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Social Security is one of the foundations of our nation and it is based on the principle that if you work hard and play by the rules you will have the stability and security of guaranteed income in your older years. For 75 years, Social Security has been a critical safety net for our nation's seniors and it should be preserved for generations to come. For these reasons, I will keep fighting to provide an accurate measure of inflation for our senior citizens and to strengthen the program..The Republicans say that is a form of government price controls and interferes with the free market. That's why Majority Leader McConnell refuses to bring the Grassley-Wyden bill up for debate in the Senate. That bill differs in how it would lower drug prices but Senator McConnell opposes it because it would, in his opinion, still interfere with the free market and also because health care will be a big issue in the elections this year..New claims must be filed online and, to reach telephone assistance, one has to have the patience to wade through tedious automated menus, which can have long 24 -hour waits for return calls. Local Social Security offices can be so packed that it's standing room only. All this is coming home to roost for people who have middle to low incomes, and who can't afford the fees of professional retirement advisors. Too many people retire too soon, leaving substantial amounts of retirement income behind. That makes it all the more difficult to maintain one's standard of living later on in retirement..To improve program solvency, TSCL's surveys have found that a large majority of survey participants, 72%, support applying the Social Security payroll tax to all earnings instead of just the first 2,800 in earnings..According to Bloomberg News, "The bipartisan agreement is between the top Democrats and Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor committees, as well as the leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee..that your health insurance is taking a big portion of your Social Security,.Doctors, hospitals, and other providers would also be affected payments would be reduced to nursing homes, teaching hospitals, and other facilities, and doctors would no longer be paid according to the fee schedule laid out in the flawed sustainable growth rate formula. While some of these changes including the repeal of the SGR would be welcomed by TSCL, we do have serious concerns about the increased cost-sharing that many beneficiaries would see under the plan..Price gouging. The companies engaged in price gouging to maximize profits of drugs that had been off patent for decades. None of the companies investigated had invested in the research or development to create or improve the drug..Low-income seniors, including about one-quarter of all Notch Babies, may be feeling the effects of the expiration of federal stimulus funding for Medicaid that ended recently. The recession drove up Medicaid enrollment sharply, but the federal government stepped in with extra funding to help states cover the costs. Increased enrollment and decreased funding have led states to eliminate some benefits and increase the co-payments they charge.