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  • Tighten Your Belts Prices Hurtling Skyward

    Seventy-eight percent of the prescriptions ordered by one Florida physician were for Schedule II drugs. For one beneficiary, this physician prescribed a 605-day supply of morphine, a 52day supply of oxycodone, a 460 - day supply of fentanyl, and a 34day supply of hydromophone. .As a representative of thousands of senior citizens in Western Pennsylvania, and as a senior myself, I strongly believe that all Americans should be able to enjoy their golden years without financial or medical hardship. Retirement should be a time of great reward and good health, not unnecessary anxiety. As a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, it has been a priority of mine to work on policies that protect Social Security and ensure its long-term viability for all Americans who have paid into the system. Over the past several years, I have proudly worked with fellow legislators on both sides of the aisle to craft specific policy solutions that will benefit seniors everywhere. .It would implement a moratorium on all field office and contact station closures to ensure that beneficiaries have access to the essential services they provide. … Continued

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    If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. .The ongoing problem of extremely low COLAs, and double digit Part B premiums could be eliminated entirely if Congress were to focus instead on ensuring a higher net Social Security benefit. This could be done by enacting a one - time benefit boost or an emergency COLA. Either approach would satisfy the Social Security Act's hold harmless requirement that an individual's net benefit will not decrease from one year to the next as a result of an increase in the Part B premium, as specifically stated in section (§1839[f]). To prevent the triggering of hold harmless it would be very important that an emergency COLA payable in January 2021 is structured as an actual boost to the net benefits of Social Security recipients, rather than simply providing a flat emergency payment by check. .However, MA insurers have already begun taking steps to reduce their costs in order to account for the cuts from CMS. As was noted in last week's legislative update, UnitedHealth – one of the largest MA plan providers – has dropped thousands of doctors from its networks, leaving many seniors doctor-less. It expects its physician network to be 85 percent of its pre-Obamacare size by the end of this year. TSCL is concerned that additional cuts to MA in 2015 will harm beneficiaries in other ways, by driving up premiums and reducing benefits. … Continued

About 30 percent of the "other than legal " immigrants who were living in the U.S., and age 62 in 2000, would be eligible to receive retiree benefits. .This week, CMS announced that its cuts to the Medicare Advantage program will total 1.9 percent next year, which is significantly lower than most analysts expected. However, the amount has not been finalized yet, and some say that the figure fails to consider all factors that will affect reimbursements. They expect to see a final rate in the range of 4 to 7 percent. .Social Security is the largest single source of income for older Americans, providing the majority of income for half of retirees, and at least 90% of income for 18% of retirees, according to another think tank, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. .Only twice in the history of Medicare was the therapy cap actually implemented. In 2003, the cap was set at ,500 until the cap was once again halted from being implemented that same year. Then earlier this year the cap briefly went into effect again. Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN-3) introduced the Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2017, a bill that would repeal the therapy cap permanently. This bill gained the bipartisan support of 240 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and TSCL was proud to endorse and build support for this piece of legislation. .Two Cosponsors Sign on to Key Bill .I recently received a notice from Social Security that says I've been overpaid because I earned more than the allowable amount. I started benefits at age 62 after losing my job. I finally found a new one and I've been working for the past two years. I'm now 6When I first tried to report my earnings at our local Social Security office, I was told that the Social Security Administration would let me know what would be taken out of my benefits. The notice I received says I was overpaid by more than ,000! Now it looks like I won't get any Social Security payment for months. .Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its warning for cruise travel for the first time since several outbreaks on ships brought the industry to a halt last year. .TSCL's research has consistently found that Medicare Part B premiums rank as one of the fastest growing senior costs. Yet Medicare premium costs are not included in the measure currently used to determine the annual COLA — one major reason why COLAs do such a poor job of keeping up with rising healthcare costs. TSCL continues to lobby for a more fair and accurate COLA and supports legislation that would use a seniors' index — like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) — to determine the annual boost. .(Washington, DC) – The Social Security Administration has announced that the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will increase benefits by 2.0 percent for 201While the increase is the highest in five years, it won't be enough to offset dramatically higher Medicare Part B premium increases for millions of beneficiaries, warns The Senior Citizens League.