Hospitals are not required to tell patients whether they are inpatients or outpatients, so frequently beneficiaries never learn of their status until after they have been released. If you believe the services your mother received should have been billed as inpatient services check your mother's Medicare Summary Notice and follow the instructions to challenge the charges from the hospital listed under Part B of the notice. You may also challenge any charges from the nursing home for outpatient services..The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that the standard Medicare Part B premium will be 8.50 in 2021, an increase of .90 per month from 4.60 in 2020. That increase, which I earlier feared would be considerably more, was restricted by legislation enacted last fall. But even with legislation.TSCL Plays Role in Preventing Part B Premium Spike in 2021 The annual Social Security cost of living adjustment is just 1.3% this year, making it one of the lowest ever paid. But the standard monthly Medicare Part B premium increased by a modest .90, from 4.60 to 8.50, much less than TSCL initially feared it would be. TSCL's efforts to inform Congress and the.New Legislation Limits Stiff Increase Expected for 2021 Medicare Part B Premium With Medicare outlays spiraling due to outlays for COVID-19, Congress recently passed legislation to head off an expected Part B premium spike, by restricting the increase for 202TSCL has been warning about the potential of a low cost of living adjustment and spiking Medicare premiums since July of this year..Then on Monday there was a report that Congressional negotiators were closing in on a government spending bill agreement after keeping the funding for Veterans Affairs Mission Act under the .4 trillion budget cap, a significant victory for the House Republicans who insisted on this provision, according to two congressional aides..According to the study, the 250 top selling drugs, each with one manufacturer and no competitive products on the market, account for 60% of net total Medicare Part D spending. The top 50 selling drugs, also with one manufacturer each and no competitors, account for 80% of total Medicare Part B spending..facility, or nursing home, long-term care is very expensive. Nursing home care.In a letter of support, Art Cooper Chairman of The Senior Citizens League's Board of Trustees wrote: "As you know, millions of older Americans are afflicted with age-related hearing loss, low vision, and poor oral health … When left untreated, their conditions often cause much more serious injuries and health complications. But when successfully treated, the result is improved overall health and potentially lower costs for Medicare and patients.".Preventing benefit cuts. Older Americans understand the compounding effect that even the smallest benefit cut can have over the course of several years. DI beneficiaries living on fixed incomes simply cannot afford a reduction in benefits..Though the special deficit committee on deficit reduction failed to reach an agreement last week, it appears that the Super Committee was successful in shaping the discussion for future Medicare savings. "Premium support" refers to a plan in which Medicare would subsidize premiums charged by private insurers that care for beneficiaries under government contract. Experts suggest this plan is gaining support. "This is an idea that could easily resurface in the future as Congress seeks additional Medicare savings for deficit reduction," said Patricia Neuman, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation..The survey found that a person having the national average Social Security benefit in 2000 - 6 per month - would have ,169.80 per month by 2016 due to COLA increases. However, because retiree costs are rising at a substantially faster pace than the COLA, that individual would require a Social Security benefit of ,517.80 per month in 2017 just to maintain his or her 2000 level of buying power.
