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A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 9 November 2019
Medicare's outpatient 'Part B' premium going up to $144.60

By RICARDO ALONSO- makers to pay rebates to
ZALDIVAR Medicare if they increase
Associated Press prices beyond the inflation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Medi- Meanwhile, a Trump ad-
care's "Part B" premium for ministration regulation that
outpatient care will rise would try to lower what
by nearly 7% to $144.60 a Medicare pays for drugs
month next year, officials administered in doctors' of-
said Friday. They blamed fices has yet to be finalized.
rising spending on medica- The Part B standard pre-
tions. mium is what many seniors
The $9.10 monthly increase use as an unofficial yard-
follows a smaller $1.50 rise stick to track what health
this year. It comes after So- care is costing them. Part
cial Security announced a B covers doctor visits and
modest cost-of-living raise outpatient care. Upper-
for 2020 that works out to income retirees pay higher
about $24 a month for the premiums and those are
average retired worker. also going up.
"People who are really Medicare also announced
counting on that Social Se- that annual Part B out-
curity (raise) will lose some patient deductible will in-
of that to this Medicare in- In this Nov. 8, 2018, file photo, the U.S. Medicare Handbook is photographed, in Washington. crease by $13, to $198 next
crease," said Fred Riccardi, Associated Press year.
president of the Medicare rising spending for drugs for Medicare and Medic- in drug costs for seniors. The The Part A in-patient de-
Rights Center, a group that administered in doctors' aid Services said in a state- White House and House ductible will increase by
advocates on health care offices. Those medications ment. Pharmacy drugs are Speaker Nancy Pelosi part- $44, to $1,408 in 2020.
issues. "For people who live are covered under the Part covered by another part of ed ways this week on her A recent study found that
with little to no savings, any B outpatient benefit and in- Medicare, the Part D pre- bill that calls for Medicare more than half of seriously
increase in Medicare pre- clude many cancer drugs. scription program. to negotiate drug prices. ill Medicare enrollees face
miums or drug costs is go- "These higher costs have a The announcement on President Donald Trump financial hardships over
ing to be a struggle." ripple effect and result in premiums comes amid instead has thrown his sup- medical bills, and prescrip-
Medicare blamed the pre- higher Part B premiums and growing uncertainty about port to a bipartisan Senate tion drugs are the leading
mium increase largely on deductible," the Centers pending legislation to rein bill that would require drug- problem.q

Mural of activist Greta Thunberg going up in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) —
Teen climate activist Greta
Thunberg is staring down
at pedestrians in the heart
of San Francisco where an
artist is painting a massive
mural of the Nobel Peace
Prize nominee.
SFGate reports Friday that
Argentine muralist An-
dres Iglesias, who signs his
art with the pseudonym
Cobre, is set to finish the
artwork of the Swedish
16-year-old in Union Square
by next week.
Iglesias tells SFGate that
he's donating his time to
complete the work and
that he hopes the mural
helps people realize "we
have to take care of the
world."
He also painted a mural of
Robin Williams in downtown
San Francisco that has
since been demolished.
Cobre says he was search-
ing for a building for a new
mural when environmental
nonprofit One Atmosphere
approached him about Andres Petreselli paints a mural on the side of a building depicting Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, Friday, Nov. 8,
the project.q 2019, in San Francisco.
Associated Press