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"Senior Advocates: Small Social Security Bump May be Sign of Future Bad News".The effect tends to be tempered by the fact that the federal poverty level itself is adjusted for inflation every year, using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers. In most years the CPI-U grows slightly faster than the index used to adjust Social Security benefits, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Thus, it tends to keep pace with the COLA. But in 2020, the CPI-U grew more slowly than the COLA, growing just 1% instead of the CPI-W's 1.3%. Thus, SNAP benefits and many other types of benefits were reduced or even eliminated this year for some beneficiaries..Once an individual becomes entitled to Social Security, other dependents can make claims on their account if all other qualifications are met, even if they never paid into the system. Here's a list:.According to TSCL's 2021 study of typical retiree costs, the average Medicare recipient can expect to spend more than ,000 per month on healthcare costs this year. Considering that the average retiree benefit is just ,550 per month, that doesn't leave much wiggle room for everything else in a year of spiraling inflation. Paying for food gasoline, or home and auto insurance is more challenging this year than it has been in 13 years..One of the first steps in bringing down prices is demanding transparency from the many players in the prescription drug supply chain. Many experts point to pharmacy benefit managers as potentially contributing to rising list prices and out-of-pocket costs. PBMs are the veritable middlemen of the drug industry - they serve as intermediaries between drug manufacturers, health insurers, and pharmacies. Some believe that, during this process, drug makers are forced to raise the list prices of their drugs just so they can offset the costs of rebates paid to these PBMs..The United States consistently lags behind countries like China, South Korea, and others in education, placing us 26th in math, and 21st in science, out of 34 countries. As we work to improve our education system to compete internationally, I believe recruiting teachers is critical to the success of our children and our nation. Unfortunately, we are doing just the opposite. We have two decades-old policies in place that unintentionally discourage people from becoming public servants and punish those who are..Representative C.W. Bill Young.Immigration Bill Approved by Senate Committee.Your answers to these surveys will help TSCL educate Members of Congress, the media and the public about the views, experiences, and challenges facing seniors as they relate to Medicare and Social Security.