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The goal is to prevent fraud and combat identity theft by removing the Social Security numbers from cards and using a unique, randomly assigned number instead. The new cards, which contain a combination of numbers and uppercase letters, will be automatically mailed to all Medicare beneficiaries. There is nothing people need to do to obtain the cards..The soda is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the fridge to keep it cold..Yet in deficit reduction negotiations over the past two years, both President Obama and Congressional budget negotiators proposed cutting the growth in annual cost–of–living adjustments and several Medicare measures that would increase beneficiaries' out-of-pocket costs, like higher deductibles, and new co-pays, over the same time. "Making beneficiaries pay more for their Medicare, with less income, simply isn't feasible for a large percentage of today's older Americans," says Cates. "TSCL believes that Congressional candidates could face pushback from concerned senior voters in upcoming elections," he adds..Here are some things to consider:.It's hard to plan your optimal retirement age without a realistic idea of what to expect in lifetime Social Security income. Yet, according TSCL's 2017 Senior Survey, 71% of survey participants said that's exactly the situation they were in when they filed a claim for Social Security benefits. They did not know, and Social Security did not supply any estimate of what they could expect in total lifetime Social Security income based on their choice of retirement age..TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 1776, and we were pleased to see support grow for it this week. For more information, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website..Years ago, drug legislation was passed that made importation of FDA approved drugs from Canada legal, but the Department of Health and Human Services secretary was required to certify the safety of the drugs. So far, no HHS secretary has been willing to do so, despite regular efforts to get importation going..This year, for the first time since the early 80's, the Social Security Trust Fund that pays retirement and survivors benefits fell into deficit and is paying out more than it receives in payroll taxes and taxes on Social Security benefits. In years in which there was an excess of Social Security taxes, the federal government used the surplus revenues for other purposes and then credited the Trust Fund with special non-marketable government bonds representing IOUs. But with the recession and prolonged economic recovery, the taxes that fund Social Security plunged. At the same time, enrollment is soaring as seniors who have lost their jobs turn to Social Security early. When the Trust Funds don't receive enough tax revenues, then the government must find the cash to redeem the IOUs to pay benefits. The only options Congress has is unsustainable levels of borrowing, tax increases, or cutting benefits..In 2010, 2011, and 2016 there was no COLA payable at all and, in 2017, the COLA was just 0.03 percent. Likewise, in 2018, the COLA was 2 percent, but rising Part B premiums consumed the entire increase for roughly half of all beneficiaries.