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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not announced his health care priorities for the Senate this year. He still refuses to bring the bi-partisan Grassley-Wyden bill that would lower prescription drug prices up for debate on the Senate floor so that may be one of the reasons he has not issued information about his priorities..From a tax perspective, your distributions from a traditional IRA or 401 are 100% taxable, while distributions from a Roth IRA or 401 are not taxable. Up to 85% of Social Security benefits may be taxable but, for many people, the taxable percentage is much lower..Today millions of older women are depending on insufficient Social Security benefits to get them through a retirement that can stretch up to 30 years. Low benefits mean people have to spend more of their retirement savings at a faster pace than anticipated..Following the reception, the Board of Trustees and TSCL's legislative team spent the afternoon meeting with six Members of Congress and their top aides. Support was expressed for a number of key bills, including the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act, the Notch Fairness Act, and the Social Security Fairness Act, among others..As to the details of how healthcare reform will affect you and your husband, stay tuned. Government officials and community organizations are gearing up for consumer information and assistance efforts that will surround this fall's open enrollment period starting in October. A major poll conducted earlier this year indicates that much of the public remains confused about the status of the health law. Check coming issues of The Social Security and Medicare Advisor for how the new healthcare law will affect seniors younger than Medicare age..Petition to Congress: Put an End to Dramatic Increases in Prescription Drug Costs.Washington, DC) An eye - popping new list compiled by The Senior Citizens League indicates that, by late 2020, price increases for many of the expenditures of older Americans far outstripped the modest 1.3 percent cost of living adjustment boost that Social Security recipients start receiving this month. "This list is a snapshot of how COVID-19 affected prices of certain items through the end of November 2020," says Mary Johnson, a Social Security policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League. "There are surprising price aberrations that we haven't seen before," Johnson says. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that toilet paper and disinfecting wipes could wind up on our annual list of fastest growing retiree costs," Johnson says..Higher benefit costs may not be a financial choice for the majority of seniors. Half of all survey respondents report spending 11% to 33% of their Social Security benefit on healthcare costs, and another 22% reported spending 34% to 50% of their benefit. The following table illustrates how respondents answered..For updates on our progress, visit our home page. And be sure to cast your vote on November 8th for the candidates you trust the most to reform the program responsibly in the 115th Congress.