News
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Benefit Bulletin June 2013
Prescription Drug Re-Importation – Making safe, secure re-importation a reality. .Call your plan's mail-order service and compare the prescription costs, including any shipping. Often you can get a three-month supply of your prescription by mail for less money than you would pay for a one-or two-month supply purchased at a standard retail pharmacy, and pay nothing for shipping. But using mail order requires advance planning on your part because you need to allow up to two weeks for delivery. .As far as the other three orders are concerned, it has been reported that consumers may not notice immediate changes since the orders must be carried out by the federal bureaucracy and could face court challenges. … Continued
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Soaring Drug Costs Have More Of Us Demanding To Know Why
"Congressional Pay Grows 15 Times Faster Than Social Security Checks" .Key Bill Gains Cosponsors .We will not go into the details because it has been widely reported on in the news, but that is the major legislation that has preoccupied Congress the last few weeks. … Continued
For details, or to see if your Members of Congress have scheduled meetings, contact their offices. You can find contact information for all Members of Congress on the ACTION CENTER of our website. For tips on which questions you should ask at your next town hall, click HERE. .Few employers outside the federal government and the military have taken up the option. Costco Wholesale Corp., United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. are among employers that have said they aren't participating. .Get signed up for Medicare now in order to have your coverage start the month you turn 65! .The study examined the increase in costs of 32 key items between 2000 and January 201The items were chosen because they are typical of the costs seniors must bear. Of the 32 costs analyzed, 20 exceeded the total percentage of increase in the COLA over the same period. .My mom was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. What benefits does Medicare cover for this condition? .Even under the most optimistic economic projections, the fund could run out of money by 2034, the report said. .In our meetings on Capitol Hill, we're frequently told that Notch reform would more likely be addressed when Congress takes action on comprehensive Social Security reform, as it appears to be interested in doing now. TSCL is meeting with Members of Congress to ensure that Notch Reform is considered. .The government would provide a fixed amount of money or "voucher" to purchase private coverage. Currently Medicare pays per procedure. Under this proposal the federal government would provide a fixed amount of money or "voucher," to private health plans to provide coverage. The amount of the voucher would be limited to the growth of the gross domestic product plus one percentage point. However, for the last 40 years national healthcare spending has exceeded the growth of the gross domestic product by more than two percentage points. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said that over time the vouchers would become increasingly inadequate to purchase sufficient coverage, or that seniors would face significantly higher premiums. .Social Security recipients will receive the highest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 5 years, effective January 1st. The Social Security Administration recently announced a COLA of 2%. While the boost is critically needed for almost 61.5 million beneficiaries to maintain their purchasing power, the 2% COLA extends a disturbing 8-year pattern of low COLAs that have been far below the 4% average established in the decade prior to 2010 and the Great Recession.
