WASHINGTON — Elderly and disabled people will see their Medicare premiums rise 3.1 percent next year to $96.40 a month — the lowest increase in six years.
The good news is temporary, though.
The formula used to calculate the premium assumes that physicians will take a 10 percent cut in their reimbursement rates next year, an unlikely occurrence.
If, as expected, Congress acts to offset some of that pay cut or to eliminate it, premiums in future years would go up to reflect the additional expense.
Another factor in the lower-than-usual premium increase was the fixing of an accounting error that otherwise would have added $2.50 to beneficiaries’ monthly premiums in 2008.
Airport screening and remote toys
Airport screeners will be taking a closer look at remote control toys in carry-on luggage because of concerns they could be used to detonate bombs, U.S. officials said Monday. The new practice isn’t based on any specific threat, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Presidential hopefuls’ war chests
Barack Obama raised more than $19 million this summer for the presidential primaries, holding his lead for now in the race for campaign cash. Democratic rival John Edwards reported raising $7 million during the July-September quarter for a total of $30 million for the year. Clinton, whose fundraising has nearly kept pace with Obama’s, had not released her third-quarter figures Monday. Fred Thompson, the GOP newcomer, has collected more than $11.5 million since June, when he began exploring a run, Republicans familiar with his fundraising said Monday. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced Sunday that he had raised $5.2 million in the quarter.
Wash.: Kids’ insurance lawsuit
Washington and seven other states are suing the Bush administration over new rules that block expansion of a health insurance program for children from low-income families. The states object to rules issued by the Bush administration in August that make it harder for them to provide coverage to children in middle-income families by limiting the total income of families who participate.
Georgia: Man allegedly a Nazi
Federal authorities have begun deportation proceedings against an 85-year-old Lawrenceville man who they say served as a Nazi guard and trained and handled attack dogs at the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps. The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security allege Paul Henss entered the U.S. in 1955 after hiding his concentration camp service.
N.Y.: Noose in police locker room
Long Island authorities and the U.S. Justice Department are investigating an incident in which a hangman’s noose was left in the locker room of the Hempstead Police Department, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said Monday. Willie Dixon, who is black, was named deputy chief of the 107-member department in May and has said the noose appeared to have been directed at him.
Plea deal in oil-for-food case
Texas oilman Oscar Wyatt Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to a federal conspiracy charge, abruptly ending his trial by admitting he approved a $200,000 payment directly to an Iraqi bank account knowing it violated the rules of the U.N. oil-for-food program. Under the plea agreement, Wyatt, 83, will be sentenced to 18 to 24 months in prison and forfeit $11 million. The oil-for-food program, set up to finance Iraqi imports of necessities, became corrupted in 2000 when Iraqi officials began demanding illegal surcharges in return for contracts to buy Iraqi oil. The program ran from 1996 to 2003.
N. Korea: Koreas’ leaders meet
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il greeted South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in Pyongyang today to begin the second summit between the two countries since the peninsula’s division after World War II. North Korea’s U.N. ambassador, Pak Gil Yon, said Monday that his government is looking to the summit to ease tensions and improve relations.
Russia: Putin eyes a power play
Remarks by President Vladimir Putin opened the door Monday to becoming Russia’s prime minister and retaining power when his presidential term ends next year. The popular Putin is barred from seeking a third consecutive term in the March presidential election but has strongly indicated he would seek to keep a hand on Russia’s reins after he steps down.
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