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    Medigap plans by law are now barred from offering drug coverage, and beneficiaries need to add "drug only" coverage to their Medicare supplement. .The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed charges against more than half a dozen people accused of pushing silver products and other fake treatments for Covid-1The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has gotten the marketer of a Vitamin C supplement to stop claiming it can treat the virus. And the FTC and Food and Drug Administration have been sending dozens of joint warning letters to companies for touting unapproved treatments or preventatives. .Benefit Bulletin: September 2021 Most Look Forward to Boost; Low-Income Retirees Worry Benefits Could be Trimmed … Continued

  • Three Family Members On Medicare Each With High Drug Costs

    The new Antimicrobial Action Fund will look to buy or invest in small antibiotic companies and their products and will work with the World Health Organization and the European Investment Bank to identify promising prospects. The fund is expected to start operations by the end of the year and hopes to bring to market at least two to four novel antibiotics by 2030. .28% Of Medicare Beneficiaries Hit Doughnut Hole In 2015 .Second, four new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 141), bringing the total up to 16The new cosponsors are Representatives Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Bradley Byrne (AL-1), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-2), and Josh Harder (CA-10). This bipartisan bill, if adopted, would make the Social Security program more equitable by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). These two provisions of law unfairly cut the Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, police officers, and other state or local government employees, often by 40 percent or more. By repealing both provisions, the Social Security Fairness Act would ensure that public servants receive the Social Security benefits they have earned and deserve. … Continued

"But Democrats arguing for the change are pointing to rising costs of brand-name drugs and insurance plans that increasingly require patients pay more money toward their own care, forcing them to ration insulin and other drugs. They also note that H.R. 3 includes billion for biomedical research." .This week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that the Senior Medicare Patrol – a voluntary fraud prevention effort comprised of seniors – recovered at least .1 million last year, which is up from million in 2012. .You should still avoid medium or large-sized gatherings. .The income thresholds that subject benefits to taxation are based on your Modified Adjusted Gross Income, which includes half of your Social Security benefits and some tax - exempt income. The following chart illustrates the thresholds and the amount of tax on Social Security income. .For information about town hall meetings near you in the weeks ahead, call the local offices of your elected officials. For contact information, click HERE. .It's do or die time for Congress. Unless they can pass a federal government funding bill in the next 10 days the government will shut down on October And those 10 days are not all working days unless they decide to work through next weekend. .In addition to drug manufacturers, major business groups and 32 conservative organizations to his actions and have been lobbying The President to change his mind. .Second, four new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 915, H.R. 1205), bringing the cosponsor total up to twenty-seven in the Senate and 190 in the House. The new cosponsors are: Senator Patty Murray (WA), Senator Tom Udall (NM), Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), and Representative Vicky Hartzler (MO-4). If adopted, the Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – two provisions that unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, police officers, and other state and local government employees each year. .In a draft of regulations the FDA gave the following example: "if a person decides to produce and sell raw vegetable juice for use in juice therapy to promote optimal health, that product is a food subject to the requirements for foods … including the hazard analysis and critical control point system requirements for juices. If the juice therapy is intended for use as part of a disease treatment regimen instead of for general wellness, the vegetable juice would also be subject to regulation as a drug under the act."