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  • More Veterans Could Get Covid 19 Vaccinations

    This week, key legislators revealed that they will not pass a permanent repeal of Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula before the March 31st deadline. .One-out-of-three adults covered by Medicare is not getting regular routine dental care, according to TSCL's 2019 Senior Survey. We estimate that translates to roughly 20 million older Americans who are going without bi-annual cleanings, X-rays, and dental exams. Medicare does not cover routine dental health services, and that often comes as a shock to new beneficiaries. More than half of survey participants say they do not have any dental insurance coverage. .While most in Washington acknowledge this dilemma, and House Republicans have put forward a plan to address the issue, our leaders have yet to agree upon a solution to preserve the program for seniors beyond that date, and instead are pitting each other against seniors. … Continued

  • Issues Prescription Drug Policies

    Long-term solvency of the Social Security program is essential. In 2010, due largely to the economic downturn and a stagnant recovery, the Social Security Trustees estimated that the trust funds ran a cash deficit of billion and had to begin redeeming the U.S. government bonds held in the trust funds. Although the Social Security Trustees predict the trust funds will remain solvent, and that benefits can be paid in full until 2037, that assumes an unprecedented level of transfers from the general revenues. Leading economists, in the U.S. and worldwide, have said that the level of debt this would require risks undermining the stability of our economy. .Airlines frequently note that commercial planes are equipped with HEPA filters, the Centers for Disease Control-recommended air filters used in hospital isolation rooms. HEPA filters capture 99.97% of airborne particles and substantially reduce the risk of viral spread. In addition, the air in plane cabins is completely changed over 10 to 12 times per hour, raising the air quality above that of a normal building. .On Tuesday, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in his first State of the Union. In his speech, the President reflected on the strong economic growth of the country and he shared his hopes for the year ahead. The President said he plans to push .5 trillion in infrastructure investments, to secure the southern border with Mexico, and to offer a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million immigrants known as "Dreamers." … Continued

Furthermore, this hurricane season is predicted to be a very bad one and money taken from FEMA for unemployment payments may be needed to deal with the destruction caused by the storms. What is more, the California fire season appears to be underway and federal funds are often used for relief efforts with those. .While hold harmless provides valuable protection from reductions in benefits due to rising Part B costs, low inflation and high Medicare costs restrict the growth of net Social Security benefits. This occurs when Part B increases take the entire COLA. This leaves less Social Security income to cover all other rising costs such as out-of-pocket medical expenses, food and housing, requiring people to spend more of their retirement savings or to go into debt. .At the hearing, much of the focus was on the current state of the Social Security Trust Fund. Most Members of the Subcommittee, including Chairman Sam Johnson (TX-3), seemed to agree that Social Security is on the fast track towards insolvency, but Ranking Member Xavier Becerra (CA-31) was adamant that the program is on solid footing. .TSCL believes this type of mathematical gimmickry shortchanges the measurement of real cost increases, thereby shortchanging the COLAs of almost 58 million beneficiaries. Yet this is just one of many such changes since 198TSCL believes that the strongest protection Social Security recipients have against such machinations of benefits is legislation that would guarantee that COLAs would be no less than 3%. This could be paid for by lifting the Social Security taxable maximum so that high-income earners making more than 8,500 pay their fair share of taxes. This not only is fair, but would ensure more adequate benefits for all retirees. ."'We find no indication that these reductions in demand affect only ‘low-value' drugs; on the contrary, those at the highest risk of heart attack and stroke, who would benefit the most from statins and antihypertensives, cut back more on these drugs than lower-risk patients.'" .We recently moved my mom from another part of the state to live with us. She's starting to have memory problems and it's too risky for her to live on her own. Recently when we went for a visit to her new doctor, I discovered that her Medicare health plan isn't accepted in our area. Can she enroll in a new plan now that Open Enrollment is over? .As debate intensifies over the cost of medicines, a new analysis found that prescription drug prices were on average 2.5 times more expensive in the U.S. than in 32 other countries. And that gap widened to 3.4 times costlier when looking specifically at brand-name medications. .With many seniors spending 30 or more years living in retirement, a COLA that keeps up with rising costs is essential protection for making retirement savings last, and for preventing seniors from falling into poverty. Yet over the past five years, Social Security benefits have grown on average about 1.4% per year — less than half the average rate of growth in previous years. Recent projections by the Congressional Budget Office for 2015 suggest another low COLA of 1.6% next year. .SSA Rescinds New Online Security Policy