First, one new cosponsor Representative Steve Cohen signed on to the Creating Access to Rehabilitation for Every Senior Act, bringing the total up to five. If adopted, this bipartisan bill would improve access to affordable long-term care by eliminating the three-day prior hospitalization requirement that currently limits Medicare's coverage of patient stays in skilled nursing facilities..serious or whether it's just a "natural part of growing older," which in any.The public frequently confuses the two programs. Like Social Security, people become eligible for Medicare based on payroll tax withholdings from their earnings. Eligibility for Medicaid is based on low income. Medicaid is a combined state and federal program, in which the federal government pays roughly 60% of program costs for all whose income is low enough to qualify under current law. The new House law would end the open ended nature of funding and cap per person costs, adjusting reimbursements for inflation using the consumer price index..Sen. Kerry's bill, if signed into law, would amend the Social Security Act to repeal the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision. These two provisions unfairly reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of teachers, firefighters, peace officers, and other state or local government employees each year. TSCL believes that Congress should repeal the GPO and the WEP so that dedicated public servants receive the retirement security they deserve..Sen. Enzi, one of the leading negotiators, said in a statement: "Congress is poised to approve a 10-year balanced budget for the first time since 2001, which represents an important step in confronting the nation's chronic overspending. This will help change the way we do business here in Washington to make the government live within its means just like hardworking families.".Primary care providers mitigate this risk by coordinating among doctors on behalf of the patient..This year, Social Security beneficiaries are receiving a COLA of just 0.3 percent, and in 2016, they received no COLA at all. Since 2012, COLAs have averaged 1 percent less than half of the 3 percent average during the decade prior but most beneficiaries have seen no benefit increase at all in several years due to rising Medicare Part B premiums..CMS plans to automatically enroll the seniors in participating states with an "opt-out" provision. But TSCL has concerns as to whether beneficiaries will be able to choose the best form of care and how they would be able to switch plans or return to traditional Medicare..But according to a report in Politco last week, "… the administration's Medicare team has put together a revised plan - which was circulated inside the administration on Tuesday, with instructions to expedite approval - to start sending letters to 39 million beneficiaries within the next week, touting the drug-discount cards. The cards would then arrive across December and January, according to four officials with knowledge of the plan."
