This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill and two committees held hearings to discuss the opioid epidemic. In addition, The Senior Citizens League saw support grow for several key bills..According to AARP, about 94% of widely-used brand-name drugs that were on the market between 2005 and 2017 nearly doubled in price. And in 2017, the average annual cost of specialty drugs - which treat complex conditions like cancer - was about ,800. In contrast, the average Social Security benefit in 2017 was just ,800..When it comes to the Social Security cost-of-living adjustments many, if not most, of you say that you feel the government is cooking the inflation data. The COLA seldom seems to reflect the growing costs you experience. Two factors are to blame; the choice of a consumer price index used to calculate your COLA, and the methodology that our government uses to calculate price inflation to begin with..Senate Republican Whip John Thune, who TSCL met with last week, noted the Senate plans to hold multiple hearings on what should be included in the next relief bill, but he said moving a bill "probably doesn't happen" until July..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..Nonetheless, TSCL will not let the Senate forget that the need to pass legislation to help bring down the prices of prescription drugs must not be set aside because of the coronavirus threat. Many, many seniors are at risk because they can't afford the drugs they need, and the situation must be dealt with now..TSCL is pleased that after more than a decade, lawmakers have finally passed legislation to repeal and replace the SGR once and for all. The SGR has not worked as it was intended to since 2003, and seventeen times it has called for steep physician pay cuts, threatening access to quality medical care for seniors. We are hopeful that the new system will bring increased stability to the Medicare program..In years when there has been no, or almost no cost-of-living adjustment, Medicare Part B premiums have spiked significantly. TSCL is highly concerned that another Medicare Part B premium spike could.Benefit Bulletin: June 2020 Medicare Premiums Could Spike Due to Coronavirus.The record low COLAs in recent years that haven't stopped politicians in Washington from proposing more reductions by using the more slowly- growing "chained" CPI, to calculate COLAs. According to TSCL's online "Chained COLA" calculator, over the first 10 years alone a ,000 per month benefit would lose about ,555 in growth under the proposal.

Patient Education Diet And Exercise Food Safety

Wilson Disease can cause organ or cognitive failure. Because no equivalent for Syprine exists, Heyman was forced to try an alternative treatment, Galzin, which costs her about 0 per year. Heyman said the change was made only under duress, because it does not remove the fatal build - up of copper in her system - just absorbs it - and the long - term consequences of the switch are still unknown..While appliances and used vehicles are generally only purchased occasionally, 2020 was not a good time to be shopping for a new washing machine or used car. Appliances increased by an astonishing 17.2 percent and used vehicles rose by 10.9 percent. Johnson points out that, this time a year ago, the price increases of used vehicle prices were negative, at minus 12 percent. However, manufacturers of appliances as well as new cars and trucks shut down production lines at the start of the pandemic. While plants have slowly re-opened, supply chain disruptions and social distancing requirements have slowed production recovery. That's led to long waiting lists for appliances, and the demand for used vehicles shot up..Refinancing can be a good way to reduce your monthly mortgage payments but doing so generally means you extend the pay-off period of your loan and spend more money on interest up front. Choosing a 15 - or even 10 - year loan can save you money on interest, but the monthly payments will be higher and potentially harder to sustain over time. … Continued

Redistricting Redistricting Commission Bills

TSCL enthusiastically supports the PRIME Act and the Social Security Fairness Act, and we were pleased to see support grow for both of them this week..Figure in inflation: When calculating a long-term budget, consider that Medicare Part B premiums grew by almost 9% per year over the past 15 years. Medicare Advantage premiums have grown somewhat more slowly, but on-going program changes make it important to compare your health plan with other options during the Medicare's Open Enrollment period..don't start feeling better. … Continued

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