Policy watch is the end of the long term care crisis within sight new covid 19 cases and deaths in long term care facilities are dropping

Because Medicare Advantage plans receive a capped monthly reimbursement for each beneficiary, TSCL is concerned that there is a potential financial incentive for Medicare Advantage plans to inappropriately deny some services or prescriptions in an attempt to increase their profits. Denial of medically necessary care and prescriptions can worsen your health, as well as leading to high out-of-pocket costs, financial burdens, and debt..Tuesday Senators Grassley and Wyden announced legislation, The Prescription Drug Pricing and Reduction Act of 201The bill if adopted would save taxpayers more than 0 Billion, lower Medicare Beneficiaries out-of-pocket costs by Billion and premiums by Billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. A hearing on Thursday of a key panel of legislators advanced the legislation out of the Senate Finance Committee despite close-call votes on controversial provisions, priming the legislation to be considered by the full Senate in the fall..If you were born during the Notch period and receive Social Security benefits based on your work record, or that of a Notch Baby spouse, you have been affected by this inequity from your first Social Security check. According to TSCL studies, this disparity costs you on average about ,000 to as much as ,000 per year in lower benefits..Addressing prescription drug prices is also one of my top priorities as Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. The Committee launched a comprehensive investigation of the prescription drug industry's pricing practices in January of this year, focusing on the drugs that are the costliest to Medicare. In January I convened the Committee's first hearing of the 116th Congress on this topic, inviting AARP's National Volunteer President to testify about the challenges seniors face in affording their drugs..When asked how they responded to rising prices for meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy products, survey participants report reducing the amount that they consume of these foods and having to spend a larger portion of their budget on these items. "Most troubling of all, about 25 percent of survey participants reported they've gone without," Johnson says..It depends. If you meet the requirements you're OK to delay. It's important to keep in mind that failure to enroll in Medicare on time is one of the most costly mistakes that working Medicare-age seniors make. You can wind up getting hit with late enrollment penalties that you'll have to pay every year for the rest of your life. Those penalties could drain thousands in extra Medicare costs from you and your wife's savings and income..To allow this situation to languish so long is a national disgrace when there's a surprising high level of bipartisan support for Notch Reform through "The Notch Fairness Act." This legislation would allow Notch Babies born from 1917 through 1926 a choice between a lump-sum of ,000 payable over a four-year period, or a higher monthly benefit. As of this writing, more than 94 cosponsors have signed on..Changes are looming for Medicare and Social Security. Make your opinion count. Take the monthly poll on TSCL's homepage. We'll announce the results in upcoming issues of this newsletter..Can You Still Fund A Retirement Account Once You Retire?

Health Reform Perspective Kff Data Note Americansae Views On The Personal Impact Of The Aca And The Supreme Courtaes Decision
Unfortunately, many Subcommittee Members seemed to agree with Rep. Burgess, who plans to introduce legislation that would provide a one-year pay patch for Medicare physicians. TSCL hopes that Congress will continue to work toward a permanent solution, and we will continue to monitor the SGR discussion in the coming months..News From the Office of Senator Claire McCaskill.Ask your doctor for free samples of the new prescription. While the supply may be limited, free samples help you and your doctor assess the effectiveness of a new medication. You will be able to learn how well you respond to the medication and whether you experience any severe side effects. … Continued

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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..When it comes to strengthening Social Security's finances, Members of Congress only have two choices - to cut spending on benefits, or increase program revenues. Typically in the past, the focus has been on proposals that would cut benefits rather than raising revenues. Proponents of cuts argue that benefits must be cut because Social Security is insolvent as currently structured. They point to the fact that there are fewer workers to provide payroll tax revenues for swelling number of retirees..Other Medicare costs climbed as well, the Part B deductible, and out-of-pocket costs charged by doctors and for other services. Barbara's prescription drug plan bumped her medication to a higher formulary tier and her blood pressure medication that used to have zero copay now costs .00 per month. And after recent years of so much extreme weather, homeowner's insurance is now one of her fastest - growing costs. … Continued