Page 14 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, November 13, 2020 ARREST | FROM PAGE 10 the parking lot wearing shorts, a red winter coat a winter hat and gloves. Police found Wilson suffering from significant head trauma. He was rushed to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. Investigators determined MARIJUANA | FROM PAGE 11 that on the day of the attack Wilson took a Blue Bike to and from work at IBM. On his way home, Wilson took the MBTA Red Line to Porter Square and rode a Blue Bike home and parked it by his house on Sherman Street before walking through the park. avvya yavvy enioor iornior io by Jim Miller What Happens to Medicare if Obamacare is Overturned? Dear Savvy Senior, Will my Medicare benefi ts be aff ected if Obamacare is overturned by the Supreme Court? Concerned Benefi ciary Dear Concerned, Unfortunately, yes. If the Aff ordable Care Act (ACA) – also known as Obamacare – gets repealed by the Supreme Court next year, it will weaken Medicare and increase costs for benefi ciaries. Here’s what you should know. Currently, about 60 million people are covered under Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and people of all ages with disabilities. Even though the main aim of the ACA was to overhaul the health insurance markets, most people don’t realize that the law also touches virtually every part of Medicare. Without the ACA, Medicare benefi ciaries will have to pay more for preventive care services, which are now free; they’ll have to pay more toward their prescription drugs; their premiums and deductibles will rise faster; and Medicare will face insolvency much sooner because of lost funding and cost cutting measures. With the help of Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, here is a more detailed breakdown of what happens to Medicare if the court invalidates the law. Preventive care services will no longer be free: Thanks to the ACA, there’s no copayment or deductible for potentially life-saving screenings for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. Flu shots and annual wellness visits are also free. Before the ACA, benefi ciaries had to pay 20 percent of the cost for most preventive care services, after their deductible was met. The doughnut hole will return: Since 2011 the ACA has been steadily closing the prescription drug coverage gap, also known as the doughnut hole, in Medicare Part D by requiring drug manufacturers and insurers to pick up more of the cost. The hole was fi nally closed this year with seniors paying 25 percent of the cost for both generic and brand-name medications and manufacturers picking up 70 percent of the tab, while insurers kick in the remaining fi ve percent. Before the ACA, seniors paid 100 percent of Part D prescription drug expenses while in the doughnut hole. Medicare premiums and deductibles will rise faster: The ACA also curbed Medicare payments to providers to help keep Medicare Part A deductibles and copayments in check. Similarly, Part B premiums and deductibles are much lower than projected before the ACA became law. From 2011 to 2020, Part B premiums increased 23 percent. From 2000 to 2009 – the nine years before the law’s passage – Part B premiums rose almost fi ve times faster, increasing 112 percent over that period. Medicare Advantage plans will be more expensive: The ACA requires Medicare Advantage plans to spend 85 percent of premium dollars on health care, not profi ts or overhead. The plans also can’t charge more than traditional Medicare for chemotherapy, renal dialysis, skilled nursing care and other specialized services. Those restrictions dramatically lowered costs for Medicare Advantage plan enrollees. Since the ACA became law in 2010, the average Medicare Advantage premium has decreased by 43 percent while enrollment has increased 117 percent. Insolvency accelerates: The ACA extended the solvency of the program’s trust fund by eight years to 2026, mostly by fi nding new sources of revenue and slowing the growth of payments to all providers. The Congressional Budget Offi ce estimates that reversing those changes would cost the program $700 billion over 10 years, which would make Medicare almost immediate insolvent. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. nue in my ward – what kind of neighborhood pushback would that generate?” Condon said. “It won’t hurt to take a pause. If fi ve of these [marijuana] shops went into the city of Malden how would they be spread out?” Spadafora: Malden voters did not realize all parts of marijuana legalization question Councillor Spadafora, the lead sponsor of the resolution, agreed with some of Condon’s points. “A lot of voters didn’t realize there was a number [of marijuana sales permits] tied to liquor licenses. A lot of cities and towns want that control – to have a say in that – but we can’t say ‘no’ to [the number of] cannabis [permits], unlike liquor licenses, where we have a commission that can. We have to discuss it further in Ordinance [Committee].” Councillor O’Malley spoke against the resolution. “The correct process would be to send any of this discussion to Ordinance. This is a contradiction to our own municipal ordinances and state law,” O’Malley said. “Businesses have spent money in researching and design planning. The businesses that may be in the pipeline for consideration by our CLEC, they’d have a case for damages.” Councillor Winslow concurred. “This is premature and unfair. We have people who have not applied yet, but have invested in planning and design in preparation to apply.” “We are the ones who made the ordinance, after long discussions and much community input. But remember, we’ve approved two permits, but we haven’t cut a ribbon yet. Who knows what can happen from now until then with these businesses we have approved?” Winslow said. “At least give some of these people preparing applications a ‘last call.’ If it turns out enough people want a petition to put it on the ballot, then so be it.” DeMaria: Pause would be disservice to those preparing applications Councillor-at-Large DeMaria agreed. “At fi rst blush I thought maybe we should pump the brakes on [special permits], but I think it would be a disservice to people preparing applications,” she said, noting she took her name off the paper as a cosponsor. “I think this resolve just isn’t what we need right now.” Ward 6 Councillor Camell was also against the paper. “This does not direct the CLEC to move forward. This does BERMAN | FROM PAGE 2 Bernice gave her coveted cabbage recipe to Michael Millard, the chef at the assisted living, soon after she moved in seven years ago. Not surprisingly, it remains one of the most popular items on the menu today. not seem like the right way to go about this,” Camell said. “It’s like an end run around the ordinance.” Other councillors were in favor of the paper, like Ward 3’s Linehan, who said, “I’ve heard some concerns from residents that we may have a saturation of these facilities if we [increase the number].” “I believe we need more discussion on this issue,” said Ward 2’s Anderson. “The resolve is a sense of the City Council and will lead to a pause so we get some feedback.” Said Ward 5’s Murphy, “The issue in Malden is recreational use. [Our voters] did not understand we could have recreational marijuana establishments tied to the number of liquor licenses. A little bit of a pause is not a bad thing and would be in the best interests of everyone in the city of Malden.” After the lengthy discussion, the City Council moved on to further items on the agenda, but it was made clear the debate on the present and future status of retail marijuana special permits is far from over. About Chelsea Jewish Lifecare Chelsea Jewish Lifecare, a highly respected leader in senior living, employs more than 2,500 people and provides care to more than 1,500 individuals daily, with campuses in Chelsea, Peabody, West Roxbury and Longmeadow, Mass. ~ Home of the Week ~ SAUGUS...PERIWINKLE PARK AT ITS BEST! Wonderful 6 rm. 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