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    We urge you to contact Members of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor "The Notch Fairness Act." Suggest that by cutting the rate of improper payments due to waste, fraud and abuse, your elected lawmakers can correct the most improper payment of all, the disparity in benefits caused by the Notch and erroneous government assumptions. .This week, five new cosponsors signed on to the Notch Fairness Act (H.R. 1001). They are: Reps. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL-2), Collin Peterson (MN-7), Maurice Hinchey (NY-22), Elton Gallegly (CA-24), and Christopher Smith (NJ-4). These cosponsor additions bring the total up to 35. .The number of people receiving benefits. … Continued

  • The Advisor Volume 16 June 2011 Part 2

    "We should not allow health insurers to limit how much cost-sharing assistance can help patients at the pharmacy counter," the spokesperson said. .Important work is also being done on the federal, state, and local levels to build awareness and advance medical research. As part of the bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's, my colleagues and I have been working to address the growth of Alzheimer's. One piece of legislation that I am pushing is the Alzheimer's Accountability Act, which would increase coordination between the National Institute of Health, Congress, and the White House regarding the resources necessary to help treat Alzheimer's. Another bill, the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act would help improve early diagnosing of Alzheimer's and strengthen support services for patients and their families. .Medicare's Fall Open Enrollment Period started on October 15th and will run through December 7th. For the past 14 years, I have volunteered to help neighbors and friends learn about changes in their current Part D prescription drug or Medicare Advantage coverage during this period. We compare options, track down the lowest costing plans and pharmacies, and often switch to a lower-costing plan when there's a better deal. … Continued

Upon introducing his bill, Congressman Duncan said, "Lower energy prices have pulled down the overall official inflation rate based off of the CPI-W, which measures spending habits of young, urban workers. But seniors don't spend and consume in the same way as working Americans. It's time to finally create an accurate inflation rate just for seniors." .Many are wary at this point in time about the likelihood of reaching a deal before the December 31st deadline. On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) predicted that the Fiscal Cliff would hit as scheduled, saying, "It looks like that's where we're headed." Any hope of reaching a deal now lies in the hands of Majority Leader Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY). .For many, the COLA increase won't be high enough. Those people will once again be held harmless another year. Their Medicare premium increase will be adjusted so that their Social Security benefits won't be reduced, but it may be another year, or even longer, before they see any increase in their net Social Security benefit. .The following Members of Congress, among many others, will be holding town hall meetings in the final days of this week's recess: Sen. Charles Grassley (IA), Rep. Lynn Jenkins (KS-2), Rep. Tom MacArthur (NJ-3), Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-2), Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-4), Rep. Will Hurd (TX-23), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Rep. Jim Langevin (RI-2), and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-5). .Last week House Appropriations Military Construction-VA Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) pushed a Department of Veterans Affairs official at a hearing to work on a plan to offer coronavirus vaccines to veterans even if they are not eligible for VA health care. .For instance, sedatives such a fentanyl and propofol, which are administered to people placed on ventilators to help them breathe, are made with core ingredients from China. Medicines to treat shock, such as epinephrine and dopamine, are also made with chemical components from China. Antibiotics to treat sepsis, a life-threatening bloodstream infection, are made with raw materials supplied by China. .Noncitizens who began receiving benefits before 1997, and who never received legal work authorization, can receive benefits. In addition, individuals who never obtained work authorization, but who received a SSN prior to 2004, and now live abroad, could potentially receive a benefit. .If Congress does not pass the new legislation, there will be a 2% cut starting April 1 and then a 4% cut in Medicare funding amounting to billion in early 202The cuts would be in place for each of the next five years. .If your prescription drug costs are outgrowing your ability to pay for your medicine, look into Medicare's "Extra Help" program. The program helps pay for some, or most, of the costs of Medicare prescription drug coverage, depending on income. In addition, there's no doughnut hole coverage gap that leaves you footing the bill for a larger share of the co-insurance, there's no late enrollment penalty, and you have the chance to switch plans at any time. According to the 2018 Medicare & You Handbook, drug costs in 2018 for people who qualify will be no more than .35 for generics and .35 for brand-name drugs.