News

This week, lawmakers in the Senate held several failed votes on bills that would have repealed and replaced parts of the Affordable Care Act. In addition, two key bills that would improve Social Security benefits gained support in the House..Private insurance executive Peter Edwards, at a recent roundtable with the Senate Finance Committee, presented another option. Edwards, who is the President of Provider Development at Humana, suggested a flexible arrangement that offers a variety of payment models for differing practices and geographic regions. He advised the Senate Committee against a one-size-fits-all approach, warning that such approaches would undermine any existing collaborations..To learn more about the programs contact your local Medicaid office or call and ask about programs, that help pay for your Medicare premiums..Most seniors are aware of the impact of the consumer price index on COLAs. But switching to the more slowly growing "chained" CPI, if applied government-wide, would be far more reaching than Social Security cuts alone. In every aspect where applied, seniors would receive less in benefits and pay more in higher taxes. The following chart illustrates:.You should know that there are some groups who call themselves senior groups but are funded mostly by the drug makers and other corporate interests. Whereas TSCL is beholden only to you, those groups dare not oppose the corporations that fund them, whether it is in the interests of seniors or not..a more generous cost-of-living adjustment by calculating the annual boost using the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly,.I've read about proposals to "expand" Social Security that would provide somewhat higher benefits and a better cost-of-living adjustment. How can Social Security be expanded when the program is running out of money?.Providers couldn't send patients a balance bill for any amounts that exceed the cost-sharing requirement in those scenarios..Finally, there is little support for the tax cut among senior citizens. The findings of TSCL's 2012 Senior Survey have indicated that nearly fifty–six percent of seniors disagree with the use of the payroll tax cut as a means to stimulate the economy. Among those surveyed, only twenty-five percent said they agree with the use of the tax holiday.