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  • Q A May 2019

    Take all your prescriptions, vitamins, and supplements with you on your next visit to the doctor. Find out whether you still need to take them all and if there is a less-expensive brand name or generic you can try before settling on new medications. .The President believes tying drug prices in the U.S. to those in other countries will bring down the prices here. However, the effect of his order won't be seen for some time and will only cover certain prescription drugs. The executive order requires that the secretary of Health and Human Services immediately test a payment model for Medicare to pay "no more than the most-favored-nation price," meaning the lowest price paid in other developed countries, for specific "high-cost" prescription drugs and products. .I'm enrolled in a Part D drug plan. I thought I would get my brand name drug Eliquis, for a copay, but I was charged 5.4Why was that? … Continued

  • Category Issues Medicare Part D Articles Page 4

    Of the more than 1,200 people who participated, 766 sent in comments. Most described their personal challenges in meeting their healthcare expenses. In what may be a sign of the times, a surprising number indicated they are working far longer than they ever thought they would, even into their late 70's and 80's, because they don't have enough to live on after paying their healthcare costs. Even seniors who do have good Medicare supplemental and drug coverage described how they keep costs in check by asking their doctor to prescribe generics, filling prescriptions for 90 days, splitting pills, and sticking to preferred pharmacies. .TSCL Calls On Congress To Close The Loop Hole .TSCL Endorses Social Security Administration Fairness Act … Continued

We have been hearing from hundreds of you who are watching the inflation numbers and eagerly looking forward to getting a high inflation boost next year. But a number of you point out an urgent problem that occurs. COLA Estimated to Be 6% to 6.1% For 2022 , editor .Recently we learned of a woman, now in her 80's, who has moved twice in the past decade to be close to her daughter. Her first move was from the family home in Connecticut to an up-scale retirement community in Virginia, and more recently following her daughter to Arizona after her son-in-law's job changed. Her former Virginia home has been sitting on the market for months. That's posing a drain on her resources, adding unanticipated costs for new housing at a time when her need for caregiving services is growing. Her daughter worried that the former facility wasn't handling things well. .Medicare Advantage Plans May Offer New Supplemental Benefits, .If our forecast proves correct, this would. .The U.S. – Mexico Totalization Agreement—which was signed by the Social Security Administrations of both the U.S. and Mexico in 2004, and is due to undergo review by the current or future President(s)—continues to pose a threat to Social Security beneficiaries. Because of a loophole, if the President signs the final Executive Totalization Social Security Agreement with Mexico, it could lead to Social Security benefits going to individuals who worked in the U.S. while illegal. .In a letter of support for the bill, Ed Cates – TSCL's Chairman – wrote: "As you know, Social Security beneficiaries today are struggling to keep up with rising costs. Our research shows that seniors have lost over 20 percent of their purchasing power since 2000, and last year, their benefits increased by while their expenses jumped by nearly 0. These are clear signs that the COLA is growing too slowly." .On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee held a hearing on the state of the Social Security program's information technology (IT). Lawmakers on the subcommittee heard from three expert witnesses, including Rajive Mathur, Chief Information Officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA). .The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed charges against more than half a dozen people accused of pushing silver products and other fake treatments for Covid-1The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has gotten the marketer of a Vitamin C supplement to stop claiming it can treat the virus. And the FTC and Food and Drug Administration have been sending dozens of joint warning letters to companies for touting unapproved treatments or preventatives. .Information about critical issues affecting seniors