When a zero COLA was announced for 2016, the Medicare Trustees projected that the Part B premium and deductible amounts would increase by an unprecedented 52 percent between 2015 and 2016 — from 4.90 to 9.30 per month.[7] Passage of The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, however resulted in reducing the increase in Part B premiums from 9.30 per month to 1.80 per month, which was still an extremely high 16.1 percent increase. The premium included a repayment amount that was added to monthly premiums of all beneficiaries in future years to recover over time the cost of the reduced premium rate in 2016.[8] .It will take true leadership in Congress and the White House to save Medicare and face the reality of the situation: if we do nothing, which has been the status quo for years, Medicare as we know it will cease to exist. I am committed to doing all that can be done to ensure a strong and healthy Medicare program for America's seniors. .2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine .But the money to cover beneficiaries' share of premium costs still needs to come from somewhere. That leaves the 30% of Part B enrollees who aren't protected by hold harmless to make up the difference through steeply higher Part B premiums. Many of those people are facing a steep Part B premium increase from 1.80 per month to an estimated 9.00, the highest increase in 27 years. Those not protected by the hold harmless provision include: .Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage plans are administered by private insurers and cover all your Medicare Part A hospital, Part B doctors benefits. Many include Part D prescription drug benefits as well. They may also include coverage for benefits that aren't covered by Medicare, like vision or hearing services, as part of the premium, or you may pay extra for the coverage. You can enroll during your initial Medicare enrollment period or during the fall Open Enrollment Period that runs from October 15 through December To learn more about Medicare Advantage plans in your area, check your 2014 copy of Medicare & You. Call Medicare toll free at 1-800- MEDICARE ( 7) or visit Medicare.gov. .As a member of Congress, I have sought to protect Social Security and have advocated for seniors. From writing to President Obama urging him to exclude chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) from his 2015 budget to drafting legislation to help seniors save on tax deductions for medical expenses — I have fought to ensure Congress does not try to balance the budget on the backs of seniors. .UnitedHealth, the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, announced in mid-November that they would be dropping thousands of doctors from their networks in at least ten states. By the end of 2014, the company expects its network of doctors to be 85 percent to 90 percent of its pre-Obamacare size. .Thousands of nursing homes across the country have not been checked to see if staff are following proper procedures to prevent coronavirus transmission, a form of community spread that is responsible for more than a quarter of the nation's Covid-19 fatalities. .President Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the federal government to buy certain drugs solely from American factories.