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Low-income individuals whose state Medicaid programs pay their Medicare Part B premium on their behalf..insurers have hiked premiums so high that policyholders have been forced to drop.In 2006, Johnson first forecast that the hold-harmless provision - which at the time was virtually unknown by the public - would begin to be triggered more often by the year 2012, due to rapid growth in Medicare Part B premiums and weak growth in COLAs. Indeed that provision was first triggered on a nation-wide basis in 2010, and triggered again in 2011, when inflation was too low for a COLA to be payable, and the Medicare Part B premium subsequently soared..Medicare Advantage plans combine both parts of Medicare, and the health plans are required to cover everything that is covered under original Medicare. However, your provider may be reporting your doctor's orders to your Medicare Advantage plan in order to get prior authorization for your CT scan. Most Medicare Advantage plans routinely require prior authorization to manage your care and to prevent excess use of care that has not been documented as medically necessary. This practice protects you from surprise bills, and confirms that the provider is authorized to bill your Medicare Advantage plans for your care..I go to get the car keys from the porch and then notice mail on the porch table..Wednesday's vote marks an important step in the confirmation process, and she now faces only one more vote from the full Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said that he hopes to schedule a final confirmation vote before the end of the month. The overwhelming display of support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on Wednesday means that Burwell's path to confirmation will likely be an easy one. Nonetheless, TSCL will continue to keep a close eye on the process in the coming days..With 1.2 million supporters, The Senior Citizens League is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors' groups. Its mission is to promote and assist members and supporters, to educate and alert senior citizens about their rights and freedoms as U.S. Citizens, and to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and paid for. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of The Retired Enlisted Association. Visit for more information..Congress has only two ways to address long-term funding fixes for Social Security - benefit cuts and tax revenue increases. TSCL surveys indicate that people who receive Social Security don't support most benefit cuts, and feel that the amount that beneficiaries receive isn't adequate to live on over longer retirements. The average benefit received by disabled workers is lower than the average retirement benefit - ,145 vs. ,235..And drug list prices continue to increase every year. As health insurers and employers pay more, they often pass those costs to consumers in the form of higher premiums, deductibles, and copayments.