And, in case you had any doubts about why you need that Medicare Advantage plan in the first place, here are the general types of costs if you have Medicare Advantage plan coverage compared with having traditional Medicare with a Medigap supplement. .What Is the Risk of Catching the Coronavirus on a Plane? .Where to find premium information. Rather than calling insurance agencies for quotes, first visit the website of your state insurance commission and look for a publication listing all the state-approved Medigap insurers and Medigap plans (A through N) sold in your state. The information includes the insurer's company name, phone number and website address, and more crucially, the current premiums for the plans (A through N). Since all insurers are required to cover the same benefits under specific plans (A through N) then all you need to do is select the plan covering the benefits you are interested in (such as Plan F), then find a good insurer with the lowest premium for the plan you are shopping for. Not all states have all plans. Calls to the insurer are necessary to confirm premium quotes for your zip code. For Part D Plans, or Medicare Advantage plans, use the health and drug plan finder on the Medicare website at www.Medicare.gov. It's important to select those plans by selecting the lowest-costing plan based on the prescriptions you currently take. .This failure of the COLA to keep up with rising Medicare Part B premiums and other retiree costs is creating a dilemma that is growing in magnitude, not only for older Americans, but also for the nation's safety net programs like Medicaid. A majority of Social Security recipients depend on their benefits for more than half of their income, and almost half of all retirees have only limited or no retirement savings at all. The lack of adequate growth in benefits over the past eight years is pushing modest income seniors into poverty, forcing even those who started out as middle-income retiree households to rely on Medicaid for help paying Medicare costs, rental subsidies, fuel assistance, food pantries and senior meals programs. .Key Bill Gains Cosponsors .Now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has told hospitals they can't hide their prices from web searches. .The Senate bill also would change Medicare Part D by adding an out-of-pocket maximum for beneficiaries of ,100 starting in 202No such out-of-pocket cost cap currently exists. According to our 2019 Senior Survey, about one-in-five survey participants report out-of-pocket spending this high for prescription drugs. Advisor editor Mary Johnson estimates that this legislation would protect almost 14 million Medicare beneficiaries from out-of-pocket drug costs exceeding ,100 in the first year of enactment if signed into law. .Benefits haven't kept pace with the cost of living and all changes that have occurred over the last 50 years. … .We were also told that the Congressman is working on further legislation to raise benefits and further extend solvency which he plans on introducing later this year. We will report on that new bill whenever it is introduced.