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In last week's update we told you about the pending retirement of Senator Lamar Alexander, who has been a champion of legislation to end surprise medical billing. We feared the effort to end the practice would now be more difficult in Alexander's absence..Recently my mother got a notice from Social Security saying that her income is over the limit, and now she's paying much higher Medicare premiums than last year. Normally her income is modest, but in 2009 we sold her home after she moved into an assisted living facility. Her monthly Part B premium rose from .40 to 1.50. Her Part D coverage had increased by per month and the government tacked on a surcharge of more than doubling the premium that she paid last year. Altogether, my mother's Social Security was reduced by .10 a month! Someone told me this was part of healthcare reform. Why was there no advance notice to allow families to plan for this?.The disparity between growth in the COLA and Medigap premiums is likely to be worse in 2020. "Inflation is lower this year, and we are estimating that the COLA is likely to be around 1.7 percent," Johnson says. "Nevertheless, we anticipate that Medigap premiums will continue to grow several times faster for a number of reasons," Johnson adds..Because Medicare Advantage plans receive a capped monthly reimbursement for each beneficiary, TSCL is concerned that there is a potential financial incentive for Medicare Advantage plans to inappropriately deny some services or prescriptions in an attempt to increase their profits. Denial of medically necessary care and prescriptions can worsen your health, as well as leading to high out-of-pocket costs, financial burdens, and debt..Homeowners and renter's insurance: With severe weather-related disasters, homeowner's insurance is one of the top ten fastest rising senior costs. If you haven't done so recently, review your coverage and determine whether it's based on the current value of your home and realistic current replacement costs. Many policies have new deductibles for wind and hurricane damage based on a percentage of your home's value, so take care and look before being tempted to increase deductibles to lower premium costs. Do shop around with other highly rated insurers to see if you can lower your premiums..Action on Capitol Hill this week has been limited as Congress re-convenes on January 17th. Meanwhile, members of the payroll tax Congressional Conference Committee were named, while the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a plan for increased efficiency and savings..TSCL's members and supporters, through various surveys and polls, have backed these policy recommendations. Together, they represent a balanced and responsible path forward for the DI program. To read the full set of policy recommendations submitted by TSCL to the Social Security Subcommittee, visit our website. To stay updated on efforts to strengthen and reform the Social Security program, follow TSCL on Facebook or Twitter..The law, however, also shifts the entire beneficiary share of Part B premium costs to the remaining 30% of individuals who are not protected by the hold harmless provision. An estimated 16 million people will take a financial hit from spiking Part B premiums unless Congress takes action. They include:."New Generic Drugs Can Save You Money," Consumer Reports magazine, May 2012.