My husband received a letter from his supplemental insurance carrier, this last month. It seems they will no longer offer insurance called Medigap.

Medigap is supplement insurance that picks up the cost of Part A of medical offered to seniors and disabled people who are drawing social security. We have visited and talked to several carriers to help us find reasonable cost coverage that will start Jan. 2009. We are in a panic to get coverage we can afford. The dates to shop this Nov. 15th, 2009 through Jan. 1st, 2010.

See AARP Advocacy letter. website address is listed at the bottom of this hub.

Congress and our new president did away with the funding for Medigap for people who are under sixty-five years old or disabled under 65. This would include retired people who elect to draw their social security before they turn 65 years old.

Sixty-five years or over can look for another Medigap plan but if you are under 65, retired or disabled and on SSI, you have to find regular supplemental insurance to part A and B insurance.  If your prescription drug plan is with the same insurance company, they may drop this coverage for those people, as well.

The cost of this insurance for people, who are disabled and anyone under 65 and retired, will now have zero cost-of-living adjustment, this year, and have to buy high-cost supplemental insurance.

 I suspect some will go without this coverage because of the cost and if they get sick and are hospitalized, they could be in financial ruin.

Does the government want to see more homes lost by Americans? Rising health cost because seniors cannot pay their medical bills. The state may have to pick up the medical because seniors cannot afford to buy needed insurance coverage. The states may have to pick up the hospital bill or those people will not be able to afford food and housing. 

Way to go, Congress! Next year's Social Security recipients will not see a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their payments. That is a troubling thought for the 41 million seniors whose financial security depends on the program.

While overall inflation might not be rising in the United States, the daily costs for seniors are growing fast - especially on the things that seniors need most, such as health care and prescription drugs. The average senior spends $4,400 out of pocket every year on health care alone.

Further, a depressed housing market, investment losses, and low returns on CD's and money market accounts make it even harder for seniors to recover from the recession. Now is the worst time for a lack of a COLA for Social Security.

Not only would this relief help seniors afford health care, prescription drugs, food and other basic necessities, but it will also inject money directly into the economy, because seniors are more likely to spend the money than any other age group.

If the following link does not work, please go to www.aarp.org

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