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Physical, occupational and speech therapy services for some patients, especially those who have long-term severe illnesses, are the services that have been impacted the most. Under a new Medicare reimbursement system, home health agencies now have a stronger financial incentive to treat patients who need short-term therapy after a stay in the hospital or rehabilitation facility. Payments under the new reimbursement system are higher for people who are discharged from an institution and have services provided within the first 30 days - and get lower after that..The resolution introduced by Rep. Rigell expresses a commitment to two critical issues facing seniors, and TSCL was pleased to lend its support to it this week..Costs not covered by Medicare such as dental, vision and audio care.."The measure would generally limit surprise billing in the following circumstances:.Congress Should Work Together to Strengthen Social Security.According to TSCL's 2017 Senior Survey, 8% of survey respondents said that their benefits have been withheld by Social Security due to excess earnings. Unless you have a terminal illness and are not expected to live very long, we strongly recommend that you consider delaying the start of your Social Security benefit until you are 66 or older when you will be eligible for the full, unreduced amount. To get the maximum, consider working until age 70 if you can. Your benefit will grow by 8% per year if you do..New Congress Convenes.Several provisions within the H-CARE act include; increasing payments to Rural Health Clinics, authorizing to million annually for grants to rural providers to help with the cost of implementing health information technology, requiring prompt payment to rural pharmacies by Medicare prescription drug plans and ensuring that rural Americans are appropriately represented on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission..Here are some things to consider:

Blog Leaders Gather In Washington

Please Be Careful When Using Disinfectants and Cleaners.Currently, because the Trust Funds are a part of the unified federal budget, Congress regularly uses the "excess funds" those not immediately needed for purposes other than to pay out benefits. TSCL believes that this practice is fundamentally unfair to current and future beneficiaries, and because both programs are facing insolvency within the next two decades, we believe it is now more important than ever for Congress to end the irresponsible practice. TSCL enthusiastically supports the Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box Act, and we look forward to working with Congressman Walberg in the coming months to help build support for it..Under current law, noncitizens who gain temporary work authorization can qualify for long-term Social Security benefits based on work under invalid Social Security numbers that was done prior to gaining that authorization. If elected, would you support legislation to modify this policy? … Continued

Health Reform Poll Finding Kaiser Health Tracking Poll March 2015

The findings represent a significant one-year loss of 4 percentage points in buying power, with the loss increasing from 30% to 34% from January 2017 to January 201The loss occurred even though beneficiaries received a 2% annual cost-of-living adjustment for 201Housing and medical costs - particularly for home heating expenses and Medigap premiums - were among the most rapidly-rising costs over the past year. The study examines the growth, since 2000, in the price of goods and services that are typical for retired and disabled households, and compares that to the growth in Social Security benefits due to annual COLAs..New retirees can be caught off guard by the tax, and the Social Security Administration's information about it "can be easily misunderstood," Johnson notes. Information about the tax on the Social Security Administration's website says that the tax affects retirees with "substantial income." It states: "Some of you have to pay federal income taxes on your Social Security benefits. This usually happens only if you have other substantial income in addition to your benefits..beneficiaries with incomes in 2019 are ,000 0,000 or more and who pay an income-related surcharge. … Continued