Blog Ncsl Tracks Early Care And Education LegislationTo offset the increased spending, the proposal calls for approximately 0 billion in health care savings, with most coming from within the Medicare program. Under the President's plan, more beneficiaries would be subject to means testing and they would see higher premiums for Parts B and D. In addition, new beneficiaries would need to pay a copayment on home health care services, and they would also be faced with a surcharge on premiums for Medigap plans..However, because Democratic control of Congress is so narrow, especially in the Senate but also in the House, the chances of passing anything this year remain uncertain, at best. Democrats are divided in what they want to accomplish so coming up with a majority in the House has been a struggle. Without complete Democratic unity in the Senate nothing can pass there..The Social Security 2100 Act, introduced by Representative John Larson and currently under consideration in the House, would replace the two-tier income threshold system with a single set of thresholds - 0,000 for joint filers and ,000 for single filers. The bill would subject as much as 85% of Social Security benefits to taxation as under current legislation. … Continued
State Indicator Percent Of Adults Reporting Not Having A Personal Doctor By SexDoesn't Social Security pay money to many people who are not really paying into it? - L.V..What do you feel are Medicare's major problem areas, and how do you feel they should be addressed?.Although Medicare has an annual Open Enrollment period, when beneficiaries can compare drug plans and switch to lower costing drug plans, few retirees actually do so. "In most areas of the country, the Medicare beneficiaries have more than two dozen Part D plans to sort through, and the average person just don't know where to begin, or that free, unbiased help is available," Johnson says. "Consequently, Medicare beneficiaries winds up overpaying for prescriptions that could be obtained for a lower cost from a different drug plan." … Continued