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Medicare Advantage plans have the flexibility to waive co-pays and deductible costs for patients in cases of a disaster or emergency. Most Medicare Advantage insurers announced they are doing so for treatment of COVID-1To learn the details of what your dad's health plan is doing to respond to COVID-19, you can find a list Medicare Advantage insurers and how they are responding on the website of the American Health Insurance Plans..Many believe that the public stage has politicized the debate and is preventing the group from reaching a breakthrough. With only one week to go before the Presidents Day recess, the next meetings will likely move behind closed doors..TSCL thus believes that the DREAM Act may ultimately lead to a tsunami of new Social Security disability and retirement claims, as well as swelling the Medicare rolls. The 2004 Social Security Protection Act requires that noncitizens assigned Social Security numbers after January 1, 2004, must have work authorization in order to file a claim for benefits. Once work authorization documents are provided, however, the Social Security Administration would then determine entitlement for benefits on all earnings, even including jobs performed while illegal. If the green card holder proves evidence of the jobs worked, like W2s, even under invalid Social Security numbers the earnings would be applied to their new Social Security number..Senate Appropriators Approve Funding Bill.Even if your income or assets are slightly higher than the guidelines, you should still apply. That's because certain kinds of resources may not be counted. States figure your income and assets differently, so you may be eligible in your state. When determining eligibility, your countable assets include checking or savings accounts, stocks and bonds. Your home, and one car, will not be counted..In 1977 Social Security was going bankrupt because of a flawed benefit formula that raised benefits too quickly. That year Congress passed legislation which changed the way benefits were calculated starting with retirees who were born in 1917 and became eligible for benefits in 197The changes were major and the transition between the old and new method of calculating benefits did not work as anticipated..In a message to Congress in 1945, President Truman said "Millions of our citizens do not now have a full measure of opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health. Millions do not now have protection or security against the economic effects of sickness. The time has arrived for action to help them attain that opportunity and that protection." Twenty years later when President Johnson signed Medicare into law, he remarked on Truman "Many men can make many proposals. Many men can draft many laws. But few have the piercing and humane eye which can see beyond the words to the people that they touch […]And fewer still have the courage to stake reputation, and position, and the effort of a lifetime upon such a cause when there are so few that share it." I am honored to continue fighting for Truman and Johnson's visions as we look forward to another 50 years of Medicare..In 2017, you are allowed to earn ,880 or in the months prior to full retirement age without any reduction to your benefits. If you earn more than that, Social Security will withhold in benefits for every over that amount..The .5 billion for VA health care improvements will now be paid for with savings elsewhere in the budget. However, one Democratic aide said the funds used to pay for the program were gimmicks that do not harm spending in vital programs.