Health reform state indicator medicaid and chip income eligibility limits for children as a percent of the federal poverty level

In April, the Medicare Trustees estimated that the standard monthly Medicare Part B premium, which covers doctors and outpatient services, would rise .70 - from 4.60 in 2020, to 3.30 in 202The April forecast, however, was made prior to the coronavirus, and did not factor in the impact of COVID-19 on expected medical costs or inflation..and if your drug plan doesn't cover it, or drops coverage, you may want to go.House Budget Committee Approves Fiscal 2019 Blueprint.Included is the issue of surprise billing, in which patients are charged out-of-network prices for services they thought were in-network. This issue has gained great urgency because so many people are ending up with bills for thousands of dollars even though they have health insurance which they thought would cover the expenses for which they are being billed..Those people include Barbara B. - a retired home healthcare aide who lives in the Indianapolis area. "We're due for the increase," she says. But rising Part B premiums will likely take her entire COLA, leaving her with no increase at all in her net operating Social Security benefit again in 2018..Tell us what you think! It's time for the TSCL's 2019 Senior Survey. This is your opportunity to let us know what you think about major proposals affecting your benefits. Tell us how rising costs are affecting you. The answers to these questions help us inform journalists, the public, and Members of Congress on how older Americans are faring in retirement today. Your participation is helping to change the national dialogue on the adequacy of Social Security benefits, and throwing a spotlight on the growing problem of the ability of COLAs to maintain the buying power of your benefits..The Social Security OIG report concluded, "Having an SSN on the MBR - regardless of the date of entitlement - improves the Social Security Administration's ability to prevent improper payments," and recommended that the agency take additional steps to ensure the oldest auxiliary beneficiaries without an SSN are still alive. Yet the Social Security Administration disagreed, saying that the Agency "believed current policies and safeguards were appropriate to meet program needs.".Many seniors in our community struggle month to month to make ends meet on budgets that just can't cover today's high cost of living. Today's troubled economy is leaving the elderly in a financial pinch, particularly since a large majority of senior citizens rely on Social Security benefits as their main source of income..In advocating for emergency COLAs TSCL has in the past, recommended that legislation contain wording that such COLA increases and Social Security benefits boosts be disregarded or not counted, in determining eligibility for SNAP, rental assistance, and other low - income benefits. In addition, TSCL is calling on Congress to pass a ,400 stimulus payment for Social Security recipients, to help offset potential reductions or loss of low-income benefits.

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New TSCL Poll Should Medicare Be Changed?.This week, TSCL was pleased to lend its support to Rep. Scott Rigell's H.Res. 66The resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that any changes made to Medicare should not affect those over the age of fifty-five. It also states that any Medicare reform package should provide a detailed plan to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse within the program..If adopted, H.R. 448 would provide for the negotiation of lower covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries and the establishment of a formulary by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under Medicare Part D. … Continued

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According to The Social Security Trustees, the Disability Insurance Trust Fund is expected to become fully insolvent by the end of next year. Without Congressional action, Social Security trustees estimate there won't be enough tax revenues to pay full scheduled disability program benefits at the end of 201More than 10 million disabled beneficiaries and their dependents face cuts of about 19% in their monthly payments if nothing is done..Medicare Part B premiums jumped .10 per month in 2020 - one of the biggest increases in recent years. While the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment increased benefits by 1.6 percent in 2020, Medicare Part B premiums climbed 6.7 percent, more than four times faster. A jump of this size can put older household budgets into a bind, forcing retirees to go without essentials when they run short before their next Social Security check..Finally, the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act gained one new cosponsor in Senator Claire McCaskill, who brings the new cosponsor total to three. If signed into law, S. 1600 would base the Social Security COLA on the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly. The bill would also ensure that high income earners pay their fair share of taxes into Social Security. … Continued

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