Inflation, as measured by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' consumer price index, has taken a deep tumble over the past year, meaning older Americans will have to settle for a cost-of-living adjustment of 1.6% in 2020 after getting a 2.8% increase this year..Net qualified disaster losses from a federally declared disaster..We will all know if they were able to reach and agreement and get their job done by the end of this coming Friday. However, President Trump's position on this is not clear. While Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has been in on the discussions of the legislation the President has not said where he stands..The survey showed that many people did not know how to safely use different cleaning products, even as most said they knew how to properly store and use them. About a quarter of respondents knew that only room temperature water should be mixed with bleach, and a third knew not to mix bleach with vinegar. More of the respondents - about two thirds - knew that eye protection and gloves were recommended when using certain cleaners..About one quarter of all Medicare beneficiaries are covered by Medigap polices. Out-of-pocket costs under Medicare are considerable, and most beneficiaries supplement their coverage either by purchasing a Medigap policy or joining a Medicare Advantage plan. Unlike Medicare Advantage, however, Medigap enrollees in most states are not able to switch to another Medigap policy during fall open enrollment, because insurers are not required to cover pre-existing conditions outside of the individual's initial enrollment period. Seventy-two percent of survey participants support extending guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions to Medigap, allowing Medigap enrollees greater freedom to switch to other, less costly, Medigap plans..This week, The Senior Citizens League announced its support for two bills that would improve Medicare coverage of certain services. First, TSCL endorsed the Audiology Patient Choice Act, a bipartisan bill that was introduced in March by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Rand Paul. The bill was introduced in the House last year by Representative Tom Rice with the support of several cosponsors..Medicare Part A pays for hospital in-patient care, as well as short term stays in skilled nursing facilities, home health and hospice services, in addition to covering a portion of payments paid to private insurers for the care of Medicare Advantage enrollees. It's funded through payroll taxes of 2.9% on earnings, with workers and employers each paying 1.45%. Workers pay Medicare taxes on all earnings. There is no wage limit subject to Medicare taxes as there is for Social Security..If you buy your diabetic testing supplies through mail order, you MUST get your supplies through contract suppliers in Medicare's new National Mail Order Program in order for Medicare to pay. This applies to beneficiaries living in all parts of the United States. Medicare defines mail order as all home deliveries..The high cost of healthcare and the significant cost of serious illness or dementia is climbing at one of the most rapid rates in years. Last year TSCL's annual Senior Survey found that 29% of survey respondents spent up to one-half of their Social Security benefits on healthcare costs, up from 25% the previous year. Another 18% spent more than one-half of their benefits on healthcare, up from 13% the previous year.
