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Although the Social Security trust fund is often reported as being solvent until 2033, there are two separate trust funds, each with separate insolvency dates. The trust fund for the disability insurance program is in the biggest financial trouble and is estimated to become completely exhausted in 2016 or by 2017[1]. "With 2016 being a major presidential election year, either the next Congress will need to enact program changes next year, or risk running out the clock and triggering across the board benefit cuts," Cates points out..In past years, Congress has chosen to allow this cost to shift to the 30 percent beneficiaries who are not held harmless. The total cost increase is spread over far fewer people, instead of all beneficiaries, and those who are not protected pay a much bigger share of Medicare Part B costs. This could happen again for the 2021 premium..Out-of-network emergency services, which would include services furnished after a patient is stabilized unless notice and consent criteria are met..Sen. Mark Begich introduced S. 896 on May 8, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Finance..This week, seven new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security 2100 Act, bringing the total up to eighty-four. The new cosponsors are: Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Marc Veasey, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Chellie Pingree, Joyce Beatty, and Peter DeFazio..This week, Members of the Senate voted to confirm Sylvia Mathews Burwell as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, The Senior Citizens League saw two key bills gain support..In the months ahead, The Senior Citizens League will continue to advocate for these and other policy solutions that would boost and strengthen Social Security benefits for current and future beneficiaries. For progress updates, follow The Senior Citizens League on Twitter..Last week was a busy one in Congress. There are 3 reasons for that. First, the worsening of the coronavirus pandemic in many more states and the need to pass another major piece of legislation to deal with its effects..While Medicare covers emergency room care, unless your father was admitted to the hospital as an inpatient, Medicare Part A may not have covered his hospital stay. If emergency room doctors held your dad "under observation" or as an "outpatient," then his stay was covered under Medicare Part B, and there may have been expensive bills for that hospital stay depending on what other type of insurance your dad had in addition to Medicare. In addition, Medicare has strict rules about the length of stays in the hospital, in order to qualify for limited nursing home coverage for rehabilitation. Medicare does not cover most long - term stays in nursing homes.