Medicaid issue brief leveraging medicaid in a multi payer medical home program spotlight on rhode islands chronic care sustainability initiative

The Senior Citizens League believes that the on-going Medicare cuts have weakened our ability to respond to national emergencies like COVID-1It has exacerbated a national healthcare worker shortage - including doctors and nurses, as well as the capacity of the nation's hospitals to deal with the sudden large influx of patients generated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many hospitals, doctors' offices, and nursing homes have required additional federal and state assistance as well as donations from the public, to acquire personal protective equipment such as masks, gowns, and gloves..The Senior Citizens League continues to monitor the CBO's tax proposal. TSCL supports bills that would reduce the taxation of Social Security benefits while making Social Security payroll taxes more equitable through ensuring that all workers pay their fair share of taxes on all earnings..Telephone scammers are bilking Medicare out of billions of dollars, and bombarding millions of older U.S. consumers with multiple daily automated phone calls for everything from "free" back braces to genetic tests. While Medicare scams have been with us for decades, what's new is the use of automated calling technology, and the massive international scale of the scams..Prescription Drug Re-Importation Making safe, secure re-importation a reality..Boosting Social Security benefits for everyone. The proposed boost would equal 2% of average benefits..As with Social Security and Medicare long-term viability, reducing the high costs of drugs is also at the top on TSCL's agenda this year. These are complicated problems but Congress must find a way to deal with them and TSCL will be fighting for you as these debates continue..Coming to Congress, just one year ago, I pledged to make rural healthcare a top priority. One of the first things I did was to join the Rural Health Care Coalition, a bi-partisan coalition committed to advancing rural priorities in health care policy in Congress. The first action we took this Congress was to introduce the Health Care Access and Rural Equity Act of 200The H-CARE Act is a comprehensive piece of legislation that makes important improvements to help rural healthcare providers address the challenges associated with delivering quality healthcare close to home..If enacted, this bill would address one of the key areas currently missing from our prescription drug market - competition. Just as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is already able to negotiate lower drug prices for its patients, Medicare should be given the freedom to do the same.."When we raise prices, they mess with people's ability to make good decisions about their health," said Ziad Obermeyer, co-author of the study and associate professor of health policy and management at the University of California at Berkeley. "Those decisions lead to more people dying - health costs need to be priced into these cost-sharing policies."

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According to an analysis performed for TSCL, monthly benefits between 2009 and 2016 are 13% lower than they would have been if inflation had been closer to the more typical 3%. For the typical retiree with an average monthly benefit of ,117 in 2009, Social Security benefits are about 9 per month lower this year, according to the analysis. The analysis calculated that, since 2009, people with average Social Security benefits have lost ,575 in total Social Security income over the past 7 years..Meditation and yogNew research has found that mindfulness meditation can actually change the structure of the brain - in a very protective way. Just a couple of weeks of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training, developed by the University of Massachusetts' Center for Mindfulness, improves concentration and attention since strong focus of attention is one of the central techniques. Meditation training has long been used as a technique for reducing blood pressure, stress and anxiety and also has helped people quit smoking by learning to "decouple" the state of craving from the act of smoking..The U.S. House and Senate adjourn at the end of July for a six-week summer recess, and many lawmakers will hold town hall meetings in their home states and districts throughout the month of August. The Senior Citizens League encourages Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries like you to attend these events and to ask important questions of your elected officials about your earned benefits. … Continued

Ncsl In Dc Publications And Resources Capitol To Capitol Aug 20 2018
TSCL would like to remind you that now is the perfect time to approach your Members of Congress at local events and request their support for a fair Social Security cost-of-living adjustment and for other key issues..Look into mail-order pharmacies. When ordering by mail you can often save money because you order in quantity - a 90-day versus a 30-day supply. Many mail order pharmacies charge lower co-pays for a 90-day supply than what you pay for a 60-day. Check with your drug plan to find out if mail order is available..This week, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees released their annual reports on the financial standing of the two programs. In addition, the Supreme Court announced its decision on the immigration orders President Obama released back in 2014. … Continued

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