After more than a decade of failed attempts to repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate the flawed formula that sets payment rates for doctors who treat Medicare patients Congress has finally succeeded in passing legislation to do away with it once and for all. In April, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate adopted a bipartisan bill that will permanently repeal the SGR, provide doctors with modest 0.5 percent payment updates over the next five years, and incentivize payment models that reward the coordination of medical care..In September, federal agents announced the arrests of 35 people linked to a huge genetic testing scam. Individuals charged are accused of billing Medicare for more than .1 billion worth of phony genetic tests. The crackdown included telemedicine companies, doctors, and labs which worked in an elaborate scheme that preyed on people's fears of having genetic markers for cancer..This year, Social Security beneficiaries received no cost-of-living adjustment despite a national survey indicating a majority reported higher costs. Do you support legislation that would give seniors an emergency COLA before the end of this year?."Medicaid plays an essential role for both low - income older Americans and middle -income seniors made poor by their health care costs," Johnson notes. Medicaid benefits can include paying premiums and out - of - pocket costs for Part B coverage. It is also the primary payer of costs not covered by Medicare, including nursing home care..and improve your health..These provisions are outdated and unfair to many seniors, and it's time to repeal them. Workers who paid into Social Security and their spouses should not be penalized and lose earned benefits for working in public service and the private sector. If you paid into Social Security, this is your money, not a government entitlement or subsidy..The bill that was approved on Tuesday includes a million boost in funding for the Social Security Administration, million for a new initiative that would work to prevent elder abuse, and nearly million in extra funding for the Social Security Disability Insurance program, which is currently struggling with a massive backlog of continuing disability reviews. Additionally, it includes .7 million for fraud prevention within Medicare and Medicaid more than twice the level that was allocated in fiscal 201According to the Subcommittee, every spent fighting fraud results in a return of .By increasing next year's funding, appropriators expect to see .4 billion in savings..For information about town hall meetings near you during the summer congressional recess, call the local offices of your elected officials. For Congressional contact information, visit our website at..Can you afford a 24% cut in your Social Security check? Can you afford to pay even more than you do now for your health care after you get a 24% cut in your Social Security?

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If he or a member of his leadership team in the Senate announce their priorities for health care in the Senate The Senior Citizens League Legislative Team will let you know..Are benefit cuts inevitable when Social Security's financing runs low in a few years? Your participation in this November's presidential election will play a critical role in how this question will be answered..As long as all other qualifications are met, and they have evidence of their earnings, like W2s, they may file a claim for Social Security benefits. Others who receive an SSN after 2004 must have work authorization to claim benefits. Yet even people who worked illegally for many years sometimes later change status. That can occur even without an amnesty, especially if the illegals have children who were born in this country. Because the children are born as U.S. citizens, when they become adults they can sponsor their parents to stay in the U.S. legally and to receive work authorization. If their parents kept W2s and evidence earnings, those work credits will be re-instated to their new SSNs. Once they receive work authorization, noncitizens can later file a claim for Social Security benefits. … Continued

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The suppressed growth in Social Security benefits not only creates ongoing benefit adequacy issues for retirees, but also Medicare budget problems when the COLA is not sufficient to cover rising Part B premiums for large numbers of beneficiaries. When the dollar amount of the annual Medicare Part B premium increase is greater than the dollar amount of an individual's annual cost of living adjustment, the Social Security benefits of about 70 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are protected by the hold-harmless provision in the Social Security Act. The Medicare Part B premium of those individuals is reduced to prevent their net Social Security benefits from being lower than the year before..The opinions expressed in "Congressional Corner" reflect the views of the writer and are not necessarily those of TSCL..The proposal would potentially help those enrolled in Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans, particularly in cases where a drug is not covered by the individual's plan or, as a less-expensive alternative, when the cost of importing a drug is lower than the co-pay for purchasing the medication with Part D plan coverage. Proponents of importation point out that, over the long-term, increased competition from imported drugs could pressure drug companies to reduce their prices in the U.S. and thus help reduce costs for other drugs you may take. … Continued

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