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TSCL's annual Senior Survey asks how much you spend per month on all healthcare costs. Participants are asked to include not only premiums for Medicare Part B, and Part D as well as out of pocket costs for each, but also premiums for Medigap or Medicare Advantage plans, as well as all out-of-pocket spending on doctor visits and services, as well as dental and optical exams, glasses and hearing aids..Under traditional Medicare with Medigap, you have greater freedom to select providers and to travel and still get coverage. Medigap is the better choice for people who divide their time between homes in two different states, or who like to travel outside the U.S. Several Medigap plans cover foreign travel emergencies. On the other hand under many Medicare Advantage plans, you would need to follow your plan rules to get in-network care and would be more limited to specific geographic areas. If you join a Medicare HMO and then have a medical emergency in other part of the country where your plan does not operate you would foot 100% of the medical bill..After reporting her suspicions to Medicare and her mother's Part D insurer, and not getting much of a response, Heap contacted the Los Angeles County sheriff's task force specializing in prescription drug fraud. There she learned the drugs listed on her mother's explanation of benefits forms are among the most desired type in Medicare drug fraud schemes..Do You Qualify For Medicare Part D Extra Help?.However, House Appropriations Chair Hal Rogers remains optimistic and is pushing members of the committee to move quickly. He set a November 20th deadline for each subcommittee to preconference their sections of the omnibus bill. Any work that is not finished by the subcommittees this week will be handled by the leaders of the full Appropriations Committee..A number of innovative alternatives to the SGR exist those outlined above are three among more than a dozen. Because the options are so varied, TSCL believes that testing and evaluating different models will be a critical step in the process. A bill recently introduced by Rep. Allyson Schwartz the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act would do just that, and we look forward to partnering with her in the coming months to resolve the physician payment fiasco once and for all..In a letter to Congressman Davis, Art Cooper Chairman of TSCL's Board of Trustees wrote: "According to a recent study completed by TSCL, Social Security beneficiaries have lost over 20 percent of their purchasing power since 2000. Those who are subjected to the WEP and the GPO have undoubtedly fallen even further behind. It is now more important than ever for Congress to address the inequities that have been created by the WEP and the GPO, and TSCL believes the Social Security Fairness Act is a fair and responsible solution.".Medicare Advantage enrollees have certain protections under a declared emergency. During the period of the declared emergency, Medicare Advantage plans are required to cover services at out-of-network facilities, or out-of-network providers that participate in Medicare, and charge no more than they would pay if they had received care at an in-network facility or provider. That said, it's much less clear how billing from out-of-network providers will be handled as declared state and national emergencies are lifted. As COVID-19 cases have increased, some states have found the need to bring in emergency nursing and professional staff when hospitals have reached capacity, so the chance is higher that an out-of-network provider was involved in your father's care..As a non-partisan, non-profit seniors organization, TSCL does NOT endorse candidates in presidential or congressional races. Our mission is to educate the public about Social Security and Medicare benefits and about legislative proposals that would affect Americans' retirement security. We urge you to make sure your voter registration and your photo ID's are up–to–date, especially if you have moved recently. We encourage all of you to vote this November!