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Obamacare Medicaid Expansion Creates New Inequities For Seniors.Use the Health and Drug Plan Finder found at..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..While Congress was busy debating the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, the federal government hit the debt ceiling on March 15th. Since then, the Treasury Department has been using "extraordinary measures" like postponing contributions to retirement accounts for federal employees to buy time and prevent a default on federal debts, including the money that the U.S. Treasury owes to the Social Security Trust Fund.."Prior Authorization in Medicare Advantage Plans: How Often Is It Used?" Gretchen Jacobson and Tricia Neuman, Kaiser Family Foundation, October 201"Medicare Advantage Appeal Outcomes and Audit Findings Raise Concerns About Service and Payment Denials," Office of the Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, September 25, 2018..As a result, the highest-risk patients were not filling their medication after prices jumped. Those most vulnerable to a heart attack and stroke cut back more on statins and anti-hypertensives than lower-risk patients - irrespective of socioeconomic status..TSCL receives hundreds of comments like this from Notch Babies and their families. Substantial numbers of Notch Babies believe Congress is waiting for the Notch problem to die with them. Yet Members of Congress are continuing to add their names to legislation that would correct the Notch..Government and private economists are warning of major financial turmoil and another recession if Congress can't get their act together to address the rising level of federal debt that is estimated to equal 70 percent of our total national output by the end of the year. Our nation's ability to pay the interest and its debt obligations has everything to do with our benefits..The "Medicare Notch" could affect a growing number of people if inflation remains unusually low while Medicare premium increases are relatively high. With no COLA in 2011 as the Social Security Trustees predict, people protected by the hold harmless provision in 2009 would continue to pay .40 per month, people who enrolled in 2010 would continue to pay 4 because now they would be protected by hold harmless, but new enrollees in 2011 would pay an estimated 0 per month.