State Indicator Infant Mortality Rate By Race EthnicityThe first change affects those who hit the Medicare Part D donut hole, or the gap in coverage that occurs after a beneficiary's total drug costs reach ,970 and before they total ,750. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, last year 2.8 million seniors who hit the donut hole saved an average of 7 on prescription drugs due to the Affordable Care Act. This year, Medicare will provide an additional subsidy to those who hit the coverage gap, resulting in an additional in savings for the average beneficiary..Typically, working adults age 65 and older can delay enrolling in Medicare without penalty, if they continue to receive group health insurance through their employer. The employer, however, must have more than 20 or more employees. Employers with fewer than 20, fall under Medicare primary payer rules. Under current law, Medicare is the primary payer at age 65 and if you don't sign up by your Initial Enrollment deadline, your former insurance will no longer cover you, because by law, Medicare pays first. In addition, you would be subject to permanent late enrollment penalties for the rest of your life when you do get around to signing up for Medicare..The Senior Citizens League believes that these CMS initiatives to fight Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse are encouraging steps toward containing and even preventing escalating costs and premiums. However, more steps like Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's TSCL-supported Medicare Fraud Prevention Fraud Enforcement and Prevention Act should be taken. If passed, this bill would create a pilot program using biometric technology to ensure that all Medicare claims are legitimate. It would also facilitate real-time information sharing between law enforcement agencies, and it would increase the penalties for those convicted of Medicare fraud. While wasteful and fraudulent activities aren't the only issues of Medicare reform, TSCL believes that strict oversight from lawmakers, administrators, and seniors alike is a proper first step. … Continued
Blog Voting By Mail And More In The March CanvassBut according to a report in Politco last week, "… the administration's Medicare team has put together a revised plan - which was circulated inside the administration on Tuesday, with instructions to expedite approval - to start sending letters to 39 million beneficiaries within the next week, touting the drug-discount cards. The cards would then arrive across December and January, according to four officials with knowledge of the plan.".policy for decades, look for an insurer that gets top ratings from companies.That is the bad news. … Continued