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Because her stay was as an outpatient, not an inpatient, she also would not qualify for Medicare coverage of follow-up nursing home care, even though her doctor told her she needed it. To be eligible for nursing home care, beneficiaries must have spent at least three nights in the hospital admitted as an inpatient..The 3.8% "Medicare" net investment tax has never been received by the Medicare Part A Trust Fund, but has wound up going straight into the U.S. General Fund. That means it could be appropriated for any government spending!.Let me be clear: I value genuine research and development, I believe drug companies should be able to make reasonable profits, and I understand that investors expect reasonable returns. I also believe, however, that it is Congress' job to ensure that Americans do not have to live with the fear that they will go bankrupt if they get sick. That is why I introduced the Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015 with Senator Bernie Sanders last year. This bill is a bold and comprehensive approach to reducing prescription drug prices in the United States. It empowers the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices under the Medicare Part D prescription drug program; it enhances transparency, encourages competition, and brings much needed accountability to the pharmaceutical industry..He continued his career at Bruce W. Eberle and Associates, another nationally-prominent direct marketing agency from 2002 2004, before making a career change and becoming Legislative Director for The Retired Enlisted Association, the largest organization exclusively for retired enlisted military personnel from all branches of the armed services in the nation. At TREA he was a registered lobbyist dealing with issues of concern to military retirees, including retired pay and health care..Under traditional Medicare, most people need to buy a supplemental Medigap policy to cover Medicare's considerable out-of-pocket costs, and need to enroll in a private Part D plan for drug coverage. Medicare Advantage plans receive a lump-sum from Medicare to provide enrollees with all Medicare Part A and Part B benefits and usually have lower premiums than Medigap insurance. Many of the plans also provide drug coverage and are popular for providing a range of additional services that Medicare doesn't cover, such as discounts on eyeglasses or dental care. The most critical differences between Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans are in the out-of-pocket costs required and, access to doctors and other healthcare providers..Your wife's survivors benefit would not be reduced and she would receive the ,842 you would have received had your benefits not been reduced due to the WEP. For more information on survivors benefits, visit. Learn more about the Windfall Elimination Provision here. If you receive a pension for work not covered by Social Security, learn how your spouse or survivors benefits may be affected by the Government Pension Offset here..This is obviously an area of concern for many TSCL members who get their prescriptions delivered through the mail as well as though who receive monthly checks by mail. If you have problems with late delivery, we urge you to contact your own Senators and Representative and let them know. Congress needs to put pressure on the postal service to get this problem fixed..ROTH IRAs require that you take distributions by age 70 and a half or pay a."The 6.7 percent increase in the Part B premium is the largest since 2006 for a year in which a COLA is payable," Johnson says. There have been bigger jumps in Part B premiums as recently as 2016 and 2017, but those were two years in which there was no or almost no COLA paid. This situation can cause unusually high Part B premium spikes.