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View the TSCL home page to participate in TSCL's monthly polls..Homeowners and renter's insurance: With severe weather-related disasters, homeowner's insurance is one of the top ten fastest rising senior costs. If you haven't done so recently, review your coverage and determine whether it's based on the current value of your home and realistic current replacement costs. Many policies have new deductibles for wind and hurricane damage based on a percentage of your home's value, so take care and look before being tempted to increase deductibles to lower premium costs. Do shop around with other highly rated insurers to see if you can lower your premiums..Gold standard. Companies acquire drugs considered the best available for the condition they treat, ensuring that physicians would continue to prescribe it even if the price increased..Despite resistance from some lawmakers, appropriators in the House and Senate say that their work on the "cromnibus" is continuing. According to Harold Rogers, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, negotiations are "on schedule," and the bill should come to the floor by early next week. If it fails to get the necessary votes, lawmakers will likely adopt a continuing resolution to provide the government with short-term funding. At this point, leaders are saying that a government shutdown is not something that they're willing to consider..This question is signficant in light of proposals.Notch Bulletin: Does Your Representative Support Notch Reform? Help Us Build Key Support Now.You get them whenever you visit a doctor, or fill a prescription - Medicare's "explanation of benefits" forms. Often perplexing, many people never review them, let alone, try to figure them out. But you might be stunned if you do, especially if you discover drugs, medical equipment, or medical services that you never received were billed to Medicare..Over the years, TSCL surveys indicate that older Americans overwhelmingly oppose totally replacing Medicare with a system of private insurance plans. On the other hand, the design of traditional Medicare alone has a considerably high level of out-of-pocket spending, and no annual out-of-pocket limit. That leaves an important role for private insurers to fill in the gap with Medigap supplements or Medicare Advantage plans..To learn more, see the Medicare Publication "Are You A Hospital Inpatient or Outpatient" Publication No.1143Call Medicare at..This week, budget conferees released their fiscal 2016 blueprint, and lawmakers in the House voted in favor of it. In addition, The Senior Citizens League announced its support for one new piece of legislation the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act.

Human Services A Cornerstone Of The Foster Care System Foster Families636704426

Tell us what you think! It's time for the TSCL's 2019 Senior Survey. This is your opportunity to let us know what you think about major proposals affecting your benefits. Tell us how rising costs are affecting you. The answers to these questions help us inform journalists, the public, and Members of Congress on how older Americans are faring in retirement today. Your participation is helping to change the national dialogue on the adequacy of Social Security benefits, and throwing a spotlight on the growing problem of the ability of COLAs to maintain the buying power of your benefits..Medicare considers observation care as outpatient services, even though patients may stay in the hospital for several days. Outpatient care is covered under Medicare Part B not under Part A, which normally covers hospital care. Patients can have co-payments for doctor's fees, and every hospital service. That includes charges for any routine drugs your mother may take for chronic conditions like high cholesterol..On Wednesday and Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a two-part hearing to address bipartisan concerns about stabilizing the ACA's individual market, which insures around 18 million Americans many of whom are young retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare. In his opening statement, Chairman Lamar Alexander said he believes the best way to stabilize the marketplace, decrease premiums, and make certain that health insurance is available in every county would be to continue cost sharing reduction payments and increase the Section 1332 state waiver program. … Continued

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Medicaid currently covers about 60 percent of people in nursing homes. But to qualify, seniors in long-term care are required to "spend down" their life savings to the last ,000 and ,000 before Medicaid covers the bill. That won't apply to people younger than 65 under the new rules. Financial eligibility is based on modified adjusted gross income. Medicaid will no longer count how much applicants have in assets like savings and investments for this group of applicants as long as they aren't in long-term care. While that's likely to help more low-income seniors under 65 qualify for Medicaid, TSCL is concerned that it also opens the program to greater potential for gaming the system and fraud..Following the Senate HELP Committee hearing, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health met on February 28th to discuss how law enforcement and opioid addiction specialists can help combat the epidemic in their communities. Chairman Michael Burgess highlighted several promising bills that could help put a stop to the epidemic. Once such example is H.R. 5041, the Safe Disposal of Unused Medication Act, which would allow hospice workers to dispose of extra opioid medication an action they are currently prohibited from doing..The Velcro effect of anchoring can influence far more consequential decisions, in ways we may not even realize. Consider the process of determining the "right" retirement age: … Continued