The number of Medicare patients in observation stays has jumped 69% in the past five years, according to federal records. They are also staying in the hospital longer. Even though Medicare recommends that hospitals decide within 24 to 48 hours whether to admit or discharge patients, the number of observation stays exceeding 24 hours have nearly doubled. .The term "Notch" refers to an unprecedented drop and disparity in Social Security benefits for persons born from 1917 through 1926 compared with those paid to other retirees with similar work and earnings records. Many of those born during the Notch period feel they have not been treated fairly and are not receiving the benefits that Congress intended. On the other hand, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and some government officials argue that those born during the Notch period are receiving the benefits that Congress intended. This brief lays out the background on the issue and the position of TREA Senior Citizens League. .But New Co-Pay "Tiers" May Raise Some Costs .Do you have a mortgage? A recent survey by national mortgage banker American Financing found that 44% of Americans between the ages of 60 and 70 have a mortgage when they retire. Of that group, almost one-in-three expect to be paying on their mortgage for at least eight more years. Life insurance can cover mortgage payments if you die, and a term life policy can be timed to end with debt payments. .What is the purpose of this test? —Is the test being ordered for a possible (asymptomatic) disorder when you have no symptoms or clear sign of disease? Or, is it needed to confirm a suspected diagnosis? .If signed into law, H.R. 711 would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – a provision of the Social Security Act that unfairly reduces the earned benefits of millions of public employees by as much as one-half each year. H.R. 711 would establish a new formula for the non-covered earnings of teachers, police officers, and other public servants, and it would modify the WEP for current retirees who are affected by it. .The wage reports held in the Social Security Earnings Suspense file also represent a huge hidden time bomb for Social Security and Medicare. Under current Social Security policy, all earnings, even if based on illegal work, are used to determine entitlement to benefits. If at some point an illegal worker gains valid work authorization, as he or she would under an "amnesty" or a Totalization agreement, and can produce proof of earnings like old W2s, those earnings would be reinstated to their new Social Security account. Eventually the individual could file a claim for benefits that might be based, at least in part, on illegal work. .During his campaign for President, and several times since, he has promised that he would protect Social Security and Medicare. Yet a payroll tax cut would result in untold damage to the stability of both programs and bring them dangerously close to insolvency. .The fact is no one can know ahead of time what healthcare will be needed in the future, let alone the actual costs of the services that providers charge. Doctors frequently refer patients to expensive specialists, and order endless expensive tests without spending adequate time to explain why the tests are necessary, how much they cost, or the chances of improving treatments through their use.