News

  • 2022 Cola

    Dr. Conway assured lawmakers on the Finance Committee that CMS is carefully reviewing comments from the public about the proposed program, and that the Administration is committed to working closely with stakeholders to improve the proposal. He said, "Our goal is to be responsive to the public comments and input from Congress while preserving the integrity and effectiveness of the model." .The Senior Citizens League is pleased that key Social Security bills like the four mentioned above will be re-introduced early in the 116th Congress, and we look forward to building momentum for them on Capitol Hill in the months ahead. For progress updates or for more information on these important bills, visit our website at . .Background Information: Social Security beneficiaries received another record-low cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of just 0.3% this year. But if the COLA were based on a more accurate measure of inflation for seniors like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E), they would be receiving an increase of 2.1% according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Question: Do you support legislation that would give older Americans a more fair and adequate Social Security COLA? … Continued

  • Pay Freeze For Health Care Providers Proposed

    Will Medicare Soon Include Dental Coverage and More? .The bill, known as the Grassley-Wyden bill, would create a rebate system in Medicare Part B and Part D beginning in 2022 for brand-name drugs and biological products with prices that increase faster than inflation. Conservative groups and some Senate Republicans have opposed the rebate system for Part D, the prescription drug benefit program, but not for Part B, the outpatient services program. .This year, I am currently gathering support for the Medicare Advantage Quality Payment Relief Act, which would require the HHS Secretary to take Medicare Advantage Quality Incentive payments out of the calculation of the Medicare Advantage benchmark cap. This will allow high performing plans to receive the quality payments that they rightfully earned and to use those payments to improve beneficiary care. … Continued

Many seniors have been confused by Medicare Advantage plans, because they are aggressively marketed as offering Part D drug coverage, in addition to hospitalization and doctor's insurance. Some seniors have enrolled in the plans thinking they were getting drug coverage only to add to supplemental coverage they already had. .The most important thing people nearing retirement should consider doing is to delay starting benefits until age 70, the report says. After reaching full retirement age, benefits will grow 8 percent per year after for each year delayed, until age 70. "The higher your benefit and COLA, the easier it will be to cover Medicare Part B and other healthcare costs in retirement," Johnson says. .For this week, lawmakers in the House and Senate remained in their home states and districts to continue the month-long August recess. .Sources: "Humana Inc. Overcharged Medicare Nearly 0 Million, Federal Audit Finds," Fred Schulte, NPR, April 20, 202"Insurers Running Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Taxpayers By Billions As Feds Struggle to Stop It," Fred Schulte and Lauren Weber, Kaiser Health News, July 16, 201"Reducing Medicare Advantage Overpayments," Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, February, 23, 2021. .We are still learning how long COVID-19 vaccines can protect people. .The Obama Administration and proponents of Obamacare have continued to downplay the cancellations of the health insurance of 4.7 million individual policy-holders (including yours truly) who received notices that our polices would be ending in 2014 because they didn't comply with the new healthcare law. I was able to temporarily renew my so-called. .A report came out this weekend about the possibility of new major cuts to Medicare. This could result because of Senate rules about how many votes it takes to pass legislation. .The recommendation of MedPAC would combine the deductibles for Part A and Part B services. Currently the deductibles are charged separately and for good cause. About 80 percent of Medicare beneficiaries never pay a Part A deductible because they don't require hospitalization in most years. The Part A deductible for hospital inpatient services is ,156, a cost that is covered in full today by all Medigap supplements. Some Medigap supplements also cover all of the Part B deductible, which is 0 in 201Costs differ for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage depending on the plan. Co-payments would also change and vary by the type of service and provider. .Sources: "Homeowners Insurance Buying Guide," Consumer Reports, January 201"15 Surprising Consumer Actions & Beliefs Related To Homeowner's Insurance," PropertyCasualty360.com, March 28, 2017.