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Once again this week the impeachment of President Trump dominated the news involving Congress and Washington in general. Even so, work continued on a host of other issues, many of which are of great importance to seniors.."The drug is essential," Heyman testified. "People can die without it… The drug company deserves the right to make a profit. But it is unconscionable that one company, Valeant, can hold Wilson Disease patients hostage," she said in her testimony..Your benefits would drop further as rising Medicare costs take a bigger portion of Social Security payments. This is already occurring even under current law, but the problem would be accelerated if Social Security benefits grow more slowly, and if Medicare cuts make seniors pay more for their healthcare..TSCL recently released an analysis of the proposal that estimates the chained CPI would cut the growth in average benefits of ,100 today by about ,634 over the course of a 25-year retirement, and that assumes that the economy becomes more stable soon. Nevertheless, the reductions in COLA growth compound over time, and are deepest when seniors are the oldest and sickest. By the time seniors are in their late 80s or 90s, when they are most likely to have chronic health problems, monthly benefits would be about 5 lower using the chained CPI..As the demographics of America shift, health care services must evolve to meet new and increasing demands. The main factor driving projected growth in federal spending on major health care programs is the aging population. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that the number of people age 65 or older will increase by roughly one-third over the next decade, and 80 percent by 2039..The practice I'm talking about is known as a "Pay For Delay". It occurs when brand-name drug manufacturers sue manufacturers of generic drugs and then pay them large sums of money specifically to keep their cheaper generic drugs off the market and unavailable to consumers, including our seniors. These settlements can make generic medications unavailable for years into the future years during which those brand-name drug manufacturers can continue making huge profits with no competition..A 2004 law forbids the payment of Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants in the U.S. unless they receive legal work authorization at some point. The scope of that law appears much more vague under Totalization. It appears that illegal Mexican workers would only need to return to Mexico to file a claim for benefits. Under current policy, once a worker becomes eligible for Social Security, the U.S. Social Security Administration determines entitlement based on all earnings, even from jobs worked illegally..Medicare Savings Programs cover the cost of the Medicare Part B premium, saving a person 8.50 per month in 202Depending on income, those with the lowest income may also qualify for additional benefits that cover the Part B deductible and out-of-pocket costs. People with incomes in 2020 of up to ,456 per month or ,960 might be eligible if they have limited savings and resources of ,860 or ,800. These limits are slightly higher for Hawaii and Alaska. This program is administered through state Medicaid programs and states may have guidelines that allow people with slightly higher income to enroll. If interested,contact your local Medicaid office to apply..Obamacare Medicaid Expansion Creates New Inequities For Seniors