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Access to the plans is highly variable. While some areas of the country have dozens of Medicare Advantage plans, rural counties often have very limited choices, or as little as just one insurer. Frequently, older and sicker enrollees discover that Medicare Advantage plan out-of-pocket spending due to chronic health conditions, or a hospitalization can be much higher than with a Medigap plan. Medigap supplements cover most, or even all, out of pocket costs..Advisor editor Mary Johnson estimates that using the chained CPI would cut lifetime Social Security benefits by about 7% over 25 years. New retirees with an average benefit of ,100 in 2010 would receive about ,634 less over a 25-year retirement period. "The financial impact is deceptive, appearing small at first," says TSCL Executive Director, Shannon Benton, "But the cuts compound over time, growing deepest when seniors are the oldest and sickest. By the time seniors are in their late 80's or 90's, when they are most likely to have chronic health problems, monthly benefits would be about 5 lower using the chained CPI.".If the Social Security COLA were based on a more accurate measure of inflation for senior citizens, this year's increase would not have been zero it would have been around 0.6 percent according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Do you support legislation that would base the COLA on a more accurate inflation index like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly?.can try. You can check the coverage and full cost of the drug using the.New eligibility rules make it considerably easier for millions of applicants, including seniors under the age of 65, who are too young for Medicare, to qualify for the program. But older seniors continue to have much more restrictive and stringent asset and savings tests to satisfy before they qualify for Medicaid, because the new rules don't apply to seniors age 65 and older. This sets up inequities in benefits between seniors like Notch Babies who are in their late 80s and 90s and who are more likely to be receiving long-term care, and other people younger than 65 who will benefit from the less stringent Medicaid qualification rules..It would be unlikely for the vast majority of low-income beneficiaries. That's because state and federal poverty guidelines used to determine low-income are also adjusted annually for inflation, and the income thresholds would rise roughly in tandem with Social Security benefits. Currently the federal poverty level is ,880 for individuals, and ,020 for a family of two, with slightly higher amounts for Alaska and Hawaii..benefits. We're living longer, and Social Security benefits alone, even with.Earlier this year, after passing a .9 trillion tax bill in December and a .3 trillion spending package in March, leaders in the House called for a vote on a balanced budget amendment to the constitution that could have been disastrous for your Social Security and Medicare benefits. The amendment ultimately failed in the House, thanks to the voices of concerned citizens like you, but many lawmakers have said they aren't giving up on the drastic measure..Patients would have to sign a consent form acknowledging they've been given written notice with the information and informed that the charges may not accrue toward any plan limitations.