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The big concern is that per capita caps and block grants won't keep pace with the real growth in costs in state Medicaid programs - especially since the reimbursements formulas would be tied to the rise in inflation. Actual medical costs are expected to grow several times faster than reimbursements. States could be forced to reduce spending on older people and younger disabled adults, who account for a disproportionately large share of Medicaid spending. States could tighten eligibility, reduce non-mandatory benefits like your home caregiving program, and nursing home reimbursements, or otherwise ration care..To learn more about the programs contact your local Medicaid office or call and ask about programs, that help pay for your Medicare premiums..Finally, there is little support for the tax cut among senior citizens. The findings of TSCL's 2012 Senior Survey have indicated that nearly fifty–six percent of seniors disagree with the use of the payroll tax cut as a means to stimulate the economy. Among those surveyed, only twenty-five percent said they agree with the use of the tax holiday..Interest rates fell. Seven percent of Social Security financing comes from the interest earned by the assets held by the Social Security Trust Funds. Those assets are actually non-marketable government bonds, like I.O.U.s from the U.S. Treasury payable to the Social Security Trust Fund. That income stream was reduced because short term interest rates dropped to extreme lows during 2020 and so far in 2021..Heap's story is part of a major investigative series on Medicare drug fraud, by the independent, non-profit investigative news organization ProPublica. Reporters, using Medicare's own data, were able to identify scores of doctors whose prescribing within Part D followed known patterns of fraud. ProPublica's investigation found that "Medicare's system for pursuing fraud is so cumbersome and poorly run that schemes quickly siphon away millions." The stories are drawing a remarkable reaction from the normally snail-paced Medicare. The agency recently announced plans to better control prescription drug fraud, including new authority to revoke doctors' Medicare enrollment if patterns of abusive prescribing are found..The change was designed to schedule certain holidays so that workers had several long weekends throughout the year, but it was opposed by those who believe that those holidays should be celebrated on the dates they actually commemorate..Call Congress.To say the least, it is controversial and there is reason to doubt it works. We know for sure that it is incredibly expensive. Having said that, here is some of the information we have seen..Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not announced his health care priorities for the Senate this year. He still refuses to bring the bi-partisan Grassley-Wyden bill that would lower prescription drug prices up for debate on the Senate floor so that may be one of the reasons he has not issued information about his priorities.