Medicare Advantage enrollees have certain protections under a declared emergency. During the period of the declared emergency, Medicare Advantage plans are required to cover services at out-of-network facilities, or out-of-network providers that participate in Medicare, and charge no more than they would pay if they had received care at an in-network facility or provider. That said, it's much less clear how billing from out-of-network providers will be handled as declared state and national emergencies are lifted. As COVID-19 cases have increased, some states have found the need to bring in emergency nursing and professional staff when hospitals have reached capacity, so the chance is higher that an out-of-network provider was involved in your father's care..The Bipartisan Policy Center points out in a recent blog, that each of these sources of revenues is negatively impacted by high unemployment. When people are out of work, no payroll taxes are withheld from earnings. A portion of Social Security benefits is taxable when a Social Security recipient has an income higher than ,000 or ,000 for a couple filing jointly. But the coronavirus recession has impacted both earnings from jobs and the value of retirement accounts, so that fewer retirees will meet the income thresholds that make their benefits taxable this year. Finally, the Federal Reserve has responded to the recession by cutting interest rates, which means that the yields on the bonds held by the Social Security Trust Funds are smaller and will provide lower interest income. A recession also causes a higher number of new claims when older workers are forced to retire earlier than planned, raising costs in the short term..With inflation soaring in 2021, The Senior Citizens League has received dozens of emails from retired and disabled adults who say they have cut back on prescription drugs to cope with rising costs, because they have no savings. Said one disabled retiree, "My husband and I have Social Security as our only income. All of our savings went to pay my medical bills. I have seven prescriptions and my husband has three. They are each a minimum of co-pay per month. We have no extra money. Our grocery budget is the only place we can cut from if we want to pay medical bills.".This week, lawmakers in the House passed legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security through September and address President Obama's recent immigration orders. In addition, The Senior Citizens League announced its support for two new pieces of legislation..The Senior Citizens League is pleased that lawmakers acted swiftly and responsibly to avert a government shutdown and an unprecedented default on the federal debt. Failing to do so could have resulted in delayed Social Security checks and reimbursements for health care providers who treat Medicare patients. Lawmakers now have until early December to negotiate a broader funding bill to keep the federal government operating. For progress updates, follow TSCL on Facebook or Twitter..I recently learned that my ex-spouse passed away due to the coronavirus. He was older than I am, and had already started Social Security. He was getting about ,875 before we divorced. I'm remarried now, but my husband hasn't started benefits. He's only working part time. Would I possibly qualify for Social Security widower's benefits based on my ex-husband's Social Security?.TSCL Calls Seniors To Action.Of concern to Social Security recipients, however, are not only what categories and items are included in the CPI, but also whose market basket the government is surveying, and the fairness of the "weight" or estimate of the portion of income they represent that the Bureau of Labor Statistics assigns..To try to kill the novel coronavirus, some Americans are unsafely using disinfectants and cleaners, including washing food with bleach, using the products on bare skin, and inhaling and ingesting them, federal health officials reported Friday.
