On Wednesday, Congressman Jimmy Duncan introduced the CPI for Seniors Act, and TSCL announced its support for it shortly thereafter. The bill, if signed into law, would mandate the formulation and publication of a new Consumer Price Index specifically for seniors with the purpose of establishing a more fair and accurate cost-of-living adjustment..The Senior Citizens League enthusiastically supports the CARES Act and the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act, and we were pleased to see support grow for them this week. For more information about these and other bills that have been backed by The Senior Citizens League, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website..The Congressional Budget Office estimates that there would be costs both to Social Security and Medicare, primarily for disability benefits starting as early as 2017, assuming enactment into law this year. The CBO said, however, that the new TSCL-supported amendment would save the programs about billion over the first 20 years, with the savings growing greater in the future..However, what the CBO report apparently does not point out is that major corporations in this country pay no taxes at all. That is happening because of the way the laws are written..Pet insurance may not be worth the cost Before taking out a health insurance policy for your pet, carefully read through contracts looking for limitations, service fees, and what you pay out-of-pocket. You may be better off putting aside in savings money you would pay for routine veterinary care and emergencies..New 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..Although Medicare has an annual Open Enrollment period, when beneficiaries can compare drug plans and switch to lower costing drug plans, few retirees actually do so. "In most areas of the country, the Medicare beneficiaries have more than two dozen Part D plans to sort through, and the average person just don't know where to begin, or that free, unbiased help is available," Johnson says. "Consequently, Medicare beneficiaries winds up overpaying for prescriptions that could be obtained for a lower cost from a different drug plan.".Committees Craft ACA Repeal Legislation.In July of last year, the Internal Revenue Service issued a notice expanding its interpretation of what constitutes preventive care. As a result it now includes certain items and services that can be considered preventive when they are prescribed to an individual with certain chronic conditions and if they are low-cost and prevent the worsening of a chronic condition or the development of a secondary condition. The notice also contained a list of specific items and services that meet the new criteria for preventive care for chronic conditions. Co-sponsors of the bill include Sens. Tina Smith, Kevin Cramer, Martha McSally and Kyrsten Sinema.
