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Although importing prescription drugs from Canada is illegal, a substantial portion of consumers in the U.S. already purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada and other countries. A random sample survey of American adults in 2016 found that 8% of respondents said they or someone in their household had imported a drug at some point, which translates to about 19 million individuals..Totalization agreements allow workers who divide their careers between two countries to combine earnings credits under both systems in order to qualify for benefits. The U.S. currently has 24 such agreements, most with nations having economies similar to our own. What makes the agreement with Mexico so controversial are the millions of Mexicans working in this country without legal authorization..For example, if the price of gasoline soars do people spend more on gas for their autos, or make fewer trips? Because Social Security recipients are living on fixed income, they don't always have the leeway to spend more, meaning larger numbers of seniors might drive less. Younger consumers on a budget and people who are out of work, may be in the same boat. And if a lot of consumers are in the same fix, and wind up driving less, this measure is likely to show that inflation didn't increase much, even though the price of gas at the pump is stratospheric. That would mean your COLA wouldn't grow either, even though cost inflation may be soaring..Squeeze your home for cash - If your home can be divided into.The new payment system applies to traditional fee-for-service Medicare and not to Medicare Advantage plans which have their own system. If you are told that Medicare's home health benefits have changed, don't believe it. Coverage requirements haven't changed, and Medicare beneficiaries are still entitled to the same type of home health services..We look forward to working with Sen. Casey and Rep. Cartwright in the coming months to help build support for this important bill. In addition, we urge our members and supporters to contact their elected officials to request their support for it. For contact information, CLICK HERE..New Legislation Aimed At Fixing Social Security and Medicare.To learn more about how work affects your benefits, see the publication "How Work Affects Your Benefits," SSA Publication No. 05-1006You can find it at or by calling toll free at..Another participant, Walgreens, will begin using its federal doses on Feb. 12.

Redistricting Election Dates For Legislators Governors Who Will Do Redistricting

Medicare sent a letter to those of us using this medication suggesting that I change to a different med and included two possible suggestions, one of which is a generic of the first medication prescribed ten years ago. It cost only a few dollars..As you have experienced, one of the biggest appeals of Medicare Advantage plans are low, or sometimes no, premiums. However, you would still have deductibles to satisfy and co-payments for most, if not every service. In addition, plans are allowed to charge you an out-of-pocket maximum up to ,700 in 2019, an amount that varies and tends to grow each year. Under Medigap, your premiums are higher and, depending on the policy, can increase annually. On the other hand, covered out-of-pocket costs are minimal to nothing. Medicare Advantage is more affordable when you are healthy, but can cost significantly more per year if you require a lot of healthcare services..However, concern is growing that the Medicare Part B premium increase, which the Social Security Administration deducts directly from Social Security benefits, could consume a substantial amount of any COLA increase next year. Legislation enacted by Congress last year restricted the 2021 Medicare Part B premium from increasing more than .90 per month due to the very low COLA increase of just 1.3 percent, a result of extremely low inflation due to the COVID-19 recession. The basic Part B premium is 8.50 per month in 202"With a high COLA increase in 2022, Part B premiums might make a catch-up jump, especially as people make up visits to get healthcare services that were postponed due to the pandemic," Johnson says. … Continued

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"Anyone would have to acknowledge that a lot of what has gone on with the pharmaceutical industry as it relates to their contacts with doctors is lobbying, pure and simple," McCaskill said in the hearing. "If we are going to limit the lunches that can be bought for members of Congress in the context of lobbying, shouldn't we have the same kind of disclosures with doctors? And if it is in fact about the patients, the industry should have no problem disclosing how much money they are spending on doctors in terms of recreational time. I'm talking about golf, I'm talking about trips, I'm talking about dinners, I'm talking about expensive wine. Why in the world would we allow that to go on without the public and the patients knowing that's going on?"."… Recently, our offices have received a significant increase in complaints from constituents who have gone weeks without receiving mail, similar to the surge of complaints we received last summer in the wake of USPS cuts and policy changes. These delays have had significant harmful impacts on the lives of our constituents. Because of these delays, our constituents have received bills after the dates on which payments were due or their payments were never received, and they have been forced to pay late fees..Members of the House and Senate spent the week in their home states and districts, and will return to Capitol Hill on Monday, February 27th. … Continued