Gianaris Launches Senior Appreciation Week; Medicare Premium Rises
Senior Spotlight By John Toscano

Assemblymember Michael Gianaris took off his Assemblymember's hat and replaced it with a colorful bingo caller's cap yesterday as he launched the fourth annual Senior Appreciation Week at four Astoria senior centers.

At the Raices Senior Center Gianaris (D-Astoria) emceed the first bingo games, then handed out prizes to the winners. He repeated his bingo gig at the Steinway Senior Center, the Lindsay Senior Center and the Dellamonica Senior Center. At each center other events were held to celebrate Senior Appreciation Week.

Gianaris explained the special week this way: "It was established as a way to show gratitude for the many contributions that our seniors provide daily to our community.

"Our seniors made our communities everything they are today. The least we can do is show our thanks by dedicating a week to express our gratitude and return to them the love they have shown us through the years."

Gianaris said many other local elected officials will be hosting events at different senior centers through the week to honor our seniors. Senior Appreciation Week was begun in Southeast Queens four years ago by Congressmember Gregory Meeks and state Senator Malcolm Smith, both Democrats. It has spread statewide since then, Gianaris said.

MEDICARE PREMIUMS JUMP BY $5: The Bush presidential administration announced last week that the basic Medicare premium for most of the healthcare plan's members will go up next year to $93.50 a month, an increase of $5. But under a new feature covering premium

payments, Medicare members in income brackets over $80,000 a year will for the first time have to pay a higher rate.

In making the announcement, Medicare officials gave no indication whether there would also be an increase in the premium for the Part D drug prescription subsidy program.

The basic premium for Medicare had been expected to increase from the present $88.50 to $98 in 2007. But, the officials explained, spending for doctors' services had not increased as much as expected and this resulted in less of a premium increase than had been expected.

The premium covers Part B of Medicare which, in turn, covers doctors' visits and services, diagnostic tests and hospital outpatient care. Part B includes about 40 million members, about 1.5 million of whom must pay the additional premium.

Congress set up the surcharge on the premium payment in 2003, including it in the law which created the drug prescription subsidy program. It will be phased in over the next three years. It represents a major change in the program because up until now members paid the same premium for the same benefits. At times in the past when proposals to require higher payments from upper-income people were proposed, a huge outcry followed and the more prosperous members argued against any difference in payment.

The new surcharge is set up this way:

+Single persons with incomes from $80,000 to $100,000, or filers of joint tax returns with $160,001 to $200,000 income must pay a $12.50 monthly surcharge. The total premium becomes $106 a month.

+Single persons with incomes between $100,001 and $150,000 and couples with incomes of $200,001 to $300,000 pay a $31.20 a month surcharge. Their total payment is $124.70 a month.

+Singles with incomes of $150,001 to $200,000 and couples earning $300,001 to $400,000 pay a $49.90 surcharge a total payment of $143.40 a month.

Singles with incomes over $200,000 or joint filers with incomes over $400,000 must pay a $68.60 surcharge, and total payment of $162.10 a month.

The surcharge is expected to raise about $7.7 billion in the first five years and $20.8 billion in the first 10 years it is in existence.

It's also expected that many wealthy people will decide to drop their Medicare coverage because of the added cost. However, Medicare officials said they don't think that will happen.

Commenting on the increase in the basic Medicare premium, Kirsten A. Sloan, a health policy analyst at the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), stated that although the 2007 premium is lower than expected, it is artificially low. She assumes Medicare payments to doctors will be cut by five percent next year.

But if Congress prevents that cut, Sloan said, beneficiaries will have to pay a higher premium in 2008.

The premium is generally deducted from an individual's Social Security income payment.