Alexandria, VA - Millions of the nation's oldest and poorest senior citizens would be compensated for the lower Social Security benefit they've received for more than 30 years under proposed bipartisan legislation. Introduced in the U.S. House by Representative Mike McIntyre, and in the Senate by Senator David Vitter, the bill is supported by The Senior Citizens League, one of the nation's largest nonpartisan senior citizens advocacy groups..My pulmonologist ordered a CT scan, but the person scheduling appointments said they first had to check my insurance. Is this correct? I'm covered by Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan. I thought I would be covered for any medically necessary CT scan..Estimates by the Social Security Administration indicate that if the taxable maximum were eliminated, and the payroll tax of 12.4% were applied to all earnings, that program solvency would be extended as much as 40 years. This includes allowing retired workers credit for benefits on the higher earnings. And not only would lifting the taxable maximum keep the program financed well into future, it would pay for providing a more fair and slightly higher COLA using the CPI-E..The coronavirus emergency spending bill that Congress just passed was not "paid for," in Washington's language. It was added to the deficit, which means the government will borrow the money to pay for it..Flu vaccination has many benefits. It has been shown to reduce flu illnesses and also to reduce the risk of more serious flu outcomes that can result in hospitalization or even death in older people. Flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick..Medicare doesn't cover dental benefits, and dental insurance premiums can be more expensive than paying out of your own pocket for routine check ups- and cleanings. The cost to buy an individual policy averages about 0 a year. That's about what you might pay out-of-pocket without any insurance for two annual exams and cleanings, plus some X-rays..Homeowners and renter's insurance: With severe weather-related disasters, homeowner's insurance is one of the top ten fastest rising senior costs. If you haven't done so recently, review your coverage and determine whether it's based on the current value of your home and realistic current replacement costs. Many policies have new deductibles for wind and hurricane damage based on a percentage of your home's value, so take care and look before being tempted to increase deductibles to lower premium costs. Do shop around with other highly rated insurers to see if you can lower your premiums..Instead, some physicians are experimenting with converting their practices to more lucrative payment models, such as concierge medicine, in which patients pay a fee upfront to retain the doctor. Patients who cannot afford that arrangement may have to search for a new physician..Higher Medigap costs: Experts say that beneficiaries with Medigap supplements tend to use more services than those without such coverage. Currently the plans often cover part or most of the deductibles and the co-insurance. Lawmakers from both parties propose requiring beneficiaries enrolled in Medigap plans to pay more through higher deductibles and co-payments. President Obama's 2014 budget plan called for imposing a new surcharge on beneficiaries who buy Medigap plans in 2017.
