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The 2021 Part B increase comes at the same time beneficiaries are receiving one of the lowest COLAs ever paid. The annual inflation adjustment will increase the average Social Security benefit by only .00 per month. Because Medicare Part B premiums and out-of-pocket costs grow several times faster than the annual COLA, healthcare costs take a rapidly growing share of Social Security benefits in retirement. The situation can leave older households without adequate income and dwindling savings just a few years after retiring..McCaskill is calling on drug companies and doctors to scale back their financial relationships, and believes that, if necessary, Congress should step in to stiffen federal laws banning doctors from receiving gifts from such companies..Changes are looming for Medicare and Social Security. Make your opinion count. Visit TSCL online at and take our monthly poll!.But not all beneficiaries are protected by the hold harmless provision. The provision covers about three-quarters of beneficiaries who would not see any change in their basic Part B premiums in 2010, according to the Actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But one quarter of beneficiaries would face reductions to their monthly Social Security checks as money is deducted to cover the increased Part B premium costs. And although the "hold harmless" provision provides protection from the rising Part B premiums, that provision of law does not apply at all to Part D drug coverage or Part C Medicare Advantage plan premiums. If a person's Part D or Medicare Advantage plan premium goes up, he or she would have less Social Security to live on in 20An emergency COLA, however would offset those costs and prevent those reductions..Your friend should be commended for being sharp and perceptive enough to anticipate her own needs. All too often discussions about changes in one's housing and assisted living occur during a health crisis. But because your friend lives alone, she needs someone like you to talk about the "red flags" that you both may start to notice, and she may need help working up plans for the next life phase..So why the concern if immigrants will be paying into Social Security and Medicare? Won't the payroll taxes boost the program in the meantime.Does TSCL receive government funding?.Legislation is currently under consideration in the House, The Social Security 2100 Act, that would adjust the income thresholds that subject Social Security benefits to taxation, from ,000 to ,000 for single filers and from ,000 to 0,000 for joint filers. According to a survey by The Senior Citizens League, 55 percent of survey participants support lifting the threshold for taxation of Social Security benefits to those levels, and only 12 percent oppose. The bill would pay for this as well as providing a boost in Social Security benefits and a more generous cost-of-living adjustment, by increasing the amount of wages subject to payroll taxes and by very gradually increasing the tax rate that workers and employers pay..This week, members of the bicameral budget conference seemed to hit an impasse, and The Senior Citizens League announced its support for the Social Security and Medicare Lock-Box Act. In addition, two key bills gained cosponsors this week.