An untested federal and state Medicare and Medicaid demonstration program is raising concerns that it affects too many low–income seniors, and is growing too fast. Enrollment has far exceeded early expectations and both provider, and advocacy groups are warning that its size would be hard to unwind if the demonstration fails to provide quality services and access to medically necessary services..The CPI-E tends to grow about 0.25 percentage point more quickly than the CPI-W on average, but there can be wide differences between the two. For example, if the CPI-E were used to calculate the COLA it would be 1.2% in 2020, vs. 0.5% based on CPI-W data through March 201We had similar situation in 2016 and 2017 when the COLA was zero and 0.3%, respectively. The CPI-E would have yielded 0.6% instead of zero, and 1.5% instead of 0.3%. Those are not big differences, but like interest, compound over time. For anyone depending on Social Security for half of their income or more, every dollar makes a difference - and adding up over time may be enough to buy an extra week's worth of groceries.."But the evidence on whether Biogen's treatment, called aducanumab, is effective is, at best, mixed; the FDA approved it this week over the objections of its own advisory committee. And with a preliminary announced price of nearly ,000 annually per patient, covering the treatment could cost upward of 0 billion a year, mostly to Medicare, which would almost double the program's drug spending. Patients themselves could be on the hook for thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs.".Nationwide, nearly 1.5 million people are affected by the WEP, meaning that those who receive a public pension from a job, and are not covered by Social Security, see their benefits reduced. For example, a teacher who spends summers working a second job, or a first responder who leaves the force after years of service, but is not yet ready to retire, can see his or her benefits reduced by up to 40 percent..New legislation passed in the House to repeal and replace Obamacare puts access to health care for the sickest, poorest, and even older Americans on Medicare at risk, warns The Senior Citizens League. Says TSCL's Medicare and Social Security policy analyst, Mary Johnson, "The GOP's American Health Care Act:.I recently learned that my ex-spouse passed away due to the coronavirus. He was older than I am, and had already started Social Security. He was getting about ,875 before we divorced. I'm remarried now, but my husband hasn't started benefits. He's only working part time. Would I possibly qualify for Social Security widower's benefits based on my ex-husband's Social Security?.To learn more and to participate in TSCL surveys and polls, visit..Key Social Security Bills Gain Support in House.President Trump was threatening to veto it because it directs the Defense Department to rename military posts and bases that are named for Civil War Confederate generals. Trump also demanded that a provision that would affect social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter be included in the bill.
