Health Reform State Profile State Exchange Profiles West VirginiaThis week, lawmakers in the House and Senate remained in their home states and districts for the week-long holiday recess..This week, The Senior Citizens League's Board of Trustees traveled to Capitol Hill to host a Welcome Reception and to meet with several lawmakers and their top aides. In addition, Members of the Senate overwhelmingly voted to confirm Marilyn Tavenner as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and three key bills gained critical support..The Trustees estimated that Social Security's Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund, which funds the retirement program, will be able to pay out full benefits until 2035 one year longer than last year's projection. They also found that Medicare's Hospital Insurance trust fund will remain solvent until 2030 the same as last year's projection and that enrollee costs are growing at historically low levels, especially for Parts A and D. … Continued
U S Guidelines Take Aim At SugarNew eligibility rules make it considerably easier for millions of applicants, including seniors under the age of 65, who are too young for Medicare, to qualify for the program. But older seniors continue to have much more restrictive and stringent asset and savings tests to satisfy before they qualify for Medicaid, because the new rules don't apply to seniors age 65 and older. This sets up inequities in benefits between seniors like Notch Babies who are in their late 80s and 90s and who are more likely to be receiving long-term care, and other people younger than 65 who will benefit from the less stringent Medicaid qualification rules.."Lawmakers Never Faced With Losing Benefits," The Associated Press, April 19, 2006..By Rick Delaney, Chairman of the Board … Continued