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what you will pay for it - and do this every year. If the drug is expensive,.The blueprint also lays out some modifications to the Social Security program. It would close the Disability Insurance trust fund's shortfall by transferring funds from the Old Age and Survivor's Insurance trust fund over a period of five years. TSCL's members and supporters overwhelmingly oppose the transfer of funds from one trust fund to another since it would put the OASI trust fund on worse financial footing. However, we were pleased to see that President Obama did not include the adoption of the "chained" CPI in his budget blueprint as he did two years ago..In a letter to Marilyn Tavenner, the Acting Administrator of CMS, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission warned that some of the health plans don't have the experience to manage the full range of benefits required by dual eligibles or the capacity to serve large numbers that would be automatically transferred into the plans en masse at the beginning of the program..Recently we asked for your stories and comments on how rising prescription drug costs impact you. The following story illustrates new administrative efforts by Medicare to "educate" beneficiaries about their options for less expensive prescription meds, by sending out letters listing lower cost medications. The question we need to ask our lawmakers is why is this necessary? Does the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services believe we are impoverishing ourselves by using more expensive drugs if a less expensive alternative was effective, to begin with? Unfortunately, sometimes the older, less expensive drugs don't work as well, and with metastatic cancer drugs, quality of life can be at stake. Our sincere thank you to Janice S. a retiree living in Illinois, for sharing the following..This week, TSCL endorsed the Social Security Fairness Act, which was recently introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Rodney Davis with the bipartisan support of seventy-seven original cosponsors..Are you making the most of your money? A new online website and tool, EconomicCheckUp®, can help you get a better understanding of your financial situation and find personalized, appropriate solutions to save money. You can use it to find work, learn to better manage your budget and explore options to reduce debt, or to explore options to use home equity..Seniors and the Cost of a Coronavirus Vaccine When it is Available.drives up hospital and other costs for Medicare beneficiaries,.The OIG did not estimate the amount that the 11,179 collected in benefits in 2014, no doubt because privacy laws prevent the Social Security Administration from sharing that information. TSCL's Social Security policy analyst and Advisor editor Mary Johnson, however, estimates that this group of auxiliary beneficiaries may have received more than 5 million in benefits in 2014, based on current Social Security statistical data. TSCL agrees with the OIG, and believes that with Social Security in deficit, the Social Security Administration must do more to prevent improper payments.