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Based on consumer price index data through May of this year, TSCL's Social Security policy analyst and study author, Mary Johnson, estimates that the COLA for 2018 may indeed be significantly higher than in recent years - around 1.9% - 2.1% - but that could change since there are still several months to go before the COLA is announced in October..best cash advance loan companies.In a message to Congress in 1945, President Truman said "Millions of our citizens do not now have a full measure of opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health. Millions do not now have protection or security against the economic effects of sickness. The time has arrived for action to help them attain that opportunity and that protection." Twenty years later when President Johnson signed Medicare into law, he remarked on Truman "Many men can make many proposals. Many men can draft many laws. But few have the piercing and humane eye which can see beyond the words to the people that they touch […]And fewer still have the courage to stake reputation, and position, and the effort of a lifetime upon such a cause when there are so few that share it." I am honored to continue fighting for Truman and Johnson's visions as we look forward to another 50 years of Medicare..Medicare is trying to nudge people towards using less expensive older drugs, as this story describes. Most of us jump at the chance to lower our drug costs whenever we can, but sometimes the alternative may not work as well. If this happens to you, I strongly suggest that you take the letter from Medicare and show it to your doctor. I'm willing to bet your doctor won't be pleased to see Medicare "prescribing" other drugs for his or her patients..In the coming weeks and months, TSCL will continue to advocate against this balanced budget amendment to the constitution, and we will ask lawmakers to protect the earned benefits of older Americans by supporting legislation like H.R. 5466 from Congressman Ted Deutch. For more information or updates from Capitol Hill, visit our website..Medicare counseling: Counselors provide free one-on-one assistance to help you and your mom understand what Medicare covers, and other insurances, such as Medicare supplements and Part D plans, and Medicare Advantage. In addition, you can get information about the limitations of Medicare coverage of long-term care. A counselor may be able to explain the requirements to help you determine if your Mom would qualify for Medicare Savings Programs or Medicaid..job..In making the 1977 changes, Congress, wanting to avoid an abrupt change, allowed persons born from 1917 through 1921 to use a special transitional benefit formula or the new 1977 formula, whichever would yield the higher of the two benefits. The transition benefit formula never delivered the promised benefit protection, however, because it did not yield a higher benefit amount. Instead, the new benefit formula most often yielded the higher amount..Consider this, 5 per month is about one quarter of the average ,523 per month Social Security benefit in 202About one third of those participating in our 2020 Senior Survey indicated they spent that much on their total healthcare costs. Another 31% said they spend more than ,000 a month on total healthcare costs - roughly two-thirds of the average Social Security benefit! These findings are particularly troubling considering that the Government Accountability Office estimated in 2019 that almost half of households with people aged 55 and older have no retirement savings or other form of pension outside of Social Security.