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Medicare Advantage rate cuts expected in 2015
Seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans could see premium increases of almost $75 a month if proposed payment cuts by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are implemented in 2015. CMS recently announced its proposed 2015 changes to…
Obama Budget Plan Challenges Cuts to Training, Customer Service
President Obama’s $3.9 trillion fiscal 2015 budget gives a nod to bipartisanship on agreed-upon spending levels, but it takes on political opponents by calling to restore agency training and customer service. “Our citizens and businesses expect their government to provide the…
Obama budget sets Medicare savings, hospitals seek reprieve
President Barack Obama’s budget plan for 2015 would save $402 billion from the Medicare and Medicaid government healthcare programs for the elderly and poor over the next 10 years, primarily due to reduced reimbursement to healthcare providers and drugmakers. A White…
Social Workers Emphasize Leadership This Month As Care Partners In Healthcare
Collaboration and leadership are critical roles for social workers who play instrumental roles in the increasingly complex realm of healthcare, according to the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care (SSWLHC). During National Social Work Month in March, Allsup, a nationwide provider…
What to Cut when Majorities of Americans Support Most Major Government Services?
A new Harris Poll finds that large majorities of the public continue to be supportive of many key government services. This continuing sentiment underscores the difficulty our leaders face when attempting to curb government spending, given that nearly any cut…
Paying SSS benefits through banks
FOR some time now, the Social Security System (SSS) has required applicants for retirement, disability and death pensions to open a pension savings account in the bank of their choice, where their social-security benefits will be deposited. What used to…
Obama 2015 budget focuses on boosting economy
President Barack Obama sent Congress a $3.9 trillion budget Tuesday that would funnel money into road building, education and other economy-bolstering programs, handing Democrats a playbook for their election-year themes of creating jobs and narrowing the income gap between rich…
Obama’s 2015 budget appeals to Democrats
Striving for unity among Democrats rather than compromise with Republicans, President Barack Obama will unveil an election-year budget on Tuesday that drops earlier proposals to cut future Social Security benefits and seeks new money for infrastructure, education and job training. But…
Jolly is right: Social Security is not guaranteed
Ads promoting the candidacy of Democrat Alex Sink, former Bank of America executive and state chief financial officer, continue to misconstrue – employing the politest possible term – Republican David Jolly’s position and statements regarding Social Security, making it sound…
Agency-by-agency summary of Obama budget
Here is an agency-by-agency summary of President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal 2015, beginning next Oct. 1. The top-line figures do not include spending on automatic benefit and subsidy programs that together account for 70 percent of government spending. Figures…