News

The BCRA, the "repeal-and-replace" bill that lawmakers have been working on for several weeks, was defeated on Tuesday night with a vote of 43 5The ORRA, the "repeal-and-delay" bill, was defeated with a vote of 45 55 on Wednesday afternoon. And the "skinny repeal" bill which would have repealed a few of the ACA's most controversial provisions was defeated early Friday morning with a vote of 49 51, just two hours after the text of the bill was revealed. The critical "no" votes came from three Republican Senators: Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and John McCain..The Social Security Administration also included a fact sheet that confuses things for any recipient who, like me, is currently age 6It shows an example of how benefits would grow from age 66 and 2 months through age 70. The 66 and 2 months is the full retirement age of people born after 1954..The revenues raised from the taxation of Social Security benefits are used to pay Social Security and Medicare benefits. In 2017, the Social Security trust fund received .9 billion of its 5.6 billion in revenues from the taxation of benefits and the Medicare trust fund received .2 billion of its 9.4 billion in revenues..While some patients may have used video conferencing or telephone calls with their doctors during the coronavirus shut down, at some point a physical exam and lab work usually is needed..In the meantime, to comply with the new health law, people need to continue to maintain health insurance or pay a fine, because the individual mandate is still in place. And unless Congress acts to repeal Obamacare in its entirety, insurers will still be required to provide coverage despite pre-existing conditions. The big question remains, however, how millions of people will be able to afford Obabmacare coverage if no subsidies are available..Here are six steps to take now that can help you slow hitting the doughnut hole.Cook big batches of soups, stews and casseroles, and freeze extrMake big batches of soups, stews and casseroles, then freeze servings for one or two. All use less expensive cuts of meats, poultry, and fish. Many can be stretched and made all the more delicious with the addition of vegetables and cooked dry beans. Save the most by making your own stocks, rather than buying the heavily sodium-laden variety off the shelf. A simple stock or stew base requires only carrots, onion, and celery, perhaps some garlic, water, and a small amount of salt. Try growing your own parsley and thyme to add year round. Recycle yogurt, cottage cheese and other small plastic containers for freezer containers. Mark with contents and date..Medicare Advantage plans have the flexibility to waive co-pays and deductible costs for patients in cases of a disaster or emergency. Most Medicare Advantage insurers announced they are doing so for treatment of COVID-1To learn the details of what your dad's health plan is doing to respond to COVID-19, you can find a list Medicare Advantage insurers and how they are responding on the website of the American Health Insurance Plans..You can also sign up to receive our monthly newsletter that includes tons of helpful information regarding current legislation and policy affecting you. The newsletter also features a "Congressional Corner," where various Representatives and Senators express their thoughts on issues important to seniors.