News

  • Category Issues Medicare Part B Feed

    The explosive cost of specialty drugs, that offer major treatment advances for people with life-threatening diseases, is not only threatening access to these treatments, but threatens to drain retirement savings, and leave widows and widowers in poverty after the death of a spouse. Unlike Medicare Advantage plans, and health insurance plans covering working-age adults, Medicare Part D has no annual out-of-pocket maximum to protect people with the highest drug costs. .Second, one new cosponsor also signed on to the Social Security Administration Fairness Act (H.R. 6251), bringing the total up to thirty-five. The new cosponsor is Representative Ron Kind (WI-3). If adopted, H.R. 6251 would improve the administrative funding of the Social Security Administration, implement a moratorium on field office closures, and eliminate two waiting periods for Disability Insurance beneficiaries. .My prescription for Lantus and blood pressure medicine has skyrocketed recently. When I called Humana, they said they are dealing with Covid-19, and costs have increased. The new price is at a level that makes it impossible for me to afford the medicine I need. I don't know what to do now. Any help is appreciated. — Robert N. FL … Continued

  • Tag Social Security Cola

    "And that's not all," says Cates. "Beneficiaries lose the compounding effect they get with higher benefits," he notes. "Even when inflation returns to more typical levels, beneficiaries' lifetime Social Security income will continue to be lower," Cates explains. .According to Bloomberg News, "Budget officials analyzed prices of 176 popular brand name drugs and found the price for a 30-day supply of medication was 8 on average through Medicaid and 3 through Medicare Part D, which pays for prescription drugs in retail pharmacies. The government also paid twice as much on the same drugs through Medicare versus the Veterans Affairs program." .Dental Coverage Under Medicare … Continued

This week, two new cosponsors – Reps. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (NY-25) and Joyce Beatty (OH-3) – signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3118), bringing the total up fifty-four. If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E), resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 3118 since it would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. We were pleased to see support grow for it this week. .The hearing examined in particular the drug company AbbVie, which makes Humira and Imbruvica, two drugs widely used by seniors. .Unless something is done, TSCL calculates there may be no COLA for next year. .By Jessie Gibbons, Legislative Analyst .In our meetings this week we were pleased to learn that the members of Congress whose offices we visited plan on once again co-sponsoring the Notch bill. We also were very encourages to learn that there is a new bill that would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision that has the best chance in years of moving out of committee and forward to the full House of Representatives for a vote. .Benefit reduction due to your ex-wife's age. — The maximum survivors benefit people can receive is limited to what your ex-spouse would have received if still alive. In 2016 she would have attained age 63, but her benefit would be reduced because she would not have reached her full retirement age, which is 66. .TSCL is particularly concerned about adding significant new long-term permanent costs to Social Security and Medicare by providing temporary work authorization to millions of people who worked illegally prior to gaining authorization. The high degree of uncertainty about the potential future costs was made evident months before Obama ever announced the executive action in November of last year. .Here's how this scam works: Crooks target low-income Medicare beneficiaries to persuade them to participate. Your brother-in law may have been asked, or even coerced, into "selling" his Medicare card number and signing weekly or monthly papers to verify that home healthcare services were rendered (even if they weren't.) In exchange, he may have received the TV as a one-time payment. .This is certainly the case in Florida's 5th Congressional District, which I represent, where one in every four citizens has received SNAP benefits at some point over the past 12 months, a rate which is nearly twice the national average. It is estimated that only 42 percent of eligible seniors are enrolled in SNAP. SSI and the MSP have similarly low rates among seniors and individuals with disabilities. This is unacceptable.