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Uncertain: 17%.Another concern about congressional inaction on the debt ceiling is the potential for cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. In recent debates, Social Security benefits have been used as a bargaining chip and have been held hostage to the debt limit increase. Some retirees have felt the sting of unexpected benefit cuts. In 2015, following the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act, millions of seniors, already eligible for Social Security benefits, learned that an important claiming method called "file and suspend" a particularly important protection for women who tend to have lower benefits than men would no longer be an option to them..drives up hospital and other costs for Medicare beneficiaries,.plans with similar coverage caps or the maximum amount that the plans will pay..This week, President Obama sent his fiscal 2016 budget blueprint to Congress, and The Senior Citizens League saw one new cosponsor sign on to the Notch Fairness Act..The switch to the chained CPI was seriously considered in the closed-door debt limit meetings by Congressional leaders and President Obama earlier this summer. It forms the basis of not just one, but several, of the most prominent debt reduction plans currently under debate. Chaining the CPI has won support from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and most deficit reduction proposals call for putting it into effect relatively soon..Food is one of the top three categories of expenses for most people who rely on Social Security. While the price of gasoline has gone down, food costs, especially meats, have continued to climb. Here are five ways to lower the food bill:."That [FDA] approval is broad, making no distinction between the mild, moderate, and advanced stages of the memory-robbing disease and setting no requirements for its diagnosis.".Phasing in an increase in the payroll tax rate for workers and employers from 6.2% to 7.4% each over a period of twenty years. The gradual growth would mean an extra 50 cents in taxes per week each year for the average worker.