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Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage hit a new milestone this year. The highly - loathed "doughnut hole" or "coverage gap" closed this year. But that doesn't mean prescriptions will be free. The co-insurance in the former Part D doughnut hole dropped to 25% of all drug costs. That's the good news. But the out of pocket spending that's required to qualify for catastrophic drug coverage took a big jump, from ,100 in 2019, to ,350 an increase of ,250. That's the biggest jump in the out-of-pocket threshold since the start of Part D in 2006..would significantly drive up costs for older Americans,.Compare the least expensive way to buy. - No matter how you buy it, fresh, frozen, or canned, most fruits and vegetables tend to be sold by the pound A more accurate price for comparison is the cost per serving. For example, part of the weight of canned goods is packing liquid and as a result most have fewer servings per pound than fresh or frozen counterparts..Medicare sent a letter to those of us using this medication suggesting that I change to a different med and included two possible suggestions, one of which is a generic of the first medication prescribed ten years ago. It cost only a few dollars..House Budget Committee Approves Fiscal 2019 Blueprint."The 6.7 percent increase in the Part B premium is the largest since 2006 for a year in which a COLA is payable," Johnson says. There have been bigger jumps in Part B premiums as recently as 2016 and 2017, but those were two years in which there was no or almost no COLA paid. This situation can cause unusually high Part B premium spikes..Most physicians do still accept Medicare, and most people insured by the federal program for seniors and people with disabilities have no problem finding another health care provider. But that transition can be tough, particularly for older adults with multiple medical conditions..For example, if you and your spouse were over the age of 65 in 2016 and had an AGI of ,000, you could deduct the amount of allowable medical expenses over ,750, which is 7.5% of ,000. If your total medical expenses were ,000 you could deduct ,250.In response to Trump's orders, four Senators requested an estimate from the Social Security Administration about what the long-term effect on the viability of Social Security if the tax deferral is made permanent. Last week, the report was released.