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Medical: Medicare recently reported the lowest growth in healthcare costs on record based on spending through 20But that's not the case for seniors. In fact, since 2000, Medicare Part B costs rose as fast as the cost of gasoline. Seniors will receive notification this month of their Medicare Part B premium for 201It's also important to check your Part D drug coverage. Medicare Part D's infamous drug coverage gap, aka the "doughnut hole," is slowly closing a widely touted benefit of the 2010 healthcare law. Several Part D costs, like the "standard" deductible, and the out-of-pocket costs thresholds, will be lower in 201But for the first time since Part D started, the initial coverage amount, the amount all seniors use when they fill a prescription, will be less generous by 0. That means you may hit the doughnut hole coverage gap sooner..After 13 years with TREA he retired from the organization at the end of 2018 and became TSCL's Legislative Consultant in September of 2019..Providers couldn't send patients a balance bill for any amounts that exceed the cost-sharing requirement in those scenarios..The 5 or so million Americans aged 50 to 64 who currently buy insurance on the individual and small business exchanges could compare a Medicare-X plan to those offered by private insurance plansm and choose which works best for them. Guaranteeing Medicare-X in every ZIP code would ensure there's always an option for Americans not yet on Medicare. And, because participants' premiums would cover the full cost of the plan, it wouldn't raise taxes, add to the deficit, or take resources from the Medicare trust fund. Medicare-X would allow price negotiation under Part D, but would not touch the benefits offered through traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage..Medicare costs take a significant portion of retirees' Social Security benefits. A survey conducted by The Senior Citizens League found that more than 51 percent of survey participants report spending at least 6 per month on total healthcare costs and more than one in- five spend ,000 or more per month..Addressing the Part A shortfall will be particularly difficult and contentious for everyone. To bring greater solvency to the HI trust fund, lawmakers will be faced with the politically unpalatable choices of reducing Medicare spending, which could include requiring that Medicare recipients pay more for their coverage and increasing the tax revenues received by Medicare. Congress last addressed Medicare Part A finances in the 2010 Affordable Care Act which, among other things, required hospitals to become more efficient in their delivery of care, while requiring that higher income workers pay a higher Medicare payroll tax rate..This week, lawmakers remained in their home states and districts to continue the fall recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill following the November elections to begin the lame duck session. Until then, most lawmakers will be attending local events and holding town hall meetings in their home states and districts..Here are some things to consider:.On Wednesday, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee met to discuss reform of the Medicare physician payment system with a panel of five experts. The hearing, entitled "Using Innovation to Reform Medicare Physician Payment," focused on ideas from the private sector.