when Social Security checks don't buy as much due to low COLAs while food and energy costs are climbing. The Senior Citizens League supports boosting Social Security benefits and tying the annual COLA to a consumer price index that more closely reflects the spending patterns of older Americans. To learn more and participate in surveys visit . .Other Legislation Also Targets Scams and Fraud Against Seniors .If adopted, the Social Security Administration Fairness Act would accomplish the following: .Is his condition found on the Social Security Administration's list of disabling conditions? This is a list of medical conditions that the Social Security Administration considers so severe that it prevents a person from completing substantial gainful activity. .Obama's controversial executive action would defer the deportation of up to five million illegal immigrants, including older adults who have children who were born in the U.S. (and thus U.S. citizens). In addition, his executive actions provide the work authorization required to receive Social Security and Medicare, once other qualifications are met. Texas and 25 other states are challenging the legality of Obama's actions. They are being supported by TSCL, 12 other groups, and 113 Members of Congress who argue in an amicus brief, that "the President acted contrary to both the express and implied will of Congress." .Two Courts Halt Rule Tying Certain Drug Prices to Other Countries