Ncsl In Dc Publications And Resources Capitol To Capitol June 14 2021In 2010, to generate support from wary seniors, proponents of healthcare reform widely touted new Medicare benefits under healthcare reform with mailings and even an ad campaign featuring Andy Griffith of Mayberry R.F.D. But virtually nothing about the controversial changes - like determining Part D premiums based on income - ever made it into the media, let alone Andy's scripts..For information about town hall meetings near you during the final days of the spring recess, call the local offices of your elected officials. You can find contact information for your Members of Congress right here..Members named to Congressional Conference Committee … Continued
Stuck At Home Takes A Toll On Mental HealthMedical: Medicare recently reported the lowest growth in healthcare costs on record based on spending through 20But that's not the case for seniors. In fact, since 2000, Medicare Part B costs rose as fast as the cost of gasoline. Seniors will receive notification this month of their Medicare Part B premium for 201It's also important to check your Part D drug coverage. Medicare Part D's infamous drug coverage gap, aka the "doughnut hole," is slowly closing a widely touted benefit of the 2010 healthcare law. Several Part D costs, like the "standard" deductible, and the out-of-pocket costs thresholds, will be lower in 201But for the first time since Part D started, the initial coverage amount, the amount all seniors use when they fill a prescription, will be less generous by 0. That means you may hit the doughnut hole coverage gap sooner..The 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..The federal government remained partially closed this week for the fifth straight week. It remains the longest government shutdown in United States history, and at the time of writing this week's legislative update, only minor progress had been made towards a bipartisan deal to end it. … Continued