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The Senior Citizens League applauds the work and dedication of both of these committees to helping the millions of people affected by opioid addiction many of whom are older Americans. For frequent updates on the progress of these and other congressional committees, visit our Legislative News ​page every Friday..Nearly two-thirds of the spending on prescription drugs by older Americans is for out-of-pocket costs that include deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance. Since the start of Medicare Part D in 2006, out-of-pocket costs grew 188% or roughly 16% per year by the end of 2017, far exceeding the growth in Social Security benefits, that averaged just 1.9% per year over the same period..Tightening eligibility requirements, including requiring disability applicants to have worked six of the past ten years, and modestly increasing the age at which it becomes easier to qualify for benefits from forty-five to fifty..CMS has also partnered with the Department of Justice to help to increase law enforcement efforts for Medicare fraud and abuse. In 2009, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team was established to provide a law enforcement arm to the government's effort to stem the tide of Medicare fraud and abuse perpetrators. The special task force combines authorities from local, state, and the Department of Justice and Health and Human Services agencies to increase communication and shared investigative techniques..If you currently have dental insurance, you may want to check with your plan to see what dental services are covered. If you do have some coverage now, consider getting necessary dental work before you start Medicare. You may also want to shop for Medicare Advantage health plan that covers routine dental services, but carefully first compare other costs and coverage for your specific health conditions and prescription needs..and would reduce the tax on Social Security benefits for older taxpayers with incomes below ,000, and 0,000..Senator David Vitter.One new cosponsor also signed on to Rep. Allyson Schwartz's Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act this week, bringing the total up to thirty-one. The new cosponsor is Rep. Tom Latham. If signed into law, Rep. Schwartz's bill would repeal and replace the faulty formula that is used to determine reimbursements for doctors who treat Medicare patients. The current formula breeds uncertainty within the program, and H.R. 574 would establish much-needed stability..Republican lawmakers are voicing deep skepticism about passing another round of ,200 rebate checks as they contemplate the next and possibly final stage of coronavirus relief legislation.

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In a way that's not news. You already knew prices had been going up and so did we at TSCL. But it's nice to have the facts to back us up..While seniors with Medicare aren't required to have an Obamacare health plan, they have worries too. Obamacare cut Medicare by more than 0 billion over ten years, and that's starting to impact seniors age 65 and older. In particular, the law cut reimbursements to Medicare Advantage plans by 6 billion..Washington, DC) How is the pandemic affecting retirement savings? Forty - eight percent of retirees with retirement accounts say that their savings have not recovered pre-pandemic levels, according to a new survey by The Senior Citizens League. "There's no doubt about it, the Coronavirus - caused recession is forcing many older adults to rethink retirement plans," says Mary Johnson, Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League. "While the U.S. stock market ended 2020 at an all - time high, the retirement savings held by many retired adults do not appear to have benefited from the run up," Johnson says. "This is exactly why the guaranteed income nature of Social Security is so important," she notes. … Continued

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TSCL 2017 Senior Survey indicates there's widespread support for proposals that would improve benefits, particularly for older women. A majority, 55%, said they support giving credits to people who take time off from their job to provide care for children or older family members. Under the proposal women would receive wage credits up to a certain amount - ,000 per year is one proposal - to help fill in years when there are no earnings..According to STATnews, "Amid intensifying anger over the rising cost of medicines, a key piece of data has been missing from the debate - the actual prices after accounting for rebates and discounts offered by drug makers to payers. Now, a new analysis has come up with some numbers and the results are illuminating: Over a recent 11-year period, net prices for hundreds of drugs rose 60%, which was 3.5 times the inflation rate..If Social Security benefits don't increase, while senior costs continue to climb, that would take a big chunk out of the spending power of retirees' Social Security benefits. The majority of Medicare beneficiaries have their Part B premiums automatically deducted from their Social Security benefits, and nearly 7 million have Part D and Part C Medicare Advantage premiums automatically deducted as well. Seniors would end up with considerably less Social Security to live on in 2010 after paying the rising out-of-pocket Medicare costs, leaving less to cover other rising costs. … Continued