News summary congress releases fy17 omnibus

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has said President Obama is involved in the discussions and that he is monitoring the movement of the omnibus very closely. Regarding the controversial add-ons, he told reporters, "Our objection comes to ideological riders that are partisan and that in most other cases would not be able to pass the United States Congress.".We hope you will use these points and contact your own Senators and Representatives and tell them you are absolutely opposed to any payroll tax cut..If signed into law, S. 141 would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which was created in 2010 by the Affordable Care Act..Today millions of older women are depending on insufficient Social Security benefits to get them through a retirement that can stretch up to 30 years. Low benefits mean people have to spend more of their retirement savings at a faster pace than anticipated..In the first year of the new healthcare law, a large percentage of enrollees through the federal exchange tended to be older adults, many having pre-existing conditions. In addition, there were individuals who enrolled when they received notice that their former health plan was ending, and still other uninsured consumers did so attempting to comply with the new law to have health coverage or pay a fine..The Social Security's Trustees annual report, which was prepared before the onset of COVID-19 and subsequent shut down of the economy, forecasts that the Social Security trust funds will be depleted by 203But a number of Social Security experts are beginning to warn that the program could run low much sooner, by as early as the end of this decade..Does TSCL.Notch Bulletin: How Much Less Do Notch Babies Receive? Recently one of our readers asked “Is there a percentage as to how much less NOTCH BABIES receive monthly?” Although not many studies exist, according to one study of average earners born from 1917 through 1926, the disparity in benefits with other retirees seems to average about 26%..Looming over all of this is the traditional August recess of Congress. That tradition started back before the discovery of electricity and therefore air conditioning. August is normally the hottest month of the year in Washington so they would all leave town to go somewhere to stay cool..plan covers it, every year. Case in point: Using the Medicare Drug Plan finder

Report Section Medicare Advantage Hospital Networks How Much Do They Vary Appendix
This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for two key bills that would improve retirement security in America if adopted..of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and one of the foremost experts in the world on infectious diseases, said "the next six to 12 weeks are going to be the darkest of the entire pandemic.".No. Did the supposed healthcare equipment supplier or doctor tell you that equipment or service won't cost you anything, and then say they only need your Medicare number to determine your eligibility? If so, this sounds like a common fraud or abusive Medicare billing scheme. Here's how it works: … Continued

Health Reform Fact Sheet Resources Examine Recession Driven Record Medicaid Enrollment
Needless to say, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services still lacks the effective oversight to monitor the wasteful payments that continue to plague the system. The Obama administration has made efforts to increase Medicare's accountability and reign in the waste and fraud that remain at an all time high level. In an education initiative, President Obama recently announced an increased effort and funding for a "Senior Medicare Patrol" program designed to educate Medicare beneficiaries on fraudulent spending from healthcare providers. The goal is to bolster Medicare fraud education programs for seniors across the country, highlighting ways to spot and report suspicious fraudulent activity from healthcare providers..Most troubling, in October we reported that Medicare Advantage plans have overcharged Medicare by almost billion in recent years. Officials know that some Medicare Advantage plans exaggerate how sick their patients are by inflating the "risk scores" in order to collect higher payments from Medicare, yet the federal government has recovered only a tiny percentage of the overpayments to private insurers in the past..Medicare Part B premiums were found to be the fastest growing cost for seniors, increasing by 195 percent over the eighteen-year period. Average out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs followed closely behind, increasing by 188 percent. Meanwhile, between 2000 and 2018 the COLA increased Social Security benefits by only 46 percent. … Continued