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This is a problem that affects retirees enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans much more so than those who have Medigap supplemental coverage which allows enrollees to see any provider that accepts Medicare. To reduce the costs of care, and to keep premiums low for consumers, Medicare Advantage plans contract with doctors and hospitals to create networks. Cost is a predominant concern and, in the process, plans create networks that exclude higher cost providers..This issue gets considerable attention from Members of Congress and the media. These findings are a huge red flag that the standard of living of older Americans is eroding, and this is true not only for lower income households, but for all retirees, because healthcare costs are growing much more rapidly than COLAs. To provide greater retirement security, Social Security benefits need to be boosted, and Medicare cost increases need to be slowed in a way that saves billions without cutting benefits. The Senior Citizens League is supporting the Emergency Social Security COLA for 2021 Act, which would replace the 1.3 percent COLA with a more adequate 3 percent COLA in 202How were you affected by healthcare costs in 2020? Please take our TSCL's 2021 Senior Survey..One witness, Scott Serota, President and CEO of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, suggested a gradual shift from the current fee-for-service system toward a series of new payment models that would allow for geographic variability. Another witness, David Bronson, President of the American College of Physicians, suggested a patient-centered medical home model, where each patient would choose a physician with a specific team of caregivers. He explained that his model would result in better coordinated care for seniors..The House has been working on the other funding bills but whether or not they are able to pass any of them before the August break is uncertain. So far, the Senate has not managed to pass any of the needed funding bills..Your earnings from work will reduce your benefits if you are under your full retirement age and the earnings are more than the annual limit. The age at which people become eligible for full retirement benefits has been gradually rising. The full retirement age for people born from 1943 through 1954 is 66..However, concern is growing that the Medicare Part B premium increase, which the Social Security Administration deducts directly from Social Security benefits, could consume a substantial amount of any COLA increase next year. Legislation enacted by Congress last year restricted the 2021 Medicare Part B premium from increasing more than .90 per month due to the very low COLA increase of just 1.3 percent, a result of extremely low inflation due to the COVID-19 recession. The basic Part B premium is 8.50 per month in 202"With a high COLA increase in 2022, Part B premiums might make a catch-up jump, especially as people make up visits to get healthcare services that were postponed due to the pandemic," Johnson says..There were reports recently that Republicans in the House of Representatives are insisting that stemming the growth of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid costs is necessary. Bloomberg news reported on a House Budget Committee hearing about a new Congressional Budget Office report that projects trillion-dollar deficits for the next decade..With about 1 million supporters, The Senior Citizens League is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups. Located just outside Washington, D.C., its mission is to promote and assist members and supporters, to educate and alert senior citizens about their rights and freedoms as U.S. Citizens, and to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and paid for. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of TREA The Enlisted Association. Please visit or call for more information..You will need to contact Social Security at to request an appointment. Social Security has a local office locator that you can find here. In the meantime learn more about Social Security survivors benefits on the