Mercy Hospital Patient And Visitor Information Visiting UsRepresentatives Donna E. Shalala, Phil Roe, M.D., Ann McLane Kuster, and Larry Bucshon M.D. have introduced legislation to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for vaccines to everyone under Medicare. Currently, Medicare vaccine coverage is split between Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D. Seniors can access vaccines covered under Part B - such as flu, pneumonia and Hepatitis - with no out-of-pocket costs. However, under Part D, vaccines such as shingles and pertussis often include a cost to beneficiaries..Roughly one - half of all retiree households report that a portion of their Social Security benefits are subject to taxation, according to recent survey results from The Senior Citizens League. "This is a tax that was estimated to affect just 10 percent of Social Security beneficiaries when it was first enacted in 1983," says Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League..To find a senior center in your area check your local phone book or call the Eldercare Locator at. … Continued
Patient Education Helping Your Heart How A Healthy Heart Looks AnatomyCurrently, Social Security COLAs are based on the CPI-W, which tracks the spending patterns of young, urban workers. This index underestimates the inflation that seniors experience since it fails to capture the medical and housing costs that many spend most of their incomes on. TSCL estimates that a CPI for seniors would put the annual COLA at two-tenths of a percentage point higher than the CPI-W. Over the course of a retirement, this would amount to several thousands of dollars more in Social Security benefits..Social Security coverage to persons who have not worked long enough under the system to draw benefits on their own account is of major significance in the debate to allow individuals to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes into private retirement accounts. As proposed, private Social Security retirement accounts would unlikely be able to provide the extent of coverage the current program now offers.."Nearly half of beneficiaries said they avoided care because they didn't want to risk being in a medical facility, while 35% said they didn't want to leave their home. And 23% reported feeling more lonely or sad." … Continued