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  • Category Issues Medicare Part D Faqs

    On Friday, lawmakers in the House returned to their home districts for a five-week recess. They are expected to return to Washington on Tuesday, September 4th, following the Labor Day holiday. In the meantime, many Members of Congress will be attending local events and hosting town hall meetings in their home states and districts. The Senior Citizens League encourages its supporters to attend these events and to ask important questions of their elected officials, like the following four... .Elmendorf began his testimony by sharing some grim projections that have recently been developed by the CBO. He stated that the economy will likely grow by only 1.5 percent this year, and that next year, it's expected to increase by only 2.5 percent. He also announced that the unemployment rate will continue to hover around the 9 percent mark until the end of 2012. .High drug or health plan premiums don't necessarily purchase better coverage. For example, the generic blood pressure medication Lisinopril is one of the most commonly used prescriptions by Medicare beneficiaries. The least expensive Part D plan in my area charges Should Congress hand over accountability for decisions about Medicare cuts to an unelected board? That's what lawmakers did in 2010 when they passed the Affordable Care Act. The law included a controversial provision to create a Medicare cost-cutting board, known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). .Eyeglasses, however, are not covered. If you are having difficulty affording a pair of glasses from brick and mortar stores, you may want to try shopping online. Zenni optical.com has eyeglasses starting as low as .95 for basic frames. Costco the wholesale club has high ratings for their optical section. According to Consumer Reports, the median price for a complete pair of eyeglasses, frames and lenses at Costco Optical is 4, the cost of membership not included. .Medicare's 2021 physician fee schedule would've cut payments for radiology by 10%; physical/occupational therapy by 9%; anesthesiology and cardiac surgery by 8%; critical care by 7%; general surgery by 6%, and infectious disease by 4%. copay for Tier 1 generics, and the monthly premium is just .50 in the zip code used in this search. The most expensive plan charges a co-pay of .19, and the plan has a monthly premium of .30 — a difference of ,055.88 for the entire year counting premiums! … Continued

  • Social Security Medicare Questions March 2011 Advisor

    Judge Rules Hospitals Must Disclose Prices .Medicare has recently issued a proposed rule that would require, with some exceptions, patients who stay in the hospital two days or less to be classified as observation patients, and those who stay longer to be admitted as an inpatient. But the rule does not require hospitals to tell patients when they are in observation status or allow them to appeal the decision before they leave. Medicare recommends patients who are in the hospital for "more than a few hours" to learn their status. TSCL believes that the rules unfairly burden Medicare patients and their families, and believes that patients have a right to know their observation status and to be given an opportunity to appeal the determination. To learn more, see the publication "Are You a Hospital Inpatient Or Outpatient, If You Have Medicare — Ask!" (CMS No. 11435). .d freedoms as U.S. Citizens, and to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and paid for. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of The Retired Enlisted Association. Visit for more information. … Continued

Send an email to your Members of Congress. This is an election year, and the last thing they want to hear is that health insurers are blaming COVID-19 for the steep price increases. You can get email addresses on TSCL's website here: http://wfc2.wiredforchange.com/o/8854/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=10560. Or, you can look up your Representative and send emails at: www.house.gov and Senators at: www.senate.gov. .Over 3 million Notch Babies have joined TSCL's grassroots fight for Notch Reform, by adding their names to the TSCL Notch Reform Registry. The registry acts as a list of senior Americans who are on record as supporting Notch reform and want Members of Congress to pass "The Notch Fairness Act" (H.R.1001) introduced by Representative Mike McIntyre (NC-7) and (S. 118) introduced by Senator David Vitter (LA). .The number of older taxpayers who find that a portion of their Social Security benefits are taxable tends to grow over time. Unlike income brackets that are adjusted for inflation, the income thresholds that subject Social Security benefits to taxation have never been adjusted since Social Security benefits became taxable in 198When the law was first passed, less than 10 percent of all Social Security recipients were estimated to have incomes high enough to be affected by the tax on benefits. But today, even retirees with modest incomes can be affected by the tax. .To avoid significant cost increases and unexpected benefit cuts next year, TSCL encourages its members and supporters to examine all MA plan offerings closely before making a selection or allowing a plan to automatically renew. The open enrollment period ends on December 7th, and coverage begins on January 1st. In the meantime, TSCL will continue to monitor the status of the MA program and advocate for legislation like the Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act, which would protect MA enrollees from unfair and abrupt changes to physician networks. .Try going back to work or getting a second job. — Reducing costs is often the harder choice, because costs tend to grow with age. You may want to consider getting a job that could provide extra income and perhaps help with health benefits. Even if you must stay at home as a caregiver, you may want to consider providing adult day care to another individual if your home is set up for that, or to find a job that allows you to work online from home. .The second bill is H.R. 1215, which would establish an office within the Federal Trade Commission and an outside advisory group to prevent fraud targeting seniors and to direct the Commission to include additional information in an annual report to Congress on fraud targeting seniors. .Early Thursday morning, following a seven-hour voting marathon, lawmakers in the Senate passed a budget resolution that includes instructions for four committees – two in the House and two in the Senate – to craft legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The resolution passed with a vote of 51-48, without the support of any Senate Democrats. While casting her vote, Senator Claire McCaskill (MO) – who serves as the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs – said: "Because there is no replace, I vote no." .Editor's note: While I have a pretty reliable track record on estimating the COLA, this year's inflation is far different than at any previous time in the past 26+ years. Inflation has been so volatile that I worry my probability models may not work as well as they typically do. In most years I'm pretty certain about my September estimate of the COLA for the following year. But this time all bets are off. Be patient — I'm no psychic, and stay tuned to the news! .I am writing for assistance in applying for the Notch Settlement on behalf of my widowed mother who has been a supporter of this cause for several years. She currently draws my deceased father's Social Security since it is greater than what she would receive under her own amounts paid in. My father was born on Sept. 16, 1926, which would qualify her to receive the settlement of ,000. She also has an acquaintance who was in this same situation and she was able to obtain the ,000 in full under her husband's benefits and he was also born in 192We have made several attempts to contact Social Security and they simply will not respond to her request. Is there any assistance you may lend to resolve this issue?