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  • H R 4138 Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act

    Lawmaker Sponsors Honesty in CPI Reporting Act .According to testimony from a hearing on the problem held by the Senate Special Committee on Aging, fraudsters are "hijacking" federal benefits by using personal information such as name, date of birth and Social Security number. One victim who testified, Alexandra Lane, 73, of Florida went through a 50-day ordeal to recover close to ,500 worth of payments, which was not resolved until she turned to Senator Bill Nelson (FL) for assistance. Getting the money back has taken even longer, almost six months, for others. .This week, two new cosponsors – Reps. Mike Burgess (TX-26) and Lamar Smith (TX-21) – signed on as cosponsors to the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act (H.R. 1716). The cosponsor total is now up to thirty-one. … Continued

  • How An Obamacare Repeal Could Affect Medicare

    Changes in U.S. immigration polices impact the finances of Social Security and Medicare. Policies that expand legal immigration would result in new payroll tax revenues from immigrant workers flowing into Social Security and Medicare, strengthening program finances. On the other hand, policies that provide new work authorization to immigrants who are already working in this country illegally would provide new access to Social Security and Medicare benefits that could be based, at least in part, on earnings worked under invalid or fraudulent Social Security numbers. .Under current law, if an illegal immigrant eventually gets a work-authorized Social Security number through "guest worker" immigration legislation, or work covered under the Totalization Agreement, that worker could then eventually apply for Social Security benefits once eligibility requirements are met. Regardless of citizenship status, once an immigrant has a "work-authorized" Social Security number, that person may claim credit for all earnings, even those earned while working illegally. .Alzheimers and some Potentially Good News … Continued

If the bill doesn't pass into law one way or the other it would be the first time in 60 years the legislation has failed to be enacted. .The U.S. depends on China for thousands of chemicals needed to make prescription drugs. That's because it turns out that pharmaceutical companies have outsourced our generic medicine manufacturing to China. .Drug Discount Cards .To get information about Medicare supplement premiums, first select the plan offering the coverage you are interested in, "A" through "N". You can find a listing of these plans on page 82 of the 2017 Medicare & You handbook but not all states will have all plans. Once you have chosen the plan then you can simply compare premiums between insurers. The coverage for each type of plan is just the same, but premiums between various insurers can vary tremendously. .TSCL recently asked their members and supporters how no COLA in 2016 would impact their budgets. "They told us they will struggle to cover the costs of prescription drugs, car repairs, property taxes, rising food costs, and even their most basic needs next year," Cates says. "Simply put, Americans living on a fixed income cannot afford to go without a COLA, and we are concerned about the impact recent years of record - low COLAs will have on the long-term adequacy of benefits for millions of people who depend on COLAs," Cates explains. ."There is no substitute for boots on the ground — for going into a facility to assess whether a facility is abiding by long-standing infection control practices," Verma told reporters this month. .Today's seniors have spent a lifetime paying into benefit programs like Social Security. They did so under the assumption that those programs' benefits will be there for them when they need them. All too frequently, though, illegal immigrants are reaping benefits without first paying their fair share into the program, and those who paid into Social Security fear that expected benefits will not be available when the time comes. .Please help us continue our important work on behalf of senior citizens and retirees. Make a secure, online donation today. ."We are saying you need to be doing more inspections," Verma told reporters, explaining her message to states. "We called on states in early March to go into every single nursing home and to do a focused inspection around infection control."