Doughnut hole or coverage gap stage: 5.76. .Generally, you pay higher premiums for plans that have no deductibles. All too often, though, Medicare consumers pay premiums that far exceed the cost of the deductible because they don't do the math. Having a plan that pays the Part A (hospital) deductible of 2 makes sense, because just one trip to the hospital could take your entire month's Social Security benefit. .Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. .Recent proposals would provide "block grants" or cap federal funding for Medicaid and give states additional flexibility over how they run their programs. Under the budget plan passed by the House of Representatives, beginning in 2013, the state grants would increase annually at the rate of overall inflation, but that rate, as seniors are all too aware, is far below that of inflation for healthcare costs. Analysts say that, as a result, states that cannot keep up with the program costs, are likely to scale back coverage. TSCL believes that Congress should consider better options to ensure that the seniors who are dependent on long-term care services will be able to continue to rely on those services. .Housing: (rent of primary residence, owners' equivalent rent, fuel oil, bedroom furniture) .How accurate is it? .Create a family documentary. Create a family scrap-book with old photos and memorabilia. If you have access to a computer and scanner or a friend with one, scan old photos for a digital family scrapbook you can share online. If a family member is good with making videos, consider doing a mini-documentary. Think of the questions you have about your ancestors and ask yourself the same. Like how you and your spouse met, how your family coped during a particularly hard time, or document a skill or craft that you love. This is also a good way to teach cooking your favorite family foods! Upload the video to YouTube to share with your family and send a link in a holiday email. .Prevention of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse – Eliminating inefficiencies within Social Security and Medicare. .Nevertheless, Congress is considering ways to "redesign" Medicare. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that changing the cost-sharing rules for Medicare and restricting Medigap coverage would save the federal government 4 billion over the next ten years.[1] Medicare supplements, better known as Medigap, cover Medicare's deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs. The plans are popular with seniors because they provide financial certainty by reducing unexpected out-of-pocket expenses.