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In January the President had said he would "take a look" at cutting entitlement spending, which is Washington talk for cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. However, the next day after the interview he backed off his statement and tweeted that he would save Social Security..There was no Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA, applied to Social Security benefits for 2011, and that may cause great concern for senior citizens and those who care for them. This will leave 54 million beneficiaries who receive a Social Security check each month without an increase..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..He had demanded a payroll tax cut previously this year. Thankfully, Congress did not go along with him when it passed the previous legislation meant to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and the ailing economy that resulted..Congressman John Garamendi, the sponsor of the bipartisan CPI-E Act, recently said: "Using a Consumer Price Index that actually reflects how retirees spend their money especially in health care is a no-brainer that will increase benefits and make Social Security work better for the people it serves.".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..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..partnership programs available in several states..Unfortunately, it is not as cut-and-dried as "everyone will now pay per month for their insulin." It is much more complicated than that.