Joyce Heap was in end stage Alzheimer's disease, and living at a nursing home run by an Armenian couple, when her daughter Denise spotted suspicious charges on forms from her mother's Medicare drug plan. Denise Heap went online to find out what the drugs were, and she discovered her mother was supposedly receiving medications for conditions she didn't have, like breast cancer, asthma, and emphysema. Heap was convinced that someone used her mother's identity to bill Medicare for more than ,000 worth of medications in just three months..In a Wednesday speech on the House floor, Speaker John Boehner stated, "What we are dealing with is a President who has ignored the people, ignored the Constitution, and even his own past statements. In fact, on at least twenty-two occasions, he has said he does not have the authority to do what he did." In response to the bill's passage, White House officials issued a veto threat and said "there's no reason to tinker with the administration's actions at all.".In April, the Medicare Trustees estimated that the standard monthly Medicare Part B premium, which covers doctors and outpatient services, would rise .70 - from 4.60 in 2020, to 3.30 in 202The April forecast, however, was made prior to the coronavirus, and did not factor in the impact of COVID-19 on expected medical costs or inflation..The plan released this week is not expected to be adopted or even to win any bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. However, it does mark the start of the fiscal 2016 budget negotiations, and it lays out the line-by-line needs of the federal agencies for appropriators. Soon, the House and Senate Budget Committees will release their own spending blueprints for fiscal 2016, and TSCL expects to see proposals that would dramatically alter the Social Security and Medicare programs. We will keep a close eye on the negotiations as they evolve, and will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website..The “Notch” refers to a disparity in benefits that resulted when.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?“.Chairman Collins said at Tuesday's hearing: "Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. It is a public health issue with a course that we can potentially change. There are steps that we can take today to help prevent the risk of cognitive decline and to improve the lives of those living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. This public health approach is not only empowering; it is the key to saving lives.".But no matter how legislation would be structured, Canadian health experts are warning that the plan could accelerate drug shortages in Canada. Attempting to fill the U.S. consumers' needs with pharmaceuticals from our smaller northern neighbor could not only drain supplies in Canada, but also drive up prices in that government-run health system, opponents say..Surprise! The new healthcare law requires just that. A provision, added by Senator Charles Grassley, requires Members of Congress and their staff to get their health insurance through new health insurance exchanges starting in 201The provision is stirring up lawmaker worry on Capitol Hill over whether the federal government will continue to pay part of their premiums, or leave them to cover 100% of the cost. Through the end of 2013, Members of Congress get their insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Under FEHBP the government's share of premiums is about 75% of premium costs..The Internal Revenue Service interpreted the law to allow eligible consumers to receive premium subsidies regardless of whether the exchange was run by their state or by the federal government. Challengers of the law question that interpretation, saying that the law as written clearly directs subsidies to state-run exchanges only. Health law proponents say that lawmakers fully intended that subsidies be offered on all exchanges, regardless of whether they were administered by the states or federal government.
