While most prescription drugs are paid for by beneficiaries and their Medicare Part D plans, Medicare Part B spends about billion on pricey drugs that must be given intravenously or by injection by trained healthcare professionals. Medicare pays the healthcare provider the average sales price, plus 6% for the costs associated with the purchase and storage of the medications. For example, if a drug costs ,000, the doctor would receive an additional 6% payment, or , but if a similar drug costing ,000 were used instead, the doctor would receive 0 instead..The study's findings illustrate the impact on the buying power of Social Security benefits when the economy goes from a period of extremely low inflation to more typical rates of inflation. The last time there was a loss this big was in 2011, another year similar to 2017, when there was no COLA, but inflation spiked. The following year, in 2012, Social Security benefits increased by 3.6%. And like 2012, a higher COLA is likely in 2018..For information about town hall meetings near you during the spring recess, call the local offices of your elected officials. You can find contact information for your Members of Congress right here..Heap's story is part of a major investigative series on Medicare drug fraud, by the independent, non-profit investigative news organization ProPublica. Reporters, using Medicare's own data, were able to identify scores of doctors whose prescribing within Part D followed known patterns of fraud. ProPublica's investigation found that "Medicare's system for pursuing fraud is so cumbersome and poorly run that schemes quickly siphon away millions." The stories are drawing a remarkable reaction from the normally snail-paced Medicare. The agency recently announced plans to better control prescription drug fraud, including new authority to revoke doctors' Medicare enrollment if patterns of abusive prescribing are found..Visit to participate in TSCL's annual Senior Survey..I've been listening to news stories about the Supreme Court case over the constitutionality of the healthcare reform law. Was Medicare affected in any way?.The bill would also repeal the medical expense deduction, which is essential for older Americans who disproportionately experience high medical costs for prescription drugs, medical equipment, or services like nursing home care. Around 5 million taxpayers over the age of sixty-five rely upon the tax deduction when their out-of-pocket medical costs total more than 10 percent of their annual income. Its elimination would be a major loss for older Americans who are living on fixed incomes and are facing catastrophic medical costs..Many of TSCL's supporters are older and less affluent. And some of them are "Notch Victims," individuals who receive lower Social Security benefits because they were born between the years of 1917 and 1926..Action from Congress is needed to address Social Security's looming shortfall. Without it, the Social Security Trust Fund is estimated to run short by 203Should that occur, benefits would be reduced by about 22% to match the level of payroll taxes coming in.
