Under the hospital price transparency rule, some 6,000 U.S. hospitals will have to publicly provide their negotiated rates with insurers for 300 common medical services, along with the discounted cash price they're willing to accept for those procedures. .For years I've been getting the same unwanted robo call. "Hello seniors!" a voice bellows. "Stand by to learn how you can receive a free back brace covered by Medicare." .Understand which type works best for you. Medicare supplemental or Medigap premiums currently tend to be higher, often by hundreds of dollars, than those of Medicare Advantage Plans. In fact, there are Medicare Advantage Plans that offered hospital, doctor, and prescription drug coverage for Repurpose "heirlooms in time." If you have boxes of "almost antiques" hidden away in antiques or basements pick out a few to repurpose for a second time around. Restring those old broken beads, cut apart shrunken felted sweaters and sew into new tote bags for the market. Drill holes in into old loose-leaf tea cans and plant some thyme, rosemary or a small parsley plant for a sunny windowsill. A great place to get inspiration is www.Pintrest.com. .Nineteen percent (19%) postponed filling one or more prescriptions due to price spikes caused by coronavirus shortages or supply chain disruptions. .Medicare Therapy Caps: A Long Battle for Patient Access .TSCL is continuing to work hard for any and all legislation that would accomplish those goals. .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. .According to a recent survey by The Senior Citizens League, 74 percent of survey participants favor applying the 12.4% Social Security payroll tax to all earnings. To learn more, visit . .TSCL plans to continue hosting town hall meetings in the future. If you are interested in helping us plan a meeting in your area, click HERE. .Sources: "Under New Cost-Cutting Medicare Rule, Same Surgery, Same Place, Different Bill," Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News, March 23, 2021. .Finally, two new cosponsors – Reps. Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1) and Juan Vargas (CA-51) – signed on to the Empowering Encore Entrepreneurs (E3) Act (H.R. 4613), bringing the total up to four. If signed into law, the E3 Act would direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to increase training and mentoring efforts for older entrepreneurs. More than 7 million older Americans are currently self employed, but many of them lack the training and technical expertise that is necessary in order to see success. By expanding outreach efforts, the SBA can help empower seniors and enhance their ability to revitalize the economy. premiums in 200Don't let the lure of zero premiums fool you, because you will pay in other ways, especially if you get sick. .When attending town halls, find out how your candidate stands on this issue. Ask whether he or she supports expanding Medicare coverage to dental care. .Most Americans contribute 6.2 percent of every paycheck to Social Security, but due to the taxable maximum wage cap, people earning more than 8,500 pay nothing over that amount. Do you support increasing or eliminating the taxable maximum wage limit to make the program more solvent? .Benefits haven't kept pace with the cost of living and all changes that have occurred over the last 50 years. … .We cannot afford to overlook the financial risks associated both with the U.S.-Mexico totalization agreement and with any immigration plan that includes an amnesty provision at the expense of first securing our borders against additional illegal immigration. .Last week President Biden's administration unveiled its plan to lower prescription drug prices that includes a number of aggressive proposals but that are basically the same proposals that Democrats have pushed for years, many of which Democrats in Congress are currently working on to include in upcoming legislation. The plan would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices with manufacturers, a longstanding pledge from Biden, Democratic lawmakers, and every Democratic presidential candidate in 2020. It also would limit yearly price increases, allow the importation of drugs from Canada, and place a cap on out-of-pocket spending for Medicare beneficiaries .If adopted, the bill would strengthen and reform the Social Security program responsibly, without enacting any benefit cuts for older or disabled Americans. Among other things, it would: boost Social Security benefits by 2 percent, protect against inflation by basing cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) on the CPI-E, create a new minimum benefit set at 125 percent of the poverty line, and cut taxes for over 12 million Social Security beneficiaries.