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A letter to the editor of The Topeka Capital Journal describes one such case of Medicare's over-compensation problem. The writer said that after receiving a back brace for treatment of spinal stenosis, the local back therapy center billed Medicare ,300. Yet the writer found the same brace from the same manufacturer online for Medicare approved 4 for the brace. The writer said that when he contacted the Medicare fraud unit he was told that 4 was the correct Medicare - approved payment to providers for the brace and was told there was nothing Medicare could do about the over-pricing..The high dose vaccine contains four times the amount of antigen as a regular flu shot. It is associated with a stronger immune response following vaccination. Results from a clinical trial of more than 30,000 participants showed that adults 65 years and older who received the high dose vaccine had 24% fewer influenza illnesses as compared to those who received the standard dose flu vaccine. The high dose vaccine has been approved for use in the United States since 200Learn more about high dose flu vaccine here..The rationale for both the WEP and the GPO - that the Social Security benefit formula is overly generous to these individuals and that they are reaping unintended benefits - is very hard to justify today. In fact, Social Security benefits are quite modest when compared to the national pension systems of other developed nations. The modified benefit formulas used under each of these two provisions substantially reduces the benefit that workers were counting on, but these are benefits that were earned and paid for by Social Security taxes..Action on Capitol Hill remained slow this week, as both Houses of Congress have adjourned for the August recess. However, The Senior Citizens League did see support grow for two key pieces of legislation..From 1950 through 1974, Social Security benefits were increased 11 times through separate pieces of ad hoc legislation at irregular intervals. The increases varied just as they do today but averaged 8% per year over the 24-year period although there were long lapses between COLAs during some periods..If you are like millions of Americans you have experienced delays in your mail, including drug prescriptions and checks. In some instances, it has taken over a month for a letter to arrive at its destination, and there are still stories of undelivered packages piled up in postal facilities..Social Security and Medicare remain the targets of plans to reduce federal spending. Over the past 12 months, both Members of Congress and President Obama came close to agreeing on cuts to Social Security benefits, including cost-of-living adjustments and making seniors pay more for their Medicare. How much are Social Security benefits worth over a lifetime and what can you count on? A baby boomer retiring with an "average" benefit of ,100 in 2011 can expect to receive 0,225 over ten years, and 3,641 if he or she lives twenty-five years, due to the compounding effect of the cost-of-living adjustments..and inexpensive generics but she suffered from extreme fatigue and depression..How will the program make people eligible for Social Security and Medicare? Don't they have to become citizens?

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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.."Why Home Health Care is Suddenly Harder To Come By For Medicare Patients," Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News, February 3, 2020..Based on projections by the Trustees, Medicare Part B premiums will likely increase by around .80 next year, so the typical beneficiary will pay 4.30 per month, up from 5.50 in 201The Senior Citizens League is currently predicting a 2020 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment of around 1.2 percent, based on Consumer Price Index data through March. If those estimates are correct, most Social Security beneficiaries will see very modest increases in their net Social Security benefits next year after Medicare Part B premiums are deducted. … Continued

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In December of 2020, about 1.9 million people, or about 3% of all Social Security beneficiaries, were affected by WEP. This provision applies to workers who are entitled to both Social Security benefits as well as to pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. School teachers and firemen are two good examples. Before 1983, those whose primary employment wasn't covered by Social Security could still receive the full amount of any Social Security benefits they may have earned, assuming they had worked long enough to qualify. Today though, people affected by the WEP must have their benefits calculated using a different benefit formula. The WEP can reduce Social Security benefits by up to half the amount of the individual's pension from non-covered work..If signed into law, S. 1904 would strengthen Social Security benefits by enacting an across-the-board benefit increase, adopting the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers, increasing the minimum Social Security benefit to 125 percent of the poverty line, and increasing the threshold on the taxation of Social Security benefits. It would also strengthen the solvency of the trust funds by applying the payroll tax to income over 0,000, increasing the payroll tax rate by 0.05 percent annually until it reaches 7.65 percent, and reallocating funds to the Disability Insurance trust fund..I've been out of work since late March. The company that I was working for is in the process of declaring bankruptcy, and I haven't found a new job yet. I turn 64 in two months, but if I start Social Security now my retirement benefit would be pretty low. … Continued