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or favorite hobby into a sideline business, or offer your expertise as a.Because Medicare is such a crucial program, most members of Congress usually stumble over themselves to protect it. However, if the situation ever presents itself, they will use threats to Medicare to bash the other party..The median income for those age 65 and older was ,757 in 2010..About one-in-five persons have incomes so low they receive both Medicare and Medicaid. Medicaid benefits can include payment of Medicare Part B premiums and cost sharing. In addition, Medicaid covers benefits that are not covered by Medicare, including nursing home care, and the family caregiving program that is enabling your disabled son and your mom to live with you instead of in a nursing home..While that is certainly better than 2010 and 2011 when inflation was so low that no COLA was paid for two years in a row, it's unlikely to cover seniors' real cost increases. Earlier this year we surveyed our readers and 89% reported that the 1.7% COLA in 2013 increased benefits by less than per month. On the other hand, almost the same number, 88%, reported that their total monthly expenses rose by more than Unfortunately the majority of those people, 40%, said that their monthly costs rose by more than 9..That is not as easy as it might seem but if they Senate is able to accomplish that whatever it passes must then go to a House/Senate conference committee which will have to come up with one bill that must then go back to each house and pass before it goes to the President for his signature. With just three work weeks left before October 1 it will have to be a marathon if they are to finish their work on time..Under current law, the Medicare program excludes coverage of most routine and emergency dental care, including cleanings, fillings, root canals, and extractions. As a result, around 70 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are left without comprehensive dental insurance coverage. The Medicare Dental Benefit Act would correct this to ensure that seniors have access to essential health care. Will you cosponsor this important bill?."Under current Social Security law, that is all that's required to later claim benefits," Hyland explains. "To file a claim, individuals must have a work-authorized Social Security number, and would become vested for benefits with ten years of earnings," Hyland says. "The oldest of those who are eligible for the deferred action could feasibly have worked illegally long enough to already be vested for Social Security - even for disability benefits," Hyland notes. This would add to the program's solvency problems since the Congressional Budget Office and Social Security Trustees have estimated that the Social Security disability trust fund will be fully insolvent by 2016..In addition, according to the CBO's analysis, around 15 million fewer individuals would receive coverage through the Medicaid program, which currently covers the cost of long-term care for one in five Medicare beneficiaries. The BCRA would do away with the current Medicaid reimbursement system where the federal government matches state Medicaid expenditures and replace it with a new formula that would be tied to inflation. If costs grow more quickly than reimbursements as they are expected to, states would likely need to cut benefits, increase taxes, or restrict Medicaid eligibility.