Report section racial and ethnic health inequities and medicare access to care and service utilization

" 'If it comes to getting my family members vaccinated, and all that's available is J&J or Novavax, I'd tell them to take it,' said Robert Hancock, president of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians.".The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced plans to test new ways to rein in costs of some of the nation's most expensive drugs, like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis treatments, that are administered in doctors' offices and outpatient centers. The current Medicare Part B payment system, officials argue, provides incentives for prescribing the most expensive medication, rather than on how well it would work for the patient..People 65 years and older should get a flu shot, not a nasal spray vaccine. They can get any flu vaccine approved for use in their age group with no preference for any one vaccine over another. There are regular flu shots that are approved for use in people 65 years and older and there also are two vaccines designed specifically for this group:.Our legislative team will keep a close eye on the legislation as it is implemented in the coming months, and we will continue to advocate for policies that would reduce health care costs for Medicare beneficiaries. For updates on our progress, visit the Legislative News section of our website, or follow our new page on Facebook..Borrowing money to fund Social Security and Medicare benefits would not be possible unless that option could win the support of three-fifths of both the House and Senate..everything just crashes. By the time we turn 65 and eligible for Medicare,.With Inflation Dropping - Low 2013 COLA Forecast.Earlier this fall, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projected that home-heating fuels would cost about 20 percent more during the upcoming heating season, but the most recent Consumer Price Index data from October 2017 through October 2018, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicates that heating-fuel costs appear to be climbing even faster and are now 26.2 percent higher than October 2017..Currently, Social Security COLAs are based on the CPI-W, which tracks the spending patterns of young, urban workers. This index underestimates the inflation that seniors experience since it fails to capture the medical and housing costs that many spend most of their incomes on. TSCL estimates that a CPI for seniors would put the annual COLA at two-tenths of a percentage point higher than the CPI-W. Over the course of a retirement, this would amount to several thousands of dollars more in Social Security benefits.

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Now, as we draw close to the end of the year, the window for Congress to take major action to lower prescription drug prices is beginning to close. Concern is growing that the prospects of a substantial drug price reduction bill may get lost in the politics surrounding the 2020 election. Legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs is in the House, and a bipartisan bill that would cap out-of-pocket Part D costs at ,100 a year is stalled in the Senate. The whole effort is fiercely being fought by the pharmaceutical industry, and the outcome remains unclear..Key Bills Gain Support.TSCL is continuing to meet with lawmakers and deliver your petitions calling for a fair COLA. To send an email to your member of Congress now! … Continued

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The COLA is calculated using data from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Of the CPI groups that the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures, the CPI-W covers only 28% of the total U.S. population, and specifically excludes households "with no one in the labor force, such as retirees.".Legislation is currently under consideration in the House, The Social Security 2100 Act, that would adjust the income thresholds that subject Social Security benefits to taxation, from ,000 to ,000 for single filers and from ,000 to 0,000 for joint filers. According to a survey by The Senior Citizens League, 55 percent of survey participants support lifting the threshold for taxation of Social Security benefits to those levels, and only 12 percent oppose. The bill would pay for this as well as providing a boost in Social Security benefits and a more generous cost-of-living adjustment, by increasing the amount of wages subject to payroll taxes and by very gradually increasing the tax rate that workers and employers pay..Seniors have earned their Social Security benefits. It is our duty as elected representatives to protect them, which strengthens the fabric of our nation, making our society healthier and our communities stronger. … Continued