TSCL believes this would help boost benefits and keep older women out of poverty, help them to enjoy better health, and contributing to their communities longer. We support legislative remedies like these and will be working to share our survey results in upcoming meetings with Members of Congress..Sole source drugs. The companies with monopoly pricing power acquire sole - source drugs for which there is only one manufacturer, and therefore face no immediate competition..Wednesday's report also revealed a new projection for next year's Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. According to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners, consumer prices have been lower this year than they were last year, which means there will likely be no COLA come January. Automatic COLAs were adopted forty years ago and so far, beneficiaries have gone without annual increases only twice in 2010 and 2011..Do I Have To Give Up My Current Healthcare Coverage To Go On Medicare?.Before a company's drug patent expires, manufacturers of generics race to file lawsuits to challenge the patent. The company that wins gets a six-month period of exclusive sales to sell the drug. While this doesn't always happen, when it does it can delay real market competition until several manufacturers start making the generic version..Here is a big part of the answer. An analysis by Stat News of campaign finance records shows that the pharmaceutical industry donated to more than two-thirds of Congress as well as 2,467 state lawmakers during the last campaign cycle -- to the tune of over million..But while FICA taxes and the revenues paid by older taxpayers on Social Security benefits are real cash, the "interest" earned by the I.O.U.s is a "paper" accounting entry. There's no dedicated source of revenue for that money. The money to repay the Social Security Trust Fund comes from general revenues, and Congress borrows more money by lifting the debt limit..TSCL's Senior Survey also asks questions to learn how seniors think Congress should reduce the deficit. Should Congress focus on policies that create jobs, spending cuts, revenue increases, or a combination of approaches? Major reductions to Social Security benefits and proposals to make seniors pay a bigger share of their Medicare costs form the basis of the most widely - debated deficit reduction plans. "Experts in the know say it's not a matter of 'if' Medicare and Social Security will undergo major changes, but 'when'," Hyland notes. "But seniors' answers are important because older voters could decide the next election," Hyland says. TSCL will be sharing results of the 2012 Senior Survey in meetings with Members of Congress..In a letter of support, Art Cooper Chairman of The Senior Citizens League's Board of Trustees wrote: "As you know, millions of older Americans are afflicted with age-related hearing loss, low vision, and poor oral health … When left untreated, their conditions often cause much more serious injuries and health complications. But when successfully treated, the result is improved overall health and potentially lower costs for Medicare and patients."

New Ulm Medical Center Services Orthopedic Care Care Team

In an ideal world, prior authorization is supposed to deter patients from receiving care that is not truly medically necessary, thus reducing costs for insurers and out-of-pocket costs of enrollees. But prior authorization is sometimes misused to create barriers to getting care, or to even deny medically necessary care. Regardless of how prior authorization is used, it creates extra administrative hassles for physicians when they have to file the documentation to obtain the authorization.."To avoid overpaying for prescriptions, and to find the most affordable coverage, the importance of comparing drug plans during one's initial enrollment in Medicare, and during Medicare's annual Fall Open Enrollment period October 15th -December 7th can't be overstated," Johnson says. Most people 65 and over take more than one prescription drug, and to get the best plan, consumers need to compare plans based on all the drugs they actually take. In addition, consumers should compare prices between pharmacies, including mail order, which can also vary..This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for two key bills that would improve retirement security in America if adopted. … Continued

Medicare Advantage In 2021 Enrollment Update And Key Trends

We have been told repeatedly that the virus will not simply go away. It is here to stay and until effective treatments and/or a vaccine are found, we must continue wearing masks when in public, keeping our distance from others when out and about, and as much as possible, staying at home and away from others..There were reports recently that Republicans in the House of Representatives are insisting that stemming the growth of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid costs is necessary. Bloomberg news reported on a House Budget Committee hearing about a new Congressional Budget Office report that projects trillion-dollar deficits for the next decade..The period covered by the Notch is a major area of dispute. When benefits are represented on a chart, the disparity forms a deep "V" notch. Benefits plunged from a peak for retirees born in 1916 and hit the lowest part of the "V" for those who were born in the years 1920-2Benefits began to rise for those born in 1922 until they became level with other retirees, starting with those born in 192See illustration below. … Continued

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